Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning
by Grey-X
Summary: Harry Potter/Metroid crossover. When a renegade Auror called Valkyrie teams up with Voldemort to unlock a deadly secret buried long ago by the four founders of Hogwarts and the Chozo, Samus returns from the future to help Harry and his friends stop them.
1. Picking up the Pieces

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning  
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover  
Chapter 1: Picking Up the Pieces  
1-8-2009  
by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

**January 8, 997 - 2:48 AM Western European Time  
approximately 25 miles southeast of Hogwarts **

On and on he trudged through the darkness of the forest, which his wand seemed almost powerless to penetrate. More than once, he had painfully fallen flat on his face after tripping on unseen rocks and tree roots. Each time though, he simply got back up, brushed the twigs and leaves out of his long, silvery beard, and ventured onward. He had never cared for this wild, untamed forest, and now liked it even less at night. But his vexation with traversing the Forbidden Forest was nothing in comparison to the indignation of what he had been forced to do in the last few days, of what he was going to do soon...

Even though he knew there was really no choice, it was still the hardest choice he ever made.

A sudden rustling sound from behind made him whirl around, his wand at the ready. Had he traveled far enough? Was he where he needed to be? No, by his estimates he had about a mile to go. No doubt one of the many nameless horrors in the Forbidden Forest was nearby. With his luck as of late, no doubt it was some predator moving in for the kill.

Forcing himself to remain calm, he raised his wand to illuminate the area. He scanned the area for any more signs of movement, tried to sense any hint of magical energy...anything that would give away his unseen stalker. As he did so, he cautiously crept backward, hoping to put some distance between whatever was out there while nudging closer to his goal.

Unfortunately, he also inadvertently stepped off a ledge, only to painfully tumble several dozen feet down a steep slope.

After eventually coming to a halt, he lay motionless for a few seconds. Then, after trying to move, he found that no bones were broken. He began to slowly pry himself off the forest floor, spitting out dirt and fallen leaves as he did so. Once he was back on his feet, he realized he had dropped his wand. In a panic, he looked around wildly for it, but barely any moonlight was penetrating the forest canopy. He could barely see his hands in front of his face...

All of a sudden, behind him, another wand illuminated the forest. He spun around to face whoever it was, fearing the worst.

But it turned out to be just the opposite.

A tall, fair, slender woman draped in blue robes slowly approached him. One hand was held high, holding a wand that cast the light dispelling the darkness. In that light, silky black hair glistened and warm, brown eyes sparkled. The other hand held out another wand: his wand. "I believe this is yours, old friend," she said, smiling.

Slowly and grudgingly, now hampered by several painful bruises, he made his way over to her. Trying to muster as much sincerity as he could given the embarrassing circumstances of their reunion, he quickly said, "Thank you, Rowena."

"Despite everything that has happened, it is good to see you again, Salazar," she said with genuine sincerity. But he didn't need Legilimancy to tell that, despite her words, some suspicion still lingered. That had always been something off-putting about Rowena Ravenclaw; she could be both compassionate and coldly intellectual at the same time. "But if I may ask," Rowena went on. "Just how did you..."

"Fall down that slope?" Salazar Slytherin finished for her. "I had sensed some creature sneaking up on me, and I was edging backwards as I tried to find out..."

"A creature?" Rowena repeated. "No doubt it was this." With that, Rowena stretched her hand toward the night sky. Salazar looked upward, and through the trees, he saw a thestral approaching them to make a landing. He knew Rowena could see it too. Both of them had seen their fair share of death and destruction as of late...

"Godric was able to procure a whole herd of trained thestrals. He thought they might prove useful," Rowena said knowingly, answering Salazar's unspoken question. "I know, it's often been assumed such creatures were untamable, but I long suspected otherwise." The thestral landed stealthily beside them, and Rowena grabbed hold of what looked like reins. "Come, the others are expecting you. They are not far behind."

With a sigh, Salazar fell in behind Rowena as she led the thestral to their destination. "If only you could have sent one of these things to pick me up," Salazar said at length. "But no doubt spies were watching the skies above all of Britain for anything out of the ordinary. I couldn't risk taking the usual routes back into Hogwarts either, had to go skulking around like a thief in the night..."

"At least most thieves I know have a sense of honor, of loyalty?" barked a shrill voice. A few feet away, standing between two more thestrals with saddles and harnesses, was a short, stout woman with short, flaming, curly red hair. Her hands were at her hips, everything about her body language betraying unrestrained, pent-up, venomous malice. "I might as well tell you this right now, Slytherin, I think you've got no business crawling back to us, not after what you put us all through!" shouted Helga Hufflepuff imperiously.

"Helga, that's enough!" shouted another voice in a tone far more commanding. "These times are too perilous for squabbling about the misdeeds of the past. We must now look toward the future, a future the three of us may not yet survive alone and unaided. Salazar has shown great courage already by giving us what information he has. The least we can do is show a little trust in return."

Salazar braced himself and turned around. Towering over him was the commanding presence of the man he once called his best friend. Clad in red and gold robes, carrying his ruby-encrusted, goblin-forged sword, and sporting a beard and flowing red mane, was Godric Gryffindor. He looked just as much the fierce duelist now as he did years ago, when a rift formed between them. He tried to make him realize that in a world growing more and more hostile toward their kind, the families of Muggle-born witches and wizards could not be trusted unconditionally.

But all that seemed trivial now, in light of all that had happened in recent weeks.

Salazar flinched a little as Godric clasped a hand on his shoulder. "I truly mean it, old friend. Despite the disagreements that still linger between us, I know that in a situation like this, I can count on you without worry," he beamed. "I look forward to working together again."

_That's Godric for you. Always ready for a fight,_ Salazar thought with a sigh. Out loud, he said, "I am touched that you're willing to trust me again, but it is truly wise to also trust..._them_?"

"We have no choice and you know it!" snapped Helga.

"Helga is right. We have no hope of success without them. And now that we're all together again, we must make haste and return to the castle," spoke up Rowena. "If you have any new information for us, perhaps we can plan a new..." But Rowena was cut off when a shrill whooshing noise was heard overhead, making the trees rustle ominously. "They're making their move already! They're heading toward the castle!" Rowena shrieked, with more fear in her voice than Salazar had ever heard before. She quickly mounted her thestral, and Godric followed suit.

"I've got Slytherin!" shouted Helga as she mounted her thestral. It galloped toward Salazar, and she grabbed him by the hood of his robes. With strength unexpected of such a short woman, she hoisted him up onto the thestral so that he was seated behind her. Soon after that, all three thestrals ascended, quickly rising above the trees and soaring through the night sky with dreadful, unbelievable speed.

"Wand out, Slytherin! We're closing in on them!" Helga ordered tersely. Salazar looked ahead. With the trees no longer blocking the moonlight, he could see that a few miles ahead was the castle of Hogwarts, its towers rising into the night sky. And a few hundred feet ahead was some big, black, fast-moving...thing. There still wasn't enough light to make out exactly what it was, but Salazar knew full well where it came from. It couldn't be allowed to reach Hogwarts now that the students had returned. He raised his wand and began to mutter an enchantment.

But suddenly, fiery red beams of light lanced out from the intruding object, shooting back toward them. "Hang on!" Helga shouted, gripping the thestral's reins. They swerved wildly to the right, narrowly missing them. Salazar spared a second to try and spot Rowena and Godric, and to his relief saw they were still aloft. If any of them were to perish now...

But Salazar put those thoughts aside and raised his wand again. But before he could cast a single spell, the strange craft came under attack from down below. Strange, small objects, propelled forcefully with fire, shot up from the forest and struck the craft. Upon impact, they exploded with frightening force. Also, what looked like small bursts of wintry air rose up and struck the craft as well. A few seconds later, the strange object exploded noisily, spewing a deadly fireball that lit up the entire forest with blinding light.

It took a few seconds for Salazar to get over the shock of what just transpired, but eventually realized that Helga's thestral, along with the other two, was descending. It looked like they were headed for where that mysterious attack had originated.

Salazar said nothing as the thestrals gracefully touched down. It didn't take long to spot what, or rather who, was behind the attack that felled the intruder.

Three large, armored...beings stood in front of them. Their shape somewhat resembled a human's; two arms, two legs, a shape that favored upright posture and walking. But their heads were anything but human. A thick layer of night-black feathers, large, bulbous eyes, and protruding from the front of their faces were powerful-looking, triangular beaks.

The one standing closest to them began to speak in a voice that exuded both wisdom and militancy at the same time. "I see the final member of your number has joined you. Good. Now we can begin."

xxxxxx

**June 3, 1968 - 4:51 PM Eastern Standard Time  
Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts U.S.A. **

Belinda Asara shuffled along the sidewalk, trying to wade her way through the crowds of Muggles busily going about their normal lives. She spared a quick glance into a shop window, taking note of her reflection. For a witch in her late forties, she realized she could look a lot worse. Still, the wrinkles starting to form around her face, her stout frame, the short, haggard-looking hair that was starting to grey...

The stress of being part of the Asara family, one of the oldest and most respected Wizarding families in England, and being responsible for so many of the family's business dealings...the burden of such duties was obviously taking a toll.

Belinda felt a tug on her hand. Sighing, she looked back at the seven-year-old girl she was dragging along. The burden of looking after five children also wore her down. "Come along Melody. We mustn't be late," barked Belinda, pulling on her daughter's arm to make her go faster.

"I still don't know why we had to come to this stinky, noisy Muggle city!" Melody protested vehemently.

"I told you twice already, Melody Asara. Our client has a Muggle friend whose daughter is graduating from Harvard in a few days, and he refuses to leave the city until then. And the deal must be finalized with our family tonight!" explained Belinda for what felt like the hundredth time.

"I don't see what the big deal is, graduating from this Harvard place," Melody went on. "As if there's anything at Muggle schools worth learning."

"Yes, I suppose learning about technology that puts people in space isn't worthy of anyone's attention," Belinda shot back testily, losing her patience. "We've only observed the heavens with telescopes, but any day now the Muggles will figure out how to get to the moon and beyond. And if our kind is to follow, it'll be by using their methods. Now hush up and keep walking," Belinda said with finality, wedging through the crowds on the sidewalk.

Belinda sighed as they pressed on. What more could she do to teach her children about the folly of such arrogance? She wanted to make sure her children didn't develop the same imperious attitudes other pure-blooded children seemed to have. In many ways, yes, the Wizarding world was superior to the Muggle world, but there was still much they could learn from the Muggles. Not only that, their kind could not hide from Muggles forever, not at the rate which the Muggles and their strange sciences were advancing. One day, the Wizarding world would have to reveal its existence once again.

But most of all, Belinda knew what the outcome of such prejudicial attitudes could be. She saw it in the rise of this new Dark wizard, Voldemort, and how he was spreading his message. An alarming number of people were willing to listen, even people she once considered her close friends, such as the Malfoys. If left unchecked, this madman could very well plunge her entire world into chaos. _And from that chaos, who knows, there could come something worse, someONE worse..._

However, Belinda forced these troublesome thoughts aside as she pressed onward. They couldn't be more than a few minutes from their destination now. If only their client hadn't insisted on meeting in a public place, then perhaps she could have arranged to Apparate, but...

A sudden chorus of panicked screams snapped Belinda out of her annoyed musings. Looking around, she saw many Muggles running wildly, obviously fearful of something. Then she saw it: a large truck Muggles used to haul cargo across great distances, speeding down the street. It was as if its brakes had suddenly stopped working.

And the truck only came to a stop when it crashed into the side of a city bus at the intersection.

Belinda's heart sank as she watched the bus get rammed into the side of a building. The deafening, terrifying sound of shattering glass and crumbling masonry assaulted her ears, and a ball of fire shot upward from the truck as its gas tank ignited, eliciting more shrieks of panic from all the Muggles nearby. Instinctively, Belinda rushed toward the wreck with her daughter in tow, wondering if she could discreetly use her magic to help in some way. But she already knew that half the passengers on that bus probably died instantly...

_I can put out the fires, at least. That will make it easier for the Muggle Healers to get to survivors,_ thought Belinda hopefully, edging closer to the wreck. She pulled her wand out of her coat pocket. With everyone staring dumbly at the horrific wreck, Belinda twirled her wand as she held it down to her side, whispering an incantation. Within a few seconds, the flames lingering around the totaled truck and bus inexplicably died away.

Minutes later, ambulances arrived, and Muggle Healers began the painstaking task of pulling any survivors from the wreckage. Belinda could only watch in horror as bloodied bodies were being whisked away on stretchers, knowing there was nothing more she could do without breaking Wizarding law. She felt a squeeze on her hand. Melody was watching in terrified silence as well, and from her face she could tell her daughter felt no sense of haughty superiority, just sadness. _It's a hard lesson to learn. Despite all our differences, in the end we're still human, still mortal..._

"Hey Charlie, I don't believe this!" came a voice from the wrecked bus. "This little girl, she doesn't have a scratch on her! And she was seated right where the truck hit, too!" A hurried conversation started among the Muggle Healers in the bus, one that Belinda couldn't follow. Then, a moment later, she saw them carefully carry out a young girl and lower her onto a stretcher.

"It...it's a miracle," Belinda said softly with disbelief. "I saw the crash happen...to think anyone lived through it unhurt..."

"And sitting where the truck crashed into it!" shouted Melody. "That...that's impossible! Nobody could survive that. Nobody, unless..."

Belinda and Melody looked at each other with blank expressions, knowing this could only mean one thing.

As the stretcher was loaded into the back of an ambulance, Belinda got a good look at the young girl strapped to it. She looked like a full-blooded Asian girl, with shoulder-length, raven-black hair. She looked about seven or eight years old. She wore some sort of fine, expensive-looking suit, perhaps some sort of school uniform? Curious, Belinda edged closer to the ambulance, hoping for a better look.

And before the ambulance door slammed shut, Belinda saw a name tag on the girl's suit, which had, astonishingly, the symbol that she recognized as the seal for Harvard University emblazoned on it. _A girl that age, admitted to one of the most prestigious universities in the Muggle world!_ she thought incredulously. Lastly, she took note of the name on the name tag...

**PRIME, V.**

xxxxxx

**October 6, 1995 - 11:21 PM Western European Time  
Hogwarts **

Harry Potter finished putting on his night clothes as he looked around the boys' dormitory. Everyone else was sound asleep. Even Ron and Neville, who had gotten a taste of the horrors he had fought, were sleeping peacefully. Harry envied them. In the days since Samus Aran had returned to her time, Harry found his dreams of that long, mysterious hallway replaced with nightmares of the deadly X parasites Voldemort had nearly unleashed upon the world. And all too often, his ghastly doppelganger, the HP-X, was right in the middle of them.

_Enough, Harry. There's no reason to still be afraid of those things,_ Harry told himself resolutely. _The space station was destroyed, the HP-X was toasted well before that, and Voldemort was beaten within an inch of his life. He probably won't be causing much trouble for a while, thanks to Samus._

Samus Aran... Harry let his thoughts linger on her, the mysterious loner of a bounty hunter who somehow came to regard him as a close friend. And in turn, she had become something of a big sister to him in the few short weeks they spent together. Harry briefly wondered if there was any chance they would see each other again...

As it was, Samus had already given him so much. At the very least, their adventure together had given him the confidence he needed to take up Hermione's suggestion. This weekend at Hogsmeade, Harry was determined to set up his own Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons behind Umbridge's back. Harry smiled to himself, relishing the thought. He moved toward his bed, hoping that happy thought would grant him one night free of nightmares.

But as Harry was about to jump into bed, everything suddenly went dark. Not as if the dimly-lit wall sconches had been snuffed out. It felt as if some great force, a wave of darkness, had suddenly swept over the dormitory.

Forcing himself to not succumb to panic, Harry reached for where he thought his nightstand was, hoping to grab his wand. But something...no, someONE, grabbed him from behind. He felt someone's right hand clasp over his mouth, while his assailant's free arm was slung around his torso, pinning his arms to his sides and holding him in place.

"No one can hear us," a feminine voice whispered in his ear. The voice had a non-threatening tone, but still had a fervent edge to it. "A special charm an old friend of mine devised will see to that. But I think I'll keep your mouth shut anyway. Now's not the time for a face-to-face talk. Right now, all you need to do is listen."

Harry's struggled with all his might to free himself, but whoever this woman (if it was a woman) was, she was far too strong. Just one hand around his mouth held him firmly in place, making it impossible to turn his head and get a look. Amazingly, judging from the soft rush of air brushing past his ear, she was about his height.

Another thing that was strange was the accent in her voice. It sounded somewhat British, but to Harry, it seemed a bit...forced. Faked. As if she were trying to conceal her true accent.

"Hopefully, the day will come soon when we can meet face-to-face. After all, this is the closest I've ever been to you since you were a baby. Ever since then, since your parents were murdered, I've observed you. Watched every move you made, watched you grow up into the remarkable young man you are today. And these last few weeks...my my, those were of great interest, weren't they?"

Harry's eyes widened, knowing instantly what, or rather who, she meant: Samus Aran. But when the voice spoke again, she made no mention of the bounty hunter from the future. "Want an example of how intently I've watched you? I know what you're planning to do this weekend. And between the two of us, I say go for it. Anything to spite that fuckbucket Umbridge. You think _you_ hate her? Believe you me, you have no idea how vile she really is.

"But your long-term plans go far beyond undercutting that toad's authority. I know what your ultimate goal is, even if you don't yet: Voldemort." Hearing that name spoken aloud sent a shiver through Harry. Not from fear of Voldemort, but the fact that this woman would so casually utter the name. This was no ordinary witch. "You may not realize it, but Voldemort's annihilation is at the top of your 'to do' list, or at least it will be one day. But let me ask you something: do you really think Voldemort's death would change everything?"

Despite himself, Harry stopped struggling so hard, truly pondering her question. "You know in your heart that Voldemort's eradication would not change the world overnight. No, the ideological filth Voldemort spews is nothing new, and will persist long after he's beaten. You can see this everywhere in history, among Muggles and Wizards alike. Someone dies, but their destructive ideology lives on. I know you must've learned at least _THAT_ from Binns's lectures, and from your time in Muggle schools." Harry's eyes widened again. Aboard Samus's ship, he had thought the very same thing while recovering.

"You may not want to admit it, but deep down, you think what's between you and Voldemort is the textbook definition of good versus evil. It may seem that way, but nothing in this world is so clear-cut and simple. There is no such thing as absolute good or absolute evil. It's never just about good guys versus bad guys.

"Oh, and your dream of becoming an Auror? Your dream of one day bringing the fight to Dark wizards? A naive fantasy, one I tried to live. Consider what kind of government you would be working for. A government that allows incompetent, dickless tubs of lard like Cornelius Fudge to rise to the top, and allows power-hungry bitch-whores like Dolores Umbridge to run things unchecked? A government in which most members have attitudes toward Muggle-borns and Muggles not much better than Voldemort's? D'you really think you can accomplish _ANYTHING_ serving a government like that?

"You're slowly realizing this, Harry, that you can't go on the way you have. You're realizing the world isn't black-and-white. And hopefully that realization will sink in soon. One day down the road, maybe in a couple weeks, maybe in a few years, we'll meet again and you'll have to make a hard choice. Keep going down this road to nowhere, or try something...new. Something that will let you live up to your true potential, the great things you're truly meant for..."

Harry continued to struggle in her grip, but now only half-heartedly. Despite himself, when he listened to her words...some of it was making sense. But that nonsensical talk of 'great things' was enough to let him know that whoever this woman was, she couldn't be trusted.

"I won't modify your memory, Harry. No, I want you to remember what I told you tonight," the voice went on. "For now, I'll take my leave...and pick up what I really came for."

Suddenly, Harry's felt her left arm let go of his torso. His mind now fully focused, Harry was ready to overtake his mysterious assailant. But a strange sound - a loud, metallic shink - made him hesitate for a split-second.

And in that split-second, a horrified Harry felt something sharp, long and cold plunge into the side of his neck.

White-hot pain exploded in Harry's head, but he was vaguely aware of the sensation of something being sucked out of his neck. Blood, or perhaps more? Harry didn't have long to dwell on it, however. Soon the pain faded away, but all other sensation was leaving him as well. Harry's assailant pulled the metal object out of his neck and finally released her hold. Harry felt his body slump lifelessly into a heap before he blacked out completely.

xxxxxx

**June 9, 1997 - 7:32 AM Western European Time  
Hogsmeade**

Susan Bones peered out from behind the tree she was flattened against, wanting to get one last look at Hogsmeade Station, and her fellow students boarding the Hogwarts Express, before it departed. Like many of the other students, she had been determined to stay for Dumbledore's funeral, but for an entirely different reason. She was charged with gathering as much information as possible before the rest of the students were sent home. But she dreaded having to report what she knew about the night Dumbledore was killed to her boss.

As Susan watched the students board the train, a sharp surge of envy ran through her. Most of the students getting on...most of them still had families to go home to. Not her. Her parents had been murdered by Death Eaters when she was very young, and she had been raised by her aunt Amelia, until Voldemort killed her personally last year.

As she watched the crowd board the train, Susan caught one last glimpse of Harry Potter. Mixed feelings of guilt and disappointment welled up within her. Once, she would have trusted Harry without question. She enthusiastically took part in Dumbledore's Army, and for a while, truly believed the rumors that he was the 'Chosen One'...

That all changed when Voldemort murdered her aunt. How the Wizarding world sank deeper and deeper into chaos since then, while Harry seemed unwilling or unable to strike at the heart of the problem, eroded Susan's faith in him completely.

Since then, Susan had found someone new to put her faith in. Or rather, someone new had found _HER_.

Either way, there was no turning back now. She had made her final choice, she knew where she stood. But still, she watched Harry and his closest friends board the Hogwarts Express with a hint of sadness and regret.

Susan was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she was scarcely aware that a large shadow was looming over her. Bane, the leader of the centaur herd that roamed the Forbidden Forest, looked down upon Susan with a stony gaze. "You should have been at the extraction point five minutes ago," he said simply, the impatience in his voice palpable.

Despite having secretly worked with Bane for months, the sight of the acerbic, domineering centaur still unnerved Susan. "I-I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I-I just wanted to see it one last time, b-before..."

Bane glanced over at the Hogwarts Express, then back down at Susan. Susan wondered just what the centaur was thinking, but his obdurate expression was unreadable. At length, he finally said, "No matter. I will have us where we need to be in time. Climb on my back."

Susan couldn't believe her ears. "W-Wait a minute, I thought centaur pride forbade you from letting humans ride you?" she asked dubiously. Bane's only response was to fix his withering gaze upon Susan again. "Oh, that's right," Susan said sheepishly, realizing she had foolishly reminded Bane of something he'd rather not dwell on. Like her, Bane's service came at a price. Only for Bane to put aside his enormous pride, he had to be paid a ridiculously high price...

After carefully climbing atop Bane's back, the centaur turned around and galloped back into the heart of the Forbidden Forest, the thunderous sound of his hooves resounding in Susan's ears. Amazingly, she could hear Bane's voice over the plangent noise. "You'll be pleased to know that while we were fulfilling our duties here, the others have set everything into motion. Our ultimate goal is within sight. We need wait only a little longer."

For the first time that morning, hopefulness began to swell in Susan's heart. "You...you mean..."

"Yes, Susan Bones," said Bane. "Humanity's Day of Reckoning will soon come."

xxxxxx

**the distant future  
approximately 2000 kilometers above SR388's surface**

The passage through the temporal vortex took only minutes, but for Samus Aran, the trip seemed to drag on for hours. The swirling, bright energy patterns and lattices of the vortex...they almost had a hypnotic effect. Still, Samus kept her hand firmly on the steering rod, ensuring a steady journey. Then, at long last, Samus saw the vortex open and the sight of normal space greeted her. Her ship shot out of the temporal vortex like a missile, eventually settling into a stable orbit around SR388.

"Status report, Adam," Samus said tonelessly, her mind still on what she had endured the last few months, and the uncertain fate that now awaited her. Months had passed for her since she, Adam and the surviving X parasites were pulled back in time by Voldemort's enchantment, but if Dumbledore's enchanted clock had done its job right, only a few hours had passed here in her own time. That meant her insubordination and the destruction of Biologic's station would still be fresh in everyone's mind.

"Weapon systems, deflector shields, stealth field, life support and sublight engines are all functioning within normal parameters," chimed in the computerized voice of Adam Malkovich, her old mentor, his mind now preserved in her ship's computer. "However, short-range and long-range scanners, as well as long-range communications, are offline for some reason. Worry not, Lady. It should take me only a moment to isolate the cause and remedy it."

"Make it so," said Samus as she leaned back in the pilot's seat. She looked down at her herself again, at the concealing witches' robes she still wore over her fusion suit. Samus reached down, pulling up at the skirt part of her robes, examining the fine, silky fabric. Then she looked over at the dashboard of the cockpit, where Hermione's photo album still lay, unopened.

No one else in the Galactic Federation would ever believe her if she tried to explain what happened, it was far too fantastic a tale. Yet, Samus knew she couldn't pretend that nothing had happened. For better or worse, her unwitting foray into the past changed her forever. No longer could she pretend that she could go on as a loner. _Maybe I should take Harry's advice, try to find Captain Falcon and Kirby again. Maybe I can even convince them to work with me. Working together, we could cover more ground when tracking fugitives, effectively mount ambushes against..._

But then Samus remembered what happened the last time she was supposed to lead a team of bounty hunters. Samus shut her eyes tightly as she recalled how she was forced to fight and kill Rundas, Ghor and Gandrayda after the Phazon infecting their bodies ultimately corrupted them. After the annihilation of Phaaze, it had taken her a while to finally come to terms with what happened. Only the dire plea from the Galactic Federation to investigate SR388 had prompted her to finally don her armored suit again.

_And there's no telling how the Galactic Federation is going to react to my insubordination and blowing up the B.S.L.; I may not be doing any hunting whatsoever for a while. Perhaps...it's time to call in a few favors. The Luminoth still owe me big time. If the GF suddenly has the gall to put a bounty out on ME, I'm sure they would offer me sanctuary until I can figure out how to..._

"SAMUS!" Adam suddenly shouted. Never throughout their mission to the B.S.L., or their escapade into Earth's past, had Samus heard so much unrestrained panic in that computerized voice than just now. "Short-range scanners have just come back online, but..."

Adam's voice trailed off, as if he was actually at a loss for words, something that Samus had never heard happen in all the time she had known him...before and after his death. "But WHAT, Adam!" demanded Samus impatiently, fear and tension building up within her despite herself. "What have the scanners picked up?"

"As soon as the scanners came back online, I performed a quick sweep of SR388's surface and the surrounding space, but...this makes no sense, Samus! Everything is all WRONG!" shouted the computerized voice.

"What do you mean, 'ALL WRONG?'" snapped Samus.

"Look out at the planet's surface and you'll see what I mean," said Adam hesitantly.

Samus slowly turned her head to look out the side of the cockpit, dreading what she would find. The sight that greeted her was just how she remembered the surface of SR388 from orbit...

BEFORE she had locked the B.S.L.'s propulsion systems on a crash course with the planet. It now looked the same as when she ventured there on her mission to exterminate all the Metroids.

For several moments, Samus wordlessly stared out the cockpit window. When she finally found her voice, her words were barely audible, coming out as pathetic, panicked croaks. "How did, h-how can..."

"It gets worse, Lady, a LOT worse," said Adam. "I did a quick scan of the lingering ion trails from ships entering and leaving the system, and...NONE of them come close to matching ANY known Galactic Federation vessel!"

Samus kept staring out at the surface of SR388, its surface now untouched by the hellish fusion reaction from the B.S.L., as Adam's words slowly sunk in. Samus's mind was racing, trying to make sense of these impossibilities. Fortunately for her, the Chozo had trained her to think harmoniously and stave off chaotic thought. After another moment of determined focus, Samus went over what facts they had, and came to a sobering conclusion...

"Human history was somehow altered, and that altered the history of the entire galaxy," said Samus weakly. "We thought that by wiping out the X parasites in the past, we prevented our present from being altered. We were obviously wrong."

"Obviously," came Adam's somber response. "The question now is, what do we do to remedy it?"

Samus didn't reply. Indeed, what reply could there be? The temporal vortex Dumbledore's enchanted clock had generated supposedly collapsed in on itself the moment her ship cleared it. There was no way back, and though she had heard of several scientific theories regarding time travel from Galactic Federation scientists and while being raised by the Chozo, she knew of no surefire method. _At least, not with scientific methods. But I know it's possible using sorcery, and the Wizarding world must still exist in this new timeline,_ Samus thought with a flicker of hope. _It's a longshot, but it's our only hope. I have to set a course for Earth, then hope I can..._

"Samus, the singularity!" bellowed Adam, his voice sounding even more shocked than before. "The vortex...it's reopening! Something is coming through!"

Reacting with practiced speed, Samus steered her ship around and headed back to the entrance of the temporal vortex. Just as Adam said, the vortex was opening again, but Samus didn't see any ship passing through it. Several more moments passed, but still, nothing came out. "Adam, what's going on? Something obviously must've just come through that vortex. Is it a shuttle that's been concealed with magic somehow? Can our scanners pinpoint it if that's the case? Or maybe..."

"Hold on, Samus, I don't believe it was a ship that passed through. Rather, I think...yes, it was some small object," said Adam. "It's a clock remarkably similar to the one Dumbledore gave us to reopen and stabilize the temporal vortex Voldemort created, and there's something else attached to it as well. Hold on, I will have it brought aboard shortly."

Samus waited impatiently in the pilot's seat, nervously fidgeting with the armrest as she waited for Adam to collect the objects and bring them aboard. Finally, a metal cylinder began to slowly rise from the floor next to her seat. A metal seal slid open at the top, then the objects were slowly raised upward on a platform. Just as Adam said, there was an antique alarm clock bearing an uncanny resemblance to the one Dumbledore had enchanted, and attached to it with Spell-O-Tape was a small, plastic rectangular box with several buttons on the side.

"I believe the device attached to the clock is an antique recording device used in the late 20th century known as a tape recorder, which recorded audio by polarizing magnetic tape," said Adam, answering Samus's unspoken question. "If these historical records are correct, pressing the button with a single triangle will play back any recorded audio."

Samus was still confused and fearful by this harrowing turn of events, but she forced herself to calm down. When she found the right button, she hesitated for a second, but then finally pushed it.

Almost immediately, Harry's panicky voice boomed from the tape recorder. "Samus? Samus, if you're hearing this...oh, I hope Hermione gets this sent to the right time, or else we're..." Harry's voice was then drowned out by the ear-splitting shriek of static. But what little Samus already heard had been enough to make her heart hammer incessantly. From her perspective, she had seen Harry alive and well less than an hour ago, sorrowful about their parting, but otherwise healthy and happy. Now to hear a recording of his voice with such panic and hopelessness...

Eventually, the static cleared, and Harry's voice came through clearly again. "We thought we'd never need you again, but we weren't ready for this new..." Static cut off Harry's voice again. And from that point on, all that played were garbled bits of Harry's recording in between long lengths of static.

"...overwhelmed all our..." "...teamed up with Voldemort..." "...a one-armed fallen angel..." "...this will change history so that..." "...it had loads of Chozo technology, and..." "...no one was prepared, no one had any idea..." "...called it the Day of Reckoning..."

After all that, there was mostly static again, but there was one long, final part of the tape that was decipherable. "Samus, if you somehow get this clock, use it like you did the last one. With any luck, it'll take you back to a point where..."

Then there was nothing but static after that.

"It appears that most of Harry Potter's recording was corrupted due to the ambient energy from inside the temporal vortex," said Adam matter-of-factly. "But from what remained of his message, there can be no doubt that we must use the clock Harry provided for us, return to his time, and undo whatever events caused these alterations in the timeline," Adam finished, with the air of determination and duty that Samus had always associated him with.

But for a long while, Samus did not respond. She simply stared at the clock and tape recorder on the cylinder. The mention of a resurgent Voldemort and technology left behind by the alien race that raised her, plus the specter of centuries of galactic history being altered, perhaps irreversibly, should have been enough to spur her into immediate action. But for some reason, some instinct was telling her something was very wrong. "If you're going to ask this Lady if she has any objections, I don't know," said Samus, finally finding her voice. "I can't put my finger on it, but something doesn't feel right."

"All of history has changed, and Voldemort using some ancient technology left behind by your benefactors, a race that sought to spread enlightenment rather than tyranny, is clearly responsible. Do tell me Lady, what's supposed to feel right?" asked Adam acidly.

Samus shook her head, knowing that, as usual, Adam was absolutely right. Without another word, she severed the Spell-O-Tape holding the clock and recorder together with her armored fingers. Then she grabbed the tape recorder, leaving the alarm clock on the cylinder, and nodded her head. The clock was lowered back into the cylinder, which receded into the floor.

Samus watched through the cockpit window as the clock slowly drifted through space, and when it made contact with the entry point of the temporal singularity, it reopened. _Well Harry, looks like we've got another mission,_ Samus thought to herself as she steered the ship into the vortex.


	2. We're The Reformers

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 2: We're the Reformers

1-13-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

**June 11, 1997 - 2:25 A.M. Western European Time**

**somewhere in the North Sea**

It was so dark, so quiet under the water's surface, with barely any light reaching down to her depths. She hated the quiet, the sense of solitude. At times like this, her mind wandered and she began to think too much. About the choices she had made, about the path she was going down, still wondering if she had made the right decision...

It was useless to dwell on such matters. There was no turning back, especially now, when all their planning, all their hard work, would soon bear fruit. Fortunately, she would soon reach her goal, and then she would have plenty to keep her mind occupied. She propelled herself forward even faster. Here in the water, she was truly at home. Nothing could catch her, nothing could stop her...

In the dim light, she noticed two sharks coming from the direction she was headed. This would have unnerved anyone else, but not her. She sped forward, unperturbed, and swerved in between them. The sharks had no chance to lunge and bite at her. By the time they turned around, she was over a hundred feet away, moving at a speed they could never hope to match.

Once she took pride in how no one was her equal in the water, but no longer. Now, it was just a minor detail, an advantage to be exploited, one among many others...

Finally, she was closing in on her goal. Her upper body burst forth through the water's surface. Near-darkness still shrouded everything, so she felt no anxiety. Craning her neck up, she saw the foreboding tower that was the Wizarding prison, Azkaban. The Ministry officials working here wouldn't know she was here until it was almost too late. Most of them thought it was impossible to escape Azkaban by sea (despite one famous exception), so why would they anticipate anyone breaking _INTO _the prison, after swimming through waters deemed too treacherous?

Of course, it wasn't just the location that kept intruders out. Among all the Muggle-Repelling Charms, there were a host of other defensive spells in place. However, she was not alone, and her backup would take care of those charms for her.

She swam closer to the island, staying near the surface. Then, once she reached the steep, rocky, forbidding shore, she dove under. For a few moments, she remained there, and the surface above became tranquil again.

All that changed when, suddenly, she shot upward, like a missile launched from a submarine. Higher and higher she soared, until she was far above the rocky cliffs, staring at the walls of Azkaban. Luckily, she had propelled herself upward at such an angle, she soon made direct contact with the wall.

Once the palms of her hands touched the wall, they remained there, anchoring her to the ancient stones. She planted her toes against the stone, and likewise, they stuck as well. The moon was shining against the other side of the tower, so the wall she was planted against was still enveloped in darkness. She could barely see her arms reaching out for purchase on the wall. All for the better. Even after all this time, she hadn't gotten used to her new appearance...

Forcing her discomfort to the back of her mind, she leaped upward along the wall, sticking to a spot a few feet above her previous position. She repeated the process, and quickly scaled Azkaban's wall.

xxxxxx

Lucius Malfoy sat in his cell, staring blankly at the days-old copy of the _Daily Prophet_ in his shaking hands. He had read it cover-to-cover, the story about Albus Dumbledore's murder. Once, he would have been positively jubilant, dancing with joy, to hear about the old Muggle-loving fool finally getting what was coming to him. Now, however, such a thing seemed so trivial, especially considering the circumstances under which he was killed.

From his wife's visits, he knew full well what the Dark Lord's true intent was: slow torture for him as the school year went by, wondering if his son would either succeed or be killed for failing. Narcissa took a huge risk revealing this to him, and oftentimes he wished she hadn't. And now, reading about details gleamed from Harry Potter himself, he knew that it was Severus Snape who had did the deed, not Draco. However, it looked as if the plan could not have succeeded without Draco's planning, so that meant the Dark Lord would allow his son to serve as a Death Eater...or so he hoped.

"Get a grip on yourself, Lucius," came a cold, grating voice directed at him. "Your son has performed brilliantly for the Dark Lord and will be honored for his faithful service...even if you have lost favor," he finished.

Lucius looked up from the newspaper to see Rodolphus Lestrange, his cellmate, hovering over him. Not long ago, they got along just fine. He was married to his wife's sister, and his faith and devotion to the Dark Lord was unwavering. But now, the Dark Lord, the rightful place of purebloods...it all seemed so meaningless in light of what happened to him and his family.

"Honestly, Lucius," snarled Rodolphus, snatching the paper from his hands. "Think of what this means. With that old sod gone, there is nothing to stand in the Dark Lord's path! And once the Dark Lord frees us from Azkaban, perhaps your son's triumph will be enough to convince our Master to forgive your failures," he finished with a mirthful sneer.

Lucius looked at the floor and shook his head. Being forced to double up with Rodolphus was proving to be unbearable. _But for the moment, I'm probably better off here in Azkaban, and would be even if the dementors were still here. No dementor could ever equal the horrors of what the Dark Lord can do if I displease him one more time. No one could match his..._

A loud crashing sound interrupted Lucius's thoughts, which sounded like it had come from far down the hall. One of the Ministry guards peered through the barred window in the steel door. "What's going on in there!" he barked irascibly, obviously suspecting that they, two of the most notorious Death Eaters, were up to something. Lucius weakly shrugged his shoulders. Then, a loud shriek of pain rang out throughout the halls. The guard turned away and ran off. Lucius heard his faint voice a moment later. "What the...what are you..."

All that came next was a loud whooshing noise. Then there was deafening silence.

Several moments passed by, and an air of uneasiness settled over their cell. Eventually, Lucius worked up the nerve to approach the cell door, taking uncertain, timid steps. Finally, he reached the barred window and peered through.

At first, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Then, all of a sudden, someone came up to the other side of the door, looking through the door window...a pair of solid black eyes. It was all Lucius took in as he jumped back in surprise.

The next thing Lucius knew, there were sparks erupting from the hinges of the door, accompanied by a sickening sizzling sound. Within moments, the hinges were blown off, and a powerful kick from whoever was on the other side slammed it into the floor.

Lucius and Rodolphus looked on with mingled shock and confusion as their mysterious liberator strode into the cell. She was a tall, lanky woman with a thin, angular face...but Lucius didn't really focus on that because, whoever she was, she clearly wasn't human.

Instead of normal flesh, her skin was a sickly shade of light greenish-brown, with several unsightly black spots. Not only that, it looked downright slimy, glistening in the dim lighting. She wore an outfit that left her arms and legs bare. All her outfit essentially was was a blood-red, form-fitting vest-like covering with shoulder pads; it looked thick and resilient, yet light and sleek at the same time. On each of her arms, there were bronze-colored armbands that almost reached up to her elbows. Her feet were longer than a human's, specifically her toes, which all had webbing between them, and it was the same story for her hands and fingers. Completing her bizarre appearance was her hair: thick, curly and cut to shoulder-length, but it was a flamboyantly radiant turquoise, with a single lock of silvery-white hair above her left temple.

And yet, despite her uncouth appearance, she seemed somehow...familiar. Lucius felt as if he was supposed to recognize who this woman was...

The pair of solid black eyes Lucius glared at the two of them from under that canopy of turquoise hair, glaring at them intently. "Lucius Malfoy and Rodolphus Lestrange?" she asked in a throaty, demanding voice. It wasn't a question.

"Yes, that's us," spoke up Rodolphus. "And just who, or what, are you?" he demanded.

Lucius thought he saw the woman's lips press together in indignation, but when she spoke again, there was only a reserved, stoic tone. "That is irrelevant, but for now, you may call me Ped."

Rodolphus laughed. "PED! What kind of ridiculous name is that!" Lucius simply looked from Rodolphus to this 'Ped', not sure where this was going, but certain he wouldn't like it.

"The one who's been assigned to get you two out of Azkaban," Ped replied calmly.

"Please, I find it hard to believe the Dark Lord would entrust our rescue to a creature such as you," snapped Rodolphus.

Lucius was certain that Ped would lose her temper at that point, but to his surprise, it was Ped's turn to laugh...a low, humorless laugh. "I never said I was working for that shortsighted, psychopathic fool Voldemort, now did I?"

That response silenced Rodolphus in an instant. His face instantly fell, no doubt from the shock of hearing this Ped speak the Dark Lord's name so casually. Lucius was at a loss for words as well, but because unlike Rodolphus, he was trying to approach this rationally. _If the Dark Lord did not send this woman, then who would possibly..._

It was then Lucius noticed something on Ped's outfit that he had overlooked. There was some sort of emblem emblazoned on her left shoulder. At first glance, it looked like a red, flaming bird. _A phoenix? The ORDER OF THE PHOENIX? _Lucius thought nervously. _Why would the Order send someone for US? _But as Lucius examined it more closely, the more he realized it wasn't something an Order member would proudly display. The bird's wings were spread wide and its talons outstretched, like a bird of prey swooping in for the kill. And the fire that surrounded the bird, it wasn't like the gentle fire a phoenix was reborn in, but a violent, destructive, all-consuming flame...

As Lucius was taking all this in, Rodolphus finally found his voice again. His response was predictable. "Y-You dare laugh, speak of the Dark Lord so flippantly, to..."

"Yes, yes, and to answer your next question, YES!" Ped interrupted, a slight bite to her voice. "Now, if you're done blustering, my orders are to get you two out of here, so I suggest we start moving now."

"Wait a minute, if the Dark Lord didn't send you, who did? Who are you working for?" Lucius asked, finally daring to speak.

"That's also irrelevant. But rest assured, everything will be explained once we're out of here. Now I say again, let's go," said Ped.

"And if we refuse?" asked Rodolphus. Lucius knew Rodolphus was trying to sound more daring then he felt.

Ped raised her right forearm, and suddenly, with a loud click, a wand extended from her gauntlet into her palm. "Then I hex the both of you and levitate you two to the extraction point," she replied, keeping her wand raised. "Now move."

Seeing he had no choice, Lucius slowly walked past her, out of the cell. He heard Rodolphus follow him shortly thereafter, though grumbling under his breath. Lucius paid him no mind as he tried to make sense of the situation. _So this Ped wasn't sent by the Dark Lord to liberate us. Perhaps that's for the better,_ he thought, still afraid to face Voldemort. _But who is she working for? Obviously not the Order. What does she want with us?_ he wondered, dreading that returning to Voldemort would actually be preferable to the fate in store for him.

Lucius and Rodolphus walked side-by-side as Ped followed close behind. Lucius could feel her black, inhuman eyes boring into his back. "Keep moving," she hissed in a whisper. "We'll meet up with my partner soon, and then..."

"DON'T MOVE, FREAK! HANDS UP!" came a sharp, resounding command from behind. Lucius whirled around to see that a guard had sprung out of hiding,with a wand at the back of Ped's neck. Lucius then heard footsteps coming from the direction they had been heading in. Oddly enough, a wave of calm washed over Lucius...

"Freak, huh?" Ped asked nonchalantly, smiling. "I remember, once upon a time, words like that rolled off my tongue, but now..."

"Shut up!" commanded the guard. "Drop the wand, now!"

"Can't do that," replied Ped calmly. "It's attached to my gauntlet, and there's no way _you _can remove it," she added with an amused grin.

"Fine then. You two, get those Death Eaters back into custody. And no sudden moves from you, or else."

Ped chuckled softly again. "Tell me, by 'sudden moves', do you mean something like..."

Lucius watched with amazement as Ped suddenly opened her mouth, and out shot an impossibly long tongue. It curved around behind her and wrapped itself around the guard's neck. Then, in one blinding flash, Ped twirled around, using her tongue to hurl the guard over Lucius's head and at the guards behind him. Turning around, Lucius saw the guards ducked just in time, their comrade sailing right over them, only to collide against the wall with a painful thud.

The remaining guards quickly raised their wands to hex Ped. Lucius and Rodolphus dove out of the way, intent on letting Ped and the guards fight it out. Ped quickly dodged, but in a way that once again took Lucius aback. She leaped up to the ceiling and flattened herself against it, sticking to it as a frog would, and the spells sailed harmlessly underneath her. Ped then aimed her wand and opened her mouth, nonverbally casting a Stunner while lashing out with her tongue. The Stunner blasted one guard off his feet, and her tongue struck the other in the torso. He sailed back, skidding across the prison floor. The guard raised his wand as he struggled to get up, but Ped was already upon him. She had bounded off the ceiling and landed just in front of him. Once he was standing, Ped delivered a roundhouse kick to his head, then a fierce uppercut, knocking the guard upward several feet, only to land, unconscious, seconds later.

Ped turned back to Rodolphus and Lucius. Lucius simply stared at her, amazed and slightly disgusted. "Now that these annoyances have been dealt with, I suggest we get moving. More are sure to come," she said matter-of-factly.

"Now I know for certain that the Dark Lord did not send you," said Rodolphus. "My master has no use for a revolting creature like you, who fights with such barbarism that befits a lowly Muggle."

Once again, Ped let out a humorless chuckle. "Quite true, quite true. Unlike these men here, I know how to fight with _and_ without magic. Another important difference between us? I am still standing. They are not." Rodolphus simply stared back, at a loss for a retort.

But Ped might not be standing for much longer. Lucius saw another guard rounding the corner behind Ped, her wand raised. She wasted no time, yelling, "_Crucio!_"

Nothing happened.

The guard tried to curse Ped again, but again she failed. Ped turned around to face her. "Well, it looks like my partner's finally arrived," she said tonelessly.

Lucius saw the perplexed look of horror on the woman's face. She stared down at her wand, wondering why it was not working. _She IS trying to use an Unforgivable Curse. Perhaps she hasn't the nerve, doesn't truly desire to..._ Lucius then saw a gloved hand grasp the guard's shoulder from behind, and at once she let out a blood-curdling shriek. She crumpled to the floor, revealing who had been standing behind her.

A smiling young girl who didn't look any older than fourteen stepped over the fallen guard, clad from the neck down in some strange, bulky suit composed of what looked like a durable form of rubber, colored a deep, navy blue. It had broad shoulder pads and a skirt that reached down to her knees, but opened up in the front. Her gloves went all the way up to her elbows, and her boots, which nearly reached her knees, looked ostentatiously oversized, much like the boots many Muggle soldiers wore. All over her body, there seemed to be buckles and straps that bound her suit tightly, especially around her arms and legs, and even around her neck. And over her left shoulder, there was also that emblem of a flaming bird...

Lucius then got a good look at her face. She had long, brown hair that was braided in the back, but her face was partially obscured by an oversized pair of dark-tinted goggles, the kind Quidditch players wear during extreme weather.

And as Lucius watched her, he felt that, just like Ped, she seemed eerily familiar...

"I thought we were past the point where I had to constantly watch your back, Ped," said the girl in a grating, mocking voice, and insufferable grin etched on her face. "Then again, I shouldn't expect much from an old woman."

Ped let out that humorless laugh again. "'Old woman'? Need I remind you Tesla that, technically, you are nearly thirty years my senior?" she asked. Lucius stared intently at the girl called Tesla. This little slip of a girl, several decades old? "So, 'old woman', did you fetch your Death Eater?"

Tesla smiled obnoxiously. "Do owls drop special deliveries in a kappa's head?" she asked flippantly, snickering at her own horrible joke. "I got him right..." but her words trailed off when she looked to her right. "Hey, get your fat arse back over here!" Suddenly, a wand extended from under Tesla's right forearm in the same way Ped's had. "_Relashio!_" she shouted, pointing down the hallway.

An instant later, a stout figure with a pockmarked face was thrust at Tesla's feet. Lucius couldn't restrain himself. "Augustus Rookwood! What do you people need him for?"

Ped fixed her steely, inhuman gaze on Lucius. "Actually, Rookwood is the only Death Eater we truly need. Or rather, we need the information we're sure he's collected. As for you and Rodolphus...the good doctor believes you two may be of some use too, though what value you thugs could possibly have is beyond me."

Lucius slowly took this in. _Her master is...a doctor? Aren't those the Muggle equivalent of Healers, poor fools that slice Muggles open? What's going on here?_

"Oh no you don't!" said Ped suddenly, extending her wand from her gauntlet and pointing it at the floor. Lucius heard the crackle of flames. Looking down, he saw a guard's wand, one that Rodolphus had been reaching for, being slowly consumed by fire. "For the time being, I think it's better for everyone if you stay unarmed." She then looked over to Tesla. "Tesla, take point. The Death Eaters will follow you, and I'll cover our flank. We still have to retrieve our own people."

"You heard Peddy, time to play 'follow the leader'," said Tesla in an annoyingly saccharine voice. With that, Tesla ran ahead, no...she was _skipping_ ahead like a carefree child.

Lucius decided it was best, for the moment, to obey Ped and Tesla, and fell in step behind the strange girl. Thankfully, Rodolphus and Rookwood felt the same way, and as they moved forward, he heard a hurried, whispered conversation between them.

But Lucius wasn't paying attention, focused instead on the back of Tesla's strange suit. There were two large plates that protruded out of her back, shaped like the contours of her shoulder muscles and scapulae, and they had...vents covering them? As she examined her suit, Lucius noticed there seemed to be wires coming from those plates; in fact, the more he looked, the more he saw what he was sure were wires underneath that outer layer of rubber! _Her suit, it has some sort of Muggle machinery in it? How could it work in the place like this, with so much magic to interfere with electricity? And what would be the purpose? Why would any self-respecting witch or wizard outfit their underlings with such useless suits? Just WHO are these people?_

xxxxxx

A few minutes passed, during which more guards tried to take them down. But the three Death Eaters, sandwiched in between Ped and Tesla, proved to be perfectly safe. They proved themselves to be capable, and ruthless, witches. They parried all their attacks brilliantly, and no guard stood more than a few seconds after trying to take them on. As far as Lucius could tell, Ped and Tesla did not kill, but he saw them strike down the guards in some of the most vicious, painful ways imaginable.

As they moved on, Lucius heard the anguished pleas of fellow Death Eaters, demanding to be set free. Ped and Tesla ignored them completely, but Rodolphus lunged for a cell door at one point. Ped quickly brought him back in line with her tongue, and they continued on, following Tesla closely.

Eventually, Tesla stopped at a large, steel double door. "Here we are. The rest of our squad is behind this door."

Ped walked past the Death Eaters and placed a hand on the door. "We should be flattered. They put Wildflower and Faction in a high-security cell. I'm guessing these steel doors are over a foot thick, and I'm sensing a whole slew of magical locks and protective charms. It'd take hours to crack through these doors with magic."

"Hours you obviously don't have!" sneered Rodolphus. Lucius looked over his shoulder to see Rodolphus glaring smugly, pleased at the thought of Ped being unable to get her own people out of Azkaban. Rookwood simply stared at the floor, clearly overwhelmed with confusion. "You freaks can't fight off every man and woman working in Azkaban and, at the same time, use magic to pry open that door."

"Oh, you pureblood maniacs are all the same, thinking you need magic to solve everything!" cried Tesla.

"Then how do you intend to break through a wall of solid steel without magic?" asked Lucius, genuinely curious.

"Watch and learn, boys! Back up everyone, back up, this can get a little messy," said Tesla confidently. Ped aimed her wand at the three of them, forcing them to do as Tesla bid. After they backed up, Tesla stepped forward, spreading her arms and legs wide. Then, in one swift motion, Tesla brought her hands together for one noisy clap...

And at the same time, the steel doors collapsed inward as if crushed in a gigantic fist. When Tesla spread her arms again, what remained of the steel doors flew apart. Large pieces of twisted metal and crushed stone flew everywhere. Lucius instinctively shielded himself, but amazingly, no debris seemed to rush past Tesla.

"_THAT'S_ how," said Tesla triumphantly, indicating her handiwork with a wave.

Lucius stared at the open doorway, completely nonplussed. Such a thing simply was not possible without magic, and no Muggle weapon he knew of could do that either. "N-no magic, and... H-How did you DO THAT!" he demanded.

Tesla smiled and said, "Muggles always say good magicians never reveal their secrets, and even though that wasn't magic, well, the same axiom applies."

"Now that you're done showing off, Tesla, perhaps we can free our teammates and get out," said Ped, striding toward the open doorway. Tesla wordlessly followed her, once again skipping. Lucius hesitated for a moment, then turned to the other two Death Eaters, motioning for them to follow.

Inside the high-security cell, it was dark, expansive and forbidding, as if this was the only place in Azkaban to house the most dangerous prisoners. And considering that many Death Eaters were already incarcerated here, that was saying something.

"_Lumos!_" cried Ped, casting light into the spacious cell. Right away, Lucius's eyes fell on a woman clad in prison garb, slumped down against a wall and chained to it. In the wandlight, her skin looked deathly pale, almost solid white. Her short hair was also a silky shade of white. Realizing that her liberators had come, the woman slowly raised her head...

And stared at everyone with eyes that could only be described as a violent shade of blood red. "I was wondering when you would come. Took you long enough," said the woman in a thick, deep French accent. And when she spoke, she bore long, glistening fangs.

Once again, Lucius could not contain his surprise. "A...a VAMPIRE!"

"Yes, that's Wildflower. A vampire...and she's our field commander for a reason. So it might be a good idea to not piss her off, should you want to keep all your precious, pure blood in your veins," rebuked Tesla, dropping her overly cheery attitude for the first time.

"And Wildflower, please, you shouldn't be lecturing us after you two got caught in the Department of Mysteries like that. Seriously, that was some sloppy work," Ped said to the vampiress.

"We can argue about it later, just get me out of these chains. These shackles are doing a number on my skin," said Wildflower irritably.

Ped took hold of Wildflower's wrist, bound tightly in a metal shackle. "Alright Tesla, just do your usual..."

"No can do. These shackles are a mix of silver and titanium, and probably enchanted to increase their strength even more. No wonder even Wildflower couldn't break these bonds," said Tesla.

"Fine, I'll free her. You stand in the doorway and make sure nothing gets through," said Ped. Tesla simply nodded and walked to where the steel doors once stood. Once there, she simply folded her arms and stood there, as if she could stop any assault by simply standing in place. Meanwhile, Ped extended her wand and slowly dragged her wand down the length of Wildflower's shackle. Bright sparks sprayed everywhere, and as the wand passed over the metal, it severed the shackle. Lucius had no doubt Ped had done the same thing to the hinges on his cell door.

At last, Ped sliced through the first shackle, and was now working on the second. Unfortunately, for her, Lucius heard orders being barked to guards just outside the cell, followed by shouted incantations seconds later. However, Ped simply continued her task as if nothing was amiss. Sweating nervously, Lucius turned back to the cell's entrance.

Tesla was still standing there, arms folded, allowing a deluge of curses to come right at her. But when the guards' spells came within a few feet of her, they seemed to vanish completely! Lucius watched more closely, and indeed, the energy of their hexes faded into nothingness the moment they neared their target. It was as if there was some sort of magic-proof bubble surrounding Tesla.

Lucius turned back to Ped just as she had carved through the other shackle. "Oh YES!" shouted the vampiress exultantly as she pulled mightily against her bonds. Lucius saw Wildflower's face contort with frustration as she exerted all her vampiric strength. But now, thanks to Ped's handiwork, she was finally able to shatter her bonds.

"Excellent work, you two," said Wildflower as she stood up, nursing her wrists. "Now, let's free Faction and go. He's over here." Wildflower walked across the dark, dank cell as Tesla remained standing at the entrance, still somehow negating every spell fired at her. Ped followed her, and Lucius, still apprehensive yet strangely curious, followed as well.

At the other end of the cell, there was a monstrously tall, young black man, nearly seven feet in height, shackled to the wall as Wildflower had been. Not only was he ridiculously tall, but extremely muscular as well, looking as if he could easily outmuscle even someone like Rubeus Hagrid. He was bald, but bore a short beard and mustache. As they approached, Faction leisurely raised his head. In the faint light, Lucius thought he saw some sort of scar bisecting his head. His cold, brown eyes looked from Wildflower to Ped, then locked with Lucius's. Lucius had thought after all the things he had seen in the last half-hour, nothing could unsettle him more. But Lucius saw a quiet fury in those eyes that unnerved him all over again.

"I don't think those shackles are enchanted alloy," said Ped. Faction finally looked away from Lucius to stare at Ped, to Lucius's relief. "Give me a minute, and I'll..." Ped began, raising her wand.

"If they aren't silver and titanium, don't bother," said Wildflower, reaching for one of Faction's shackles with both hands. Wildflower pulled against the shackle for a moment until it snapped apart, then she did the same for the other.

Faction stepped away from the wall, nursing his wrist. "Thank you," he said to Wildflower in a low, deep voice. Then he glanced back at Lucius, then at something behind him, probably the other Death Eaters. "Augustus Rookwood. Are we so desperate for a lead, we must pick apart his brain?"

"The doc obviously thinks so," said Tesla, turning her back on the besieging guards; their spells still faded away the instant they came within a few feet of her. "I don't think my personal no-magic zone's gonna keep these goons back much longer. They look ready to charge. You two up for a little action?"

"You have to ask?" Wildflower replied coyly.

"If that's the case, I've got the goods right here," said Tesla, smiling as she reached into her skirt. First, she pulled out two bronze gauntlets, similar to the ones Ped wore, and tossed them to Faction. Then Tesla pulled out what looked like a small, metal rose, and tossed it to Wildflower.

"Yes," whispered Wildflower as she gripped the metal flower tightly in her grasp. As Lucius watched, he saw the petals of the rose bloom and expand, and it began to increase in length. Within moments, the small, metal rose had grown into a staff nearly five feet in length, with a single, blood-red ruby nestled in the center of the freshly-bloomed flower.

"You're a...staff wielder?" asked Lucius. Learning to wield a staff instead of a wand supposedly took years of intense training, presumably so much so that the payoff, whatever it was, wasn't worth the trouble. Then again, vampires were essentially immortal, so if she was several decades old...

"If you think that's impressive, take a look at Faction," said Wildflower dismissively.

Lucius turned to look at Faction, who had fastened the guantlets to his forearms. However, _BOTH_ of them had wands attached! "_TWO_ wands, one in each hand?" shouted Lucius incredulously. He had never heard of anyone using a wand in each hand simultaneously; it was supposedly impossible with the way the human mind worked. "No one's ever, how can..."

"Watch and learn, Lucie," said Tesla. The barrage of curses had ceased, and the guards far down the hall looked apprehensive, as if they had no clue what to do next. Tesla then stepped aside. "Wildflower, Faction, they're all yours. Show 'em why you don't screw around with the Reformers."

Wildflower stepped into the mangled cell doorway, and Faction stood at her side. "Come, Faction. Let us show our Death Eater friends how dueling is really done," said Wildflower with a wicked smile.

Seeing that Tesla had withdrawn, the guards' vigor seemed renewed, and lashed out with a new onslaught of curses. No magic-proof barrier stood between the guards and these 'Reformers' this time. However, there was no need for it. Her staff held firmly in both hands, Wildflower deflected each and every curse sent her way, her staff moving so quickly, it seemed to be nothing but a metallic blur. Faction, likewise, blocked all the curses directed at him with his two wands, moving with equally astonishing speed.

A few moments later, though, the duo counterattacked. The guards were getting so desperate, one even used Avada Kedavra. However, Faction rolled out of the way with swiftness that belied his size, and Wildflower, with a shriek of fury, struck the prison floor with her staff. The stone tiles immediately began to undulate, and the wavelike motion traveled down the hall, knocking all the guards off their feet.

Faction then charged forward with his left arm raised, generating gale-force winds with his wand that further pushed them back, while at the same time using a Summoning Charm to disarm them all. Then he made an upward slash with his right arm, sending out what looked like a spider's web, which no doubt entrapped all the downed guards.

"I don't think they'll be causing us any more trouble," said Faction calmly as he strode back to the others, his wands retracted.

"Still, this operation's gone on far too long," said Ped. She then turned to Tesla. "How much longer until our ticket home arrives?"

Tesla looked at something on her wrist. Some sort of timekeeping piece built into her suit, perhaps? "I'd give it another six minutes until the Razor Knight arrives for the pick-up."

_Wait a minute, I thought Wildflower and Faction were supposed to be the other half of their group. Who is this 'Razor Knight'?_ Lucius silently wondered.

"Then we have no time to waste. We need to get to the top of Azkaban, fast," said Wildflower, turning to Tesla. "It's time for Maneuver I-8, Tesla."

"Oh motherfucker, I _HATE_ that maneuver!" whined Tesla, obviously displeased with the idea.

"It's the only way, Tesla," said Ped. "I think the hallway to our right has a wall we can blast through. Let's move. That means you three, too," she added, extending her wand and pointing it at Rodolphus. At this point, Lucius needed no prodding, but Rodolphus hesitated for a moment before grudgingly obeying.

All seven of them stood a dozen feet before the solid, blank wall that Ped had mentioned. "Let's do it. Wands out everyone," Wildflower ordered, raising her staff, and her three teammates likewise extended their wands. Then, all at once, they used the _Bombarda Maxima_ curse repeatedly to smash through the prison wall. Slowly but surely, their curses punched through the aged stone. Lucius winced, covering his ears to block out the incessant noise as dust and debris blew past them.

At last, their combined efforts succeeded. There was now a gaping hole in the prison wall. Through the thick cloud of dirt and dust, Lucius could see the cloudy night sky outside, and hear the plangent rush of stormy winds. Large chunks of stone now littered the floor as well. "Bad weather might delay Raz a minute of two. This gives us plenty of time, Tesla. Get to it," instructed Wildflower.

"Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah, I hear you," snapped Tesla mutinously as she stepped toward the hole in the wall.

Lucius was certain that nothing else these Reformers would do could surprise him, but he was wrong...

Tesla took a step out of the wall's hole and out into the stormy air outside, but she did not fall. Rather, she seemed to levitate in the air, but her wand was still sheathed! It didn't look like she was using any magic whatsoever, but she was flying nonetheless!

So shocked was Lucius by Tesla's power of flight, watching her so intently, that it took him a few moments to notice that not only was Tesla floating, but several of the large stone chunks as well. The other three Reformers seemed to expect this, however, and grabbed onto the floating stones. "You three, grab a stone too," demanded Ped, once again aiming her wand at Rodolphus.

"Absolutely not," said Rodolphus defiantly. "I draw the line here! I have no idea who you rogueish freaks are, why you're bringing us along, or how you're doing all this, but..."

"What's that, you afraid Rodolphus?" sniped Ped, cutting him off. "Scared of Tesla's powers? Don't tell me a mighty Death Eater is fearful of that which he doesn't understand! Isn't that what those Muggles you hate so much are known for?" Ped went on in a deriding tone. "Enough, get on!" With a flick of her wand, Rodolphus suddenly tumbled forward and grasped one of the floating stones, as if magnetized to it. Lucius then grabbed a stone himself, but it took a stern look from Ped to convince Rookwood to do the same.

Ped then finally grabbed hold of a floating piece of the wall herself. "OK people, hang on tight. We're going up!" declared Tesla, her arms spread wide. With that, the pieces of the wall, and the witches and wizards holding onto them, were slowly levitated out of Azkaban, over the crashing ocean waves several hundred feet below. Then, all of them steadily began to rise upward toward the top of the dreadful tower.

All the while, wind battered Lucius's face mercilessly as he struggled to hang on. _Don't think about how impossible this is, how you're dangling hundreds of feet over a rocky shore, just HANG ON!_ he told himself.

Several long, torturous minutes passed before Tesla finally levitated the stones all the way to the roof. Once they were hovering over solid ground again, Lucius immediately let go, tumbling down onto the roof. Lucius struggled to stand back up, almost being knocked down by the gale winds, and looked around. He noticed Tesla hunched over and leaning against Faction for support, panting and quivering.

"Tesla, look sharp. We're not done yet," said Wildflower, her voice exuding understanding, yet urgency as well. "How much longer?"

Tesla struggled for a moment to stand upright, then looked down at whatever device was fixed into her suit. "Razor Knight is still inbound, ETA three minutes, seven seconds."

"We should be able to hold out until then," declared Wildflower confidently. "Tesla, get in the air, since we'll have guards with brooms all over us any second. Ped, perch yourself atop one of those parapets and give Tesla some cover. Faction, keep close to the Death Eaters at all times, protect them at all costs. Leave the rest of the guards on the ground to me." All three of her teammates nodded. As Tesla ascended again and Ped leaped toward one of Azkaban's four lookout towers, Lucius couldn't help but think about how this Wildflower seemed like a natural leader, respected, trusted and perfectly composed in a combat situation. He wondered if any of the Death Eaters had viewed him that way before the debacle in the Department of Ministries, if he ever would be again...

Lucius heard shouts over the howling winds, but he couldn't tell from which direction. Luckily, Faction was a step ahead of him. Curses started flying at them, seemingly from everywhere, but Faction used his two wands to defend against them all. Lucius then saw Wildflower leap like Ped would at a whole group of Ministry wizards. She deftly fought them up close and personal, using martial arts as well as her staff. Looking up, Lucius saw Tesla engaged in combat high above Hogwarts, using her power of flight to shoot herself like a missile at guards riding brooms. Once again, no spell could touch Tesla, but Ped was providing backup anyway, sending out hexes and lashing out with her tongue from the side of a parapet.

At one point, however, it looked as if Wildflower was in deep trouble. Nearly a dozen witches and wizards had Wildflower pinned with her back to the tower's edge. Wildflower kept on using her staff to block curses, twirling it all around her with blinding speed, but nevertheless she was being forced back. As Lucius watched Wildflower inch closer and closer to the edge, he thought he heard another odd rushing noise over the plangent winds.

Around the same time Lucius noticed this, he saw Wildflower grin evilly. Then she leaped backwards over the edge.

Only to rise again several seconds later, standing atop what looked like a large, sleek-looking Muggle fighter jet, with a dark, purplish tint and that strange emblem of a flaming bird painted onto its wings.

Wildflower glowered at the guards on the tower, most of whom now held their wands stupidly at their sides. Lucius didn't blame them. Who could expect a Muggle flying machine to penetrate all of Azkaban's protective charms, or for that matter, anyone in the Wizarding world to bother_ USING _one?

"There's a Muggle saying I'm fond of that seems appropriate for situations like this," shouted Wildflower over the howl of the wind and the jet's engines. "It goes like this:_ Say hello to my little friend!_"

With that, Wildflower spread her arms wide, and the jet opened fire with its machine guns. A deadly hail of lead traveled across the top of Azkaban, quickly making its way toward the remaining guards. Unsure if any defensive spells could repel machine gun fire, they scattered, running for the doors of the parapets.

The jet slowly moved forward until it was hovering a few feet above Azkaban. Wildflower jumped down just as some sort of doorway opened up underneath it. "Everyone, get aboard!" she yelled over the wind.

Lucius hesitated a moment, but was shoved forward by Faction. Lucius looked back as he ran up the ramp, seeing that Faction was levitating Rookwood and Rodolphus behind them. Ped and Tesla were the last ones to board the jet, and the doors receded the moment everyone was on board. "SO LONG SUCKERS!" cried Tesla as the doors closed, extending her middle fingers before they shut completely.

xxxxxx

Lucius looked around the inside of the Reformers' jet. It looked just like the inner workings of a normal jet, or what he imagined a normal jet would look like, except for a rack of several expensive-looking broomsticks lining both sides of the back of the jet. Each rack also had a smaller rack built into the bottom, lined with wands, but they were sealed with plastic covers, and Lucius assumed they were all shut tight with magic to prevent him from trying anything.

"Oh yeah, that was Raz's best entrance yet! Did you see looks on those poor saps' faces!" squealed Tesla with delight. "Good ol' Razor Knight, hasn't let us down yet!"

Lucius looked over to what, if he remember correctly, was called the 'cockpit', and walked the length of the jet over there. There were two seats at the very front of the jet, with another seat behind both of those, and then a third row of three seats behind those. Several seats lined the walls as well. Wildflower seated herself in the pilot's seat at the left, taking hold of what looked like the controls, and Faction sat beside her, while Ped and Tesla remained standing. Through the cockpit window, he saw that this 'Razor Knight' was steadily rising. Then he felt the jet lurch forward, no doubt flying far away from Azkaban.

Lucius watched the clouds streak by impossibly fast, realizing the Razor Knight was going faster than any wizard could ever hope to fly on a broom. For a moment, he was able to put his confusion over what had happened and his disdain for Muggle technology aside. So transfixed was he by the view from the cockpit window, he was startled when Wildflower shouted something. "O negative!" She shrilled. Lucius looked down, seeing that Wildflower held some plastic bag filled with red liquid in it...a bag that had two small holes in it. "Everyone knows I prefer AB positive! Why couldn't..."

"Too much sugar is bad for you," said Faction simply as he fiddled with some dials. Lucius took a better look at the cockpit and was flabbergasted by the amounts of buttons, levers, dials and instruments there were. Perhaps it took more skill to manage Muggle machines than he ever suspected. Wildflower muttered something under her breath before she brought the plastic bag to her mouth again. A chilling sucking sound ensued.

"Arthur Weasley was among those wizards on brooms," said Ped suddenly. "He got a good look at me. I think he recognized me."

"You worry too much," said Faction. "Arthur Weasley has no reason to suspect who you really are."

"I wish I could believe that," said Ped heavily. "But it's a shame he has to fight against us, knowing his beliefs. As much as I dislike him, he should be on our side..."

"You know almost everyone in the Weasley family was already approached, but they all turned us down and we had to modify their memories. It's their loss, not ours," said Wildflower reassuringly.

"I have had enough!" came the indignant voice of Rodolphus, finally stepping up to the cockpit. "Now that we're clear of Azkaban, I want some answers. Just who are you four? Are you in league with the Order of the Phoenix?"

Wildflower broke out into a fit of roaring, mirthful laughter. "The _**Order of the Phoenix**_, you ask! Weren't you just listening? We were just talking about how the entire Weasley family spurned our offers to join us! Honestly, the thought of working for that deluded, idealistic, shortsighted band of witless do-gooders..." Wildflower let out another chilling laugh. Cold blood slowly dribbled down from her mouth as she kept on laughing.

As unsettling at that sight was, this revelation was more troubling. These people obviously harbored pro-Muggle sentiments. Not only did they use their technology, but they had routinely chided them for their disdain of Muggles. But now, it was all too clear they held the Order of the Phoenix, and all they stood for, in contempt as well. Just who did these people work for? What did they want?

"Then, i-if you're not with the Order, a-and if the Dark Lord did not send you, just who are you? Whose orders are you acting on?" asked Rookwood anxiously, obviously wondering the same thing.

"We're the Reformers, the elite strike team for the nation of Inferno," stated Ped matter-of-factly. Lucius turned to her, seeing that Ped had laid a finger on that emblem. Was that the symbol of this nation, this 'Inferno'?

"Honestly, what kind of name is 'Reformers' for a group of fighters?" spat Rodolphus.

"Well, at first we wanted to go with The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but that was already taken," joked Tesla. It didn't sound all that funny to Lucius.

"And this...Inferno? I've never heard of...what is it?" asked Rookwood.

"You'll see. It's where we're taking you three before we send you back to your boss. So for now, sit back and enjoy the ride," suggested Wildflower.

Rodolphus turned his back on the cockpit, muttering. "Disgraceful lot, using such insipid Muggle trash..."

"HEY! It took the doc years to perfect the Razor Knight!" spat Tesla indignantly. "You think anything this baby can do, a broom or pegasus can do better?" Tesla went on before she ran up to the pilot's seat. "Hey Wildflower, let's show them just what the Razor Knight can _really_ do! Please please please please please please please..." she went on, putting her hands together and nudging her head against Wildflower's shoulder.

Eventually, Wildflower acquiesced. "Oh very well. Readying startup sequence," said Wildflower, flipping several switches.

"Yippee," squealed Tesla like a little girl as he sat down in the chair behind Wildflower. Ped sat behind Faction. "You three better strap yourselves in as well," said Tesla, aiming her wand back at the Death Eaters. At once, the three of them were shoved into the row of seats behind her, and tough straps bound across their torsos anchored them to their chairs. "Oh, and just for some extra fun, let's shut the damps and arti off too!" added Tesla, this time aiming her wand at the cockpit.

"What the...TESLA!" cried Wildflower admonishingly. "Grrr, too late to reset everything now. Everyone, brace yourselves!"

Lucius peered out the cockpit window, wondering what was going on. From what he could tell, Wildflower was steering the jet _UPWARDS_. _Up! But, how far can we possibly..._

A strange sensation, however, interrupted Lucius's thoughts. Suddenly, he began to feel heavier, as if some great, invisible force was pressing against his body, slowly crushing him to death. Lucius screwed his eyes shut and grit his teeth as the crushing pressure steadily grew worse. The jet's engines roared louder than ever, but over that noise, he heard Tesla obnoxiously singing. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT WE CAN FIND! WHY DON'T YOU COME WITH ME LITTLE GIRL, ON A MAGIC CARPET RIDE!"

After what felt like an eternity, the crushing pressure abated, only to be replaced by another sensation: the odd, confusing feeling of...weighing nothing at all! Lucius opened his eyes. Now, instead of a stormy night sky, all Lucius could see out the cockpit window were thousands of stars dotting an endless black expanse, as well as the moon. But...the moon was so close now! He could clearly see the endless valleys on the lunar surface, make out all the craters...

It took a few moments to finally grasp what happened. The Razor Knight wasn't the Reformers' jet. It was their spaceship! They had somehow crafted a spaceship that was decades ahead of anything Muggles had!

"Boys, welcome to outer space," said Wildflower. "It's quite breathtaking, seeing it for the first time, isn't it? And your boss obviously thought getting into outer space would be worth the trouble, since he's been here before..."

"Wha...what are you saying?" inquired Rookwood.

"I'm saying that your boss once constructed an entire space station, using bits and pieces from a ruined one from the future," said Wildflower. "Lucius, you remember what happened nearly two years ago, don't you? Those strange parasitic lifeforms called the X, which the Order ran into. Remember that attack on the Handu Mountain Preserve? Well, believe it or not, it was Voldemort who was behind all of that. He brought those parasites from the distant future, reconstructed the station they overran, and bred an entire army of them. You, unfortunately, were at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Lucius unconsciously put his hands over his chest, feeling the deep scars left behind by Harry Potter's clone. He recalled the stark terror, the dreadful helplessness he felt as that insidious doppelganger felled everyone else around him, saving him for last. _So, the Dark Lord was truly behind all that? That means, he must have purposely set Potter's doppelganger against me. Even back then, he distrusted me, loathed me..._

"Of course, it had all been for nothing. Once they figured out where the X were, Harry Potter and the bounty hunter from the future, Samus Aran, strolled right in and trashed Voldemort's whole operation," added Ped. "Months of work, months of planning...all down the drain in a few hours thanks to Harry Potter and Samus Aran."

"You may not know who Samus Aran is, Lucius, but your son certainly does," said Wildflower. "I believe she once used her weapons to freeze him solid to teach him a lesson."

As Lucius tried to digest all this information, Tesla spoke up again. "Oh, don't bother Lucie with all these gory details right now! Let him enjoy his first trip into space!" Lucius heard Tesla unfasten her harness. A moment later, she floated over to his seat to undo his. Lucius gasped in shock as he felt himself slowly float off the seat!

Tesla grabbed hold of Lucius's hands. "Oh, come now! Astronauts do this stuff all the time! According to you, there's no reason those Muggles should hog all the fun!" Tesla then used her power of flight to saunter around the entire jet with him in tow, holding onto him as if to ballroom dance with him! She continuously twirled them around, flipped them upside-down...within seconds, Lucius was completely disoriented. "La la la la la la la..." Tesla sang softly as their bizarre dance went on.

_Please, don't ever let Narcissa learn of this,_ Lucius silently pleaded as he battled a wave of nausea.

"That's enough, Tesla. Strap Lucius back in and prepare for reentry. We're going home," Wildflower finally commanded just when Lucius felt he couldn't take any more.

Tesla made a pouty face, but complied, dragging a weightless Lucius back to his seat and strapping him back in. After Tesla did the same for herself, Wildflower punched some commands into the cockpit controls. Soon, the Razor Knight was turning around, and the Earth came into view. They slowly descended toward its surface. Several minutes later, they were once again flying above an endless expanse of ocean water...

But as time went on, Lucius noticed the Razor Knight was flying lower and lower, yet there was no land in sight. "Wildflower, we're...going lower," he stated sheepishly.

"I know," was Wildflower's only reply.

And a moment later, the Razor Knight vanished below the ocean waves.


	3. Escort Service

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 3: Escort Service

1-19-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

**June 11, 1997 - 6:28 A.M. Western European Time**

**2500 kilometers above Earth's surface**

In the depths of space, high above Earth's atmosphere, the magical vortex bloomed into life, and Samus's ship rocketed out, once again returning to the past. However, this time her ship was not crippled almost beyond repair, and no amnesia plaguing her mind as before. Adam was thankfully able to modify the ship's systems to compensate for the strange energies of the vortex.

Samus stared out the cockpit window at Earth's surface for a moment. _I never thought I'd ever have to return here again, and especially not to this time,_ she thought to herself. She had thought her mission in her homeworld's past had ended, but now, she realized it may have only just begun.

"We are still experiencing some irregularities with short-range and long-range scanners, Samus," Adam chimed in. "However, all other vital systems appear to still be functioning within normal parameters."

"Good. Engage the stealth field and reconfigure our deflector shields to compensate for Earth's surveillance satellites," ordered Samus. "Can't afford to muck up the timeline any more than it's already been."

"You mean more than it will be," corrected Adam. "According to what's left of Harry Potter's message, we arrived at a point before the events that permanently altered the timeline."

"Good point," admitted Samus. "Adam, once the long-range scanners are back up, analyze the astronomical data and find out the exact date from the positions of the stars."

"They already are, and the data is already being processed," Adam said pridefully. A few moments passed in silence as Samus continued to stare at Earth, marveling at a beauty equaled by few of the hundreds of planets she had seen. Eventually, Adam said, "According to this data, we have arrived on the date of June 11, 1997, sometime in the early morning going by Hogwarts's time zone."

"Almost two years after the X parasite attack," Samus said softly. For her it had been only hours since she last saw Harry, but to him, it was nearly two years! Putting that thought aside, she instead tried to focus on their next move. "The first thing we need to do is gather more information, find out what Voldemort is up to now. But right now Hogwarts will be practically abandoned, and Dumbledore never disclosed the location of the Order's headquarters to us." After thinking for a moment, Samus said, "Adam, does Earth have an integrated computer network at this time?"

"Affirmative. At this point, widespread use of such computers is in its infancy. During our previous excursion, I took the liberty of retrofitting our systems to interface with those of this era," said Adam.

Samus started punching commands into her console. "Good. I can patch in and get the exact location of Harry's summer residence. I have a hunch he'll be able to bring us up to speed." A few minutes later, a holographic screen sprang into existence above the console, giving her the information she needed: the coordinates for Number 4, Privet Drive.

As she examined the data, however, Samus thought she heard a soft chuckle in her left ear. Then, she heard a hushed, whispered voice. "Anxious to see your protégé again, are we? Even though you know what happens to people who hang around you too long? That boy's always been luckier than he deserves, but one day his luck will run out..."

With trepidation, Samus slowly turned to her left, and her eyes immediately fell on her reflection in the cockpit window...

Her reflection did not have its hair pulled back in a ponytail; it looked frayed, wild and unhealthy. And the eyes gave off a sinister yellow-green glow...

Samus gasped, her heart nearly skipping a beat. Then the reflection, the spitting image of the SA-X, flashed a wicked, teasing smile.

"Samus, is everything alright?" asked Adam in a concerned, confused tone. Samus looked ahead to the console in front of her, then back to her left, but the image she saw reflected back was once again her own.

"Nothing's wrong Adam. Let's just go get Harry," Samus said quickly, trying to forget what she had seen, convincing herself she had merely imagined it...

xxxxx

Dudley Dursley sauntered down the stairs, dressed in workout gear, ready to begin a quick morning jog. A little endurance training along with weight-lifting was supposed to help improve performance in boxing, some of his friends said, so he was willing to give it a try.

As he passed the living room, however, he heard a frustrated shout from the living room. "Are you shitting me up the arse! The star went right on top of the ghost house? Oh COME ON!" Dudley peered into the living room to see Harry Potter playing on his new Nintendo 64. Once, seeing Harry using his electronics would have sent him into a fit, but now...

After that night those dementy-things attacked the two of them, Dudley had thought long and hard about what happened. The more he dwelled on it, tried to remember what happened, the more it seemed like Harry really had tried to protect him from...something. But he never had a chance to talk to him about it. He mysteriously vanished a few days later, and last summer he spent almost all his time cooped up in his room, just as he was distancing himself the last two days.

So Dudley figured the least he could do at the moment was let him use his stuff undisturbed.

Shaking his head, Dudley headed for the front door. Along the way, he went past his father, Vernon. "Not going to bother with breakfast first?" he asked his son. Dudley simply shook his head. After all, his mother hadn't been home for days, and there was no way he could cook as well as she could. Just then, someone knocked loudly on the door. "I'll get it," said Vernon gruffly. "Who's audacious enough to come banging on our door this early?" he grumbled to himself. Curious for some reason, Dudley followed. When his father opened the door, he was slightly taken aback.

It was some woman wearing what he guessed were witches' robes, only with a cape draped over her right side. But what made her really stand out was that...she was huge! She could easily look down on his father. But she had an angelic face, sparkling blue eyes, and glistening blond hair pulled back into a ponytail. When she spoke, it was in a direct, no-nonsense manner. "Are you Vernon Dursley, uncle and legal guardian of Harry Potter?"

Uncle Vernon's reaction was as immediate as it was predictable. "What are you talking about, woman! What's with you, barging into people's homes at this hour!" he shouted as he tried to shut the door on her face.

But with amazing speed, her left hand shot out, slamming the door completely open. Dudley was dimly aware of what looked like a teal glove on her hand. "You didn't answer my question," she replied coolly.

xxxxxx

"CRAAAAAAAAAP!" shouted Harry as his on-screen alter-ego fell off the roof of the ghost house. Harry threw the Nintendo 64 controller at the screen as hard as he could. It was a wonder both the controller and the screen didn't shatter.

For a moment, Harry held his head in his hands. "What am I doing, playing these idiotic video games, when I've got more important things to be preparing for?" he asked himself. But he knew the answer. He was so desperate for anything to distract him from the sickening sense of loss gnawing away at his heart. Two years ago, he had witnessed the murder of Cedric Diggory, and less than a year later he suffered the loss of Sirius Black, the only real family he had left. And now his headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. He had always been a beacon in the darkest of nights and the stormiest of weather. And now...

Harry looked at the screen again. He knew there was another reason he was drawn to this game. All the running, jumping, wall-jumping and bare-fisted fighting and exploring. It was almost a reminder of what went down almost two years ago, when he could take the fight directly to the enemy. But it was a foolish notion. He knew full well Voldemort's Horcruxes wouldn't be so easy to find, clearly defined goals at the end of levels in a video game...

"BOY, GET IN HERE!" bellowed Vernon's voice from the front door. Putting his troubled thoughts aside, Harry sighed and got up. Vernon had left him alone since returning to Privet Drive, but he knew his good luck wouldn't last forever.

_Probably still thinks I'm somehow responsible for that nest of wasps in his riding lawnmower,_ thought Harry with a smirk, not worried about whatever Vernon was angry about, convinced it was nothing out of the ordinary.

But when he got to the front door and saw who was standing there, everything changed.

"Harry, you've...grown," she said, her voice exactly the same as he had remembered, that hardened face and eyes that only seemed to soften around him. "For me it's only been a few hours, but it's really been nearly two years for you..."

Harry stared at Samus blankly, completely nonplussed. Despite his confusion, there was a brief flicker of deja vu. A year go, Dumbledore arriving in person at the Dursleys' house to retrieve him...

In the days since Dumbledore was murdered, Harry thought everyone he had looked up to as someone like a parent or sibling, dedicated to protecting him, were gone forever. But now, as impossible as it had seemed, he was reunited with the only other person that could fill that role. This was so unbelievable, too good to be true...

With that realization, Harry pulled out his wand and aimed it at Samus. "PUT THAT STICK AWAY!" Vernon roared at once, but the fear in his voice was palpable. Dudley, for some reason, had a completely neutral look on his face.

Harry ignored Vernon completely, looking intently at Samus. "This...has got to be a trick. There's no way for you to return," Harry said calmly. He didn't know how any agent of Voldemort's could breach the protective charm around the house, but he wasn't taking any chances.

"Oh, here we go again, just like the first time we met. And it seems something of me rubbed off on you in the weeks we spent together. Nice," said the woman who resembled Samus, smiling. "Though in all seriousness, you should have armed yourself the instant you saw me..."

"If you're really you then, tell me something only the real Samus Aran would know," demanded Harry, aware that he probably sounded an awful lot like Mad-Eye Moody.

At once, Samus said, "After I resuscitated you, you asked me if that counted as your first kiss."

Harry stared unblinking at Samus a second longer. "OK, good enough for me," he then said, pocketing his wand. Seeing that Harry was convinced, Samus swept past Vernon and Dudley into the house.

"Alright boy, enough's enough! Just WHO is this? I've had about enough of your lot mucking things up around our home over the years! She better not be planning anything funny!" bellowed Vernon.

Indignation rose in Harry like magma ready to erupt, enraged at how Vernon dared to speak to someone who, quite literally, helped him save the world. In stark contrast, Samus turned to Vernon with a look not unlike the one she had right before taunting Draco Malfoy. "Well, to be truthful, technically I'm not one of 'his lot'."

"What? You're not a...witch?" said Dudley, hesitantly saying that last word.

Harry couldn't resist messing with Dudley's head. "Nope. She's a part-alien bounty huntress from the distant future. Runs around blowing up planets and space stations and stuff."

Dudley's mouth hung agape at this revelation, but Vernon looked ready to explode. Thankfully, Samus spoke up again. "He's right, you know. When's the last time you two saw a witch wearing something like this under her robes?" With that, Samus threw back her cape. Her sleeve fell down, revealing her armored forearm and the three sharp blades beneath it, but Vernon and Dudley's eyes immediately fell on her arm cannon. They stared at it more fearfully than whenever they looked at a wand.

While his relatives were speechless, Samus turned back to Harry and said, "Harry, I bet you're guessing that if I've come back, there's an important reason." Harry dully nodded; in actuality, he had yet to consider just why Samus traveled back in time, or how for that matter. "Don't worry, I'll explain everything...everything I can make sense of at any rate. I came to you first because I don't know how to contact the Order of the Phoenix, and I need someone to bring me up to speed over what's happened. Then we can leave, and hopefully you can get in touch with the entire Order, right?"

Harry nodded again, not sure what to say. He had a terrible feeling that, once again, it was a mission that mattered more than the fight between him and Voldemort.

"So, let's go to your room where we can talk in private. There's something to need to see, first of all, and then..." Samus's words trailed off, and then she looked around the entire house. "Wait a minute, aren't we short one person?"

"Wha...what d'you mean?" asked Harry.

"I thought you lived with your aunt as well, and she was usually home in the mornings," said Samus. Harry had no idea where his Aunt Petunia was. She hadn't been here when he arrived two days ago, and he hadn't really given her much thought. "So where is she? I mean..."

"Don't go butting into my family's business, woman! Where my wife is and what she's doing with her time is of no concern to you!" shouted Vernon. Harry was shocked by the swiftness of Vernon's reaction. "Go do what you need with my layabout nephew, then clear out of my home!"

Harry was afraid that Samus would lose her composure after that outburst, but Samus calmly said, "Well, you heard your uncle, Harry. Let's get to work. You and I have another mission now, after all."

After a moment's hesitation, Harry said, "Sure, Samus. L-Let's head up to my room. I'll get everything packed and ready while you're...well, debriefing me, I suppose." With that, he headed for the stairs, and heard Samus's robes sweeping behind him. Despite his apprehension, there was one thing he could take heart in: Samus Aran obviously no longer believed she had to handle everything alone.

xxxxxx

The last uncorrupted bit of the message began to play, and Harry sat on his bed listening. In the corner, Hedwig watched Samus intently from her cage. "Samus, if you somehow get this clock, use it like you did the last one. With any luck, it'll take you back to a point where..."

Samus then stopped the tape player, but the words lingered in Harry's mind. Hearing his own voice recite a message he hadn't even sent yet, the things it eluded to, confused and frightened Harry to no end. "So...you think that in the future, in MY future, something will, I got to..."

"Adam analyzed the voice print and it matches your voice perfectly," said Samus. "Also, what fingerprints and DNA we found on the tape recorder are also a positive match. There's no doubt this message was sent by you."

Samus set the tape recorder on a dresser. Harry just stared at it, still trying to make sense of what he heard. Just the part about Voldemort getting hold of Chozo technology was enough to make his hair stand on end, but the rest of it...a one-armed fallen angel, a Day of Reckoning? What could this all mean?

"You and Hermione apparently had this clock take me to this specific time to prevent something, but with the message corrupted like this, I have no idea what," Samus went on. "But it obviously involves Voldemort, so if you can get me to the Order's headquarters, they can give me intel about what he's up to at this point. You said that Dumbledore's hunches were usually on target, so I'm sure he'll be able to help. Besides, I remember you saying your godfather was usually at their headquarters, and I'm sure he'd love to see some action."

Harry shook his head, trying to find the right words. "Samus, I...I'm not sure how to tell you this but...Dumbledore's dead."

"WHAT?" cried Samus, not believing what she had heard. She gripped the side of the dresser tightly. "How can he be...he was such a powerful..."

"It happened a few days ago. Snape betrayed us," said Harry, pushing back the memories of that horrible night. "And Sirius...he's dead too. A Death Eater called Bellatrix Lestrange got to him last year."

The part of the dresser Samus had clutched suddenly got pulled off, crushed to splinters in her armored fist. The lighthearted ambience Samus had given off downstairs was gone. Samus shut her eyes tightly and her expression hardened even more, and when she opened her eyes again, there was nothing but icy fury. "How else can we contact the Order?" she asked.

"Well...I think a lot of members stop by the Burrow a lot. Maybe we can try there," Harry suggested.

"We'll do just that," said Samus with a tone of finality. "Get everything you'll need, and while you're packing, fill me in on everything that's happened since I've been gone."

xxxxxx

It didn't take Harry very long to gather everything he thought he would need, but somehow, in that short time Harry managed to give Samus an abridged account of everything that had happened since he last saw her. As they were ready to leave, Harry took one last look at his bedroom; he wasn't supposed to leave until his seventeenth birthday, when the protective charm would break for good. Harry had a feeling this might be the last time he'd ever see Number 4, Privet Drive. Not that that was a bad thing...

Samus left the room first, carrying Harry's heavy, overpacked trunk with ease, while Harry followed with Hedwig's cage. "I know you can't teleport yet, so can you give me directions to the Burrow so we can get there by ship?" asked Samus as they walked down the stairs.

"Uh, I think so," said Harry. Harry then noticed Vernon and Dudley were by the staircase, watching them with confused looks. But Dudley was also watching Samus with what looked like wonderment, and there was...a look of regret in his eyes?

"You've got a...spaceship? You're really from the future?" asked Dudley.

"Yeah, and as much as I know Harry would love giving you a tour of my ship, time is of the essence," said Samus aloofly. She then turned to Vernon. "This may be the last time you see your nephew. I suggest you wish him luck, since I have a bad feeling both of us will need it."

Vernon said nothing, fighting to maintain a neutral face. It was Dudley who took up Samus's suggestion. "Oh, a-alright. Harry, good luck with...whatever."

Harry shot Dudley a quizzical look. "Yeah, sure, thanks," he quickly said. "C'mon Samus, let's go."

With that, the two walked out the door and onto the street, where the morning sun was beginning to cast its glow over the row of houses. It took some effort for Harry to keep up with Samus's brisk pace. "It shouldn't take us too long to reach my ship. Had to land it somewhere out of the way," Samus explained.

"Oh, OK," Harry said simply. He was dimly aware that they had turned onto Magnolia Crescent. He looked back up at Samus as she walked ahead with a stoic look on her face. Though that face alone set her apart from Dumbledore, that sickening feeling of deja vu once again crept up. "It...was just like this," Harry croaked.

Samus looked down at Harry. "Sorry?"

"A year ago, Dumbledore came to pick me up from the Dursleys' place, we walked along the streets for a while, just like this," said Harry. "He gave me the impression he thought of me as...more than just a student, I guess. And then there was that night in that cave, he put so much trust in me, and now...he's gone. First Sirius, and now Dumbledore. As if anyone who tries to take up the role of a parent just..."

A loud snort cut Harry off. Harry looked up to see Samus smirking and shaking her head. "I don't believe this. Last time I was here, I was adamant that you stay out of the fighting because I feared losing you, and you insisted on staying with me every step of the way," Samus said. "And now, our roles are reversed."

"What, you mean, when you find out what you're supposed to do, you want me to go with you?" asked Harry, astonished.

"If there's one thing I've figured out, it's that any fight involving Voldemort will eventually involve you," said Samus. "I remember that last fight with Voldemort. I saw you in action. And now you say that Dumbledore had great faith in your abilities, and everyone trusted in his brilliance. The point is, you've proven yourself."

"Thanks Samus, that means a lot to me," said Harry, his heart swelling. But as he reflected on her words, something came to mind that immediately dragged his spirits down. "But Dumbledore's brilliance...he didn't see Snape's betrayal coming."

"Oh yeah, that doesn't make sense," said Samus as they turned down Magnolia Road. "I simply can't believe that Dumbledore could have been so wrong about Snape, how _I_ could have been wrong. I thought he was trustworthy too."

"But it looked like the two of you couldn't stand each other," said Harry hotly.

"I can't stand most of the GF officers I've been forced to work with. I didn't even like Adam at first," Samus replied tersely. "And the mission where he sacrificed himself…never mind. Well, I've just got this feeling that there's something we don't know, some piece of the puzzle that we're missing. Oh well, rest assured that if we come across Snape, I'll get the truth out of him one way or another."

They walked for a few more moments in silence as Harry himself contemplated what he would do should he run into Snape. As he thought about that possibility, a sobering realization came to him. "Samus, I just realized, Death Eaters might ambush us. Voldemort probably has his followers watching Number 4 day and night in case I emerged. And none of them know who you are, so your presence won't scare them away like Dumbledore did a year ago."

"Don't worry, Harry. If any Death Eaters try anything, they'll LEARN who I am and why they should fear me, just like the Space Pirates did," said Samus, a chilling bite to her voice. "Anyway, I think we're in the clear. The ship is just ahead." Harry looked ahead to see the neighborhood park up ahead, the same park he had wandered to the night the dementors had attacked.

"I should have guessed," said Harry as they passed through the park gate. He looked around, but there was no sign of Samus's ship. "So you really got the stealth field working again?" he asked, amazed that something as big as her ship could be made invisible without magic.

"Yeah. I thought there was no fixing it, but Dumbledore..." Samus stopped suddenly, shaking her head. It was clear to Harry that she was having trouble coping with the news of his death as well. Dumbledore had pretty much been the only one at Hogwarts willing to give Samus a chance when she wound up on the school grounds with amnesia.

A moment later, Samus punched a few commands into her arm cannon, and suddenly the space in front of them rippled and shimmered, until at last, the spaceship with Adam Malkovich's mind as its computer core was visible. "Hello once again, Harry Potter," said the grating computerized voice. "I trust that Samus has explained our current situation, and that you can aid us as we endeavor to..."

Before Adam could finish, thick, black, diseased-looking vines sprouted from the ground and wrapped themselves tightly around the ship. The ship's hull was apparently strong enough to resist the crushing pressure, but Harry was sure Adam could not pull the ship free.

"Uh, Harry, is it too late to strike that comment about being in the clear from the record?" asked Samus sheepishly.

A loud, fanatical cackling made both of them whirl around. Standing a few feet behind them was Bellatrix Lestrange, and Fenrir Greyback was right beside her, partially transformed, the same as the night Dumbledore was murdered. To make matters worse, four more Death Eaters Apparated into the park. "Well, you said you'd teach them to fear you," whispered Harry. "Looks like class is now in session."

"Looks that way," was all Samus said.

"So, wittle Potter, thought you and your new friend could get away by having some rickety plane Disillusioned here in the park?" cackled Bellatrix. Harry said nothing, merely watching Bellatrix in stony silence, hoping Samus would leave enough of his godfather's murderer for him.

"RICKETY PLANE?" roared the voice from the ship, making all of the Death Eaters jump in surprise. "Samus, please, teach this psycho-bitch some manners."

"Oh I intend to, Adam," said Samus silkily. "Because unless I'm mistaken, this must be Bellatrix Lestrange."

"What do you mean, 'must be'?" shouted Bellatrix acrimoniously, obviously not used to her targets recognizing her on sight. "Whoever you are, know this: I am indeed Bellatrix Lestrange, the most loyal and most powerful of the Dark Lord's..."

"Yeah yeah, that's kind of the point," interrupted Samus. "Last time I was here, I only had the supreme pleasure of splattering Voldemort's face across the landscape. Never got the dubious honor of meeting any of his deluded minions."

Greyback took one look at Bellatrix and took a step back. "Oh great, now you went and did it," said the werewolf with an apprehensive look.

"You, y-you..." stammered Bellatrix. "You DARE TO SPEAK HIS..."

"Oh, give it a rest Bellatrix!" Harry shouted over the fanatical Death Eater.

"Bellatrix, I doubt you'd be able to comprehend half the things I've dared to do in my lifetime," Samus shot back. "But I do wonder, why is it none of you recognize _me_?" she asked with mock curiosity. She then obnoxiously gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth. "Oh, I get it now! Voldemort never told any of you about what happened two years ago! No surprise there, didn't want his brainless followers to know about how he got his sorry butt handed to him by a Muggle bounty hunter."

"W-What a-are you, that c-can't possibly b-be..." spluttered Bellatrix. "You...YOU LIE, YOU FILTHY MUGGLE SCUM!"

"Well, I admit I'm stretching the truth," said Samus calmly. "I didn't do it single-handedly. Harry helped out a lot, scored some great hits on your boss as well..."

Bellatrix's face was now contorted in a fit of zealous fury. If Samus's goal had been to antagonize Bellatrix, then she succeeded brilliantly, for at that moment, Bellatrix whipped out her wand and yelled, "_Avada Kedavra!_" Samus shoved Harry behind her, even though the curse was clearly meant for her. Samus let the curse strike her, even though it would drain at least two tanks, no doubt to confuse the Death Eaters, so she could play on their fear.

"Harry, sever those vines binding Adam! Leave all the Death Eaters to me!" Samus told Harry. Harry silently obliged, grabbing Hedwig's cage, taking out his wand and using a Severing Charm on the nearest vine. As he moved on to the next vine, he glanced out from under the ship to see how Samus was doing.

A volley of Killing Curses had been sent out at Samus, but she evaded them all by making a tremendous leap into the air. At the apex of her jump, she threw back her cape and aimed her arm cannon at Bellatrix and Greyback, the missile barrel open. A deluge of ice missiles descended upon the pair, too many to deflect. Forceful explosions made the entire park quake, and thick shards of ice erupted from the ground and shattered, forcing all the Death Eaters close by to cover their heads and scatter.

Upon landing, Samus charged up a shot and aimed at the nearest Death Eater, who Harry recognized as Amycus Carrow. A huge, wide beam of superheated plasma lanced out at the wizard, who tried to use a Shield Charm. But it was too much power for Amycus to cope with, and the feedback blasted him off his feet.

_Whoa, look at her go!_ thought Harry, once again amazed by Samus's combat prowess. Once again Harry realized that, even though Samus was no doubt beautiful, her true beauty was her elegance in battle, only seen when unleashed upon her enemies.

Between watching the battle and severing the vines ensnaring Adam, Harry didn't hear one of the Death Eaters sneaking up on him until it was almost too late. Harry whirled around, ready to use a Shield Charm. But before either could cast a spell, a single plasma beam lanced out across the park, incinerating the Death Eater's head.

Harry gasped as he watched the headless body slump to the ground, kicking up a plume of sand. Hardly any blood was coming out of his neck, now mostly a mass of charred flesh. For a moment, Harry was transfixed, aghast by the sight. Hedwig seemed no less perturbed, flapping about in her cage and shrieking. Seeing Samus wade through hordes of parasitic aliens was one thing, but killing human beings...

"Harry, keep severing the vines! Time is of the essence!" said Adam authoritatively. This jarred Harry back into action. But Harry couldn't get the image of that decapitated Death Eater out of his mind as he worked on severing the vines.

Harry risked another glance at the battle. Amycus had recovered, and now, together with his sister Alecto, were using a combination of charms on the sand in the park to produce glass. A thick glob of glass now covered Samus's arm cannon, no doubt in the hopes it would render her powerless. Moreover, the siblings were trying to smother Samus with that glass; it was creeping up her legs like some living liquid.

Harry aimed his wand at the Carrows, fearful that he might be too late to help Samus. But once again, Samus proved that she was far from helpless. Using every ounce of her prodigious strength, she broke free of her glass prison, causing shards of glass to fly everywhere. The Carrows covered their eyes, while Samus lunged at the nearest Death Eater. Since her arm cannon was useless at the moment, she used her 'fin slasher' upgrade, extending the fins under her left forearm, and, to Harry's horror, beheaded the Death Eater.

The Carrows were looking weary, but it was a different story for Bellatrix and Greyback. Greyback was daring enough for a direct attack. He charged at Samus, snarling, and managed to stun her with a shoulder charge, then landed a punch in Samus's face. But Samus quickly retaliated with a slash of her extended fins. Greyback dashed backwards, and Samus only succeeded in making a deep gash across his chest. But Samus followed up with a swift flying kick that knocked Greyback back several feet.

Bellatrix fired another Killing Curse, but Samus rolled to the side, crushing the glass encasing her arm cannon with her hand as she did so. Then, after smirking at Greyback and Bellatrix, Samus looked and aimed behind her, firing her grapple beam at a small merry-go-round. With one tremendous yank, she pulled it off its base, and swung it around like a gigantic mace. The Carrows had long since recovered, but now they were knocked away like tossed garden gnomes as the merry-go-round struck them. Bellatrix managed to dash out of range, but Greyback wasn't so lucky. Samus released her grapple beam and the merry-go-round slammed into the werewolf, and the two only stopped when they collided with the park fence.

Samus aimed her arm cannon at Bellatrix. "Well, this should be interesting. It's just you and me now."

If Bellatrix was now fearful of Samus, she did not show it. "Perhaps, bounty hunter. Perhaps not," she said confidently. Harry wondered what could possibly make Bellatrix so cocky at this point. It was then that Harry was aware of a deep rush of cold that cut into the marrow of his bones.

"Oh, not again," Harry groaned as he ran out from under the ship. They looked horribly out of place in the morning sunshine, but there was no mistaking them: two dementors were swooping down from the morning sky into the park.

However, just like Bellatrix, Samus showed no fear. "Dementors? Bellatrix, you insult me," said Samus imperiously. As one of the dementors descended toward Samus, she once again lashed out with the grapple beam, this time with the wisp whip's effect on. The wisp whip ensnared the dementor, and with one forceful yank, the dementor was cut apart. Smoldering bits of its body fell dully into the sand. Bellatrix made another move, this time using the Cruciatus Curse, but all it did was paralyze her momentarily, making her gasp and wince.

This, however, gave the other dementor an opportunity to close in on her. But reacting with a swiftness that defied description, Samus reached out, grabbed the dementor's arm, and slammed it onto the ground. Before it could fly away, Samus repeatedly fired her plasma beam at point-blank range, vaporizing it within seconds. For the first time since Harry faced her in the Department of Mysteries, Bellatrix looked fearful. "NOW it's just you and me," Samus said coldly, aiming her arm cannon right at Bellatrix once again.

"_Diffindo!_" yelled Harry, his charm slicing yet another thick, cancerous-looking growth in half. Harry then looked around for another root to slice apart, but to his amazement and relief, there were none left. "Adam, all the roots have been cut! You're all clear!" Harry shouted.

"Get out from underneath the ship then, Harry," said Adam. Harry grabbed Hedwig's cage and dashed out from underneath the ship, just as Adam engaged the vertical takeoff thrusters.

Over the thrusters, Harry could still hear Bellatrix's ranting. "You will pay for this indignity, you wretched piece of Muggle trash! No one defies the will of the Dark Lord and..." She stopped mid-sentence when she saw Samus's ship was now seemingly flying with a will of its own, extending what she correctly guessed were its main weapons. Harry also saw her eyes falling on him for a moment as he ran towards her, hoping to get a piece of his godfather's killer.

Faced with the collective power of Samus, Harry and Adam, Bellatrix finally decided it was time to flee. At this point, Greyback had somehow recovered, and was limping back toward her. Bellatrix took one look at the werewolf, then began spinning in place with her wand arm outstretched. A second later, a columnous whirlwind of sand enveloped Bellatrix and Greyback, which then sped across the length of the park, swallowing up the Carrows.

Samus fired missiles into the whirlwind while Harry fired Stunners. But seconds after their barrage began, the whirlwind faded away, revealing that the four Death Eaters had vanished.

_Bellatrix probably Apparated them all out of here, under that cover,_ thought Harry dismally. _If only we could've..._ But Harry didn't have time to complete that thought. Samus grabbed him by his shirt collar and jumped. They landed right on top of the ship, and some sort of hatch opened up on the top.

"Harry, summon your trunk and Hedwig!" said Samus. Harry complied, using Summoning Charms to retrieve his trunk and Hedwig's cage. Meanwhile, Samus used charged plasma beams to completely vaporize the bodies of the two dead Death Eaters. Harry looked up at her, and seeing the astonished look in his eyes, said, "No doubt the Ministry's been alerted to you using magic. Can't leave any incriminating evidence for the Ministry to use against you." As she explained herself, she nudged him onto the hatch's platform.

The two were lowered into the ship, and Samus clambered into the cockpit. "Let's get out of here," she said as she punched in commands. "All that noise will no doubt attract the neighborhood's attention, and the Ministry will be here any second, I'm sure of it."

It wasn't long before the ship had ascended high above Little Whinging, and soon they were flying away at top speed. "Good work back there, Harry, but you should've sensed that Death Eater sneaking up on you," said Samus.

"I did. You just got to him before I did," said Harry, thinking back to how Samus had killed that Death Eater. "But Samus, did you have to...blow his head off. You...y-you..."

"It was either him or you. I had no choice," said Samus, with no hint of regret in her voice. Harry realized that, to someone like her, who had suffered such loss, such a decision would probably come easily. Harry then noticed some blood on her left hand, probably from when she had killed the other Death Eater.

The way she killed those two Death Eaters, seemingly without remorse... Intellectually, Harry understood that this was the sort of thing she was raised and trained for. That was made very clear all throughout their struggle against the X. And those Death Eaters would have killed the both of them without the slightest hesitation had Samus given them the chance. But still, he aspired to be an Auror like Alastor Moody...someone who did not kill unless absolutely necessary.

And as Harry gave Samus the directions to reach the Burrow, Harry couldn't help but wonder if those two deaths were necessary.

xxxxxx-

"Argh, not so tight," hissed Arthur Weasley as Ron wrapped a bandage around his shoulder. "I swear, we may look down upon Muggle weapons, but in the heat of battle they are no less dangerous than a well-timed curse." At last, Ron finished applying the bandage while his father sat patiently on the couch in their living room, a crowd of Order members around them.

"Were you serious, Dad? Those blokes that broke into Azkaban used a _JET PLANE _to escape?" Ron asked his father incredulously.

"I simply can't believe it," said Hermione. "Azkaban has loads of enchantments to prevent any sort of Muggle technology from working, to conceal it from radars and satellites, to..."

"I'm well aware of all that, Hermione. But I'm telling you people, I know what I saw," said Arthur hotly. "They seemed to know when it would arrive, timed their operation perfectly. Luckily, I was only hit in the shoulder with a single ricocheting bullet while I was flying. Right up there with getting bit by You-Know-Who's snake as one of the most painful things I ever experienced..."

"What about that time we had to rush you to St. Mungo's after you were playing with Muggle guns yourself?" asked Molly Weasley with a smirk, unable to pass up a chance to needle her husband about his obsession with Muggles. "Lucky for you, this time Vanishing the bullet, a few healing charms. a little Skele-Gro and a homemade Blood-Replenishing Potion was all you needed. Those bandages can come off in a few hours."

"It's good to know you'll pull through, Weasley," said Mad-Eye Moody in that raspy, growling voice. Behind him were Tonks, Lupin, Kingsley, Hagrid and Fleur. "So, what can you tell us about the two that broke into Azbakan, and the two that they broke out?"

"Well, I've already given you all the information I could dig up in the Ministry on the first two," said Arthur. "A dangerous duo, a staff-wielding vampiress and a big bloke who can use two wands at once. Broke into the Department of Mysteries and turned it inside-out before they were subdued...obviously they were looking for something. As for the other two...I have no idea just who or what they could be. There was a little girl in a bulky blue suit who could fly without a broom, and for some reason none of our spells could touch her! Then there was her partner on the parapet. Looked kind of like a frog, and like a frog she could stick to walls and lash out with her tongue."

"A frog, Dad? Could be someone related to Umbridge," said Ron with a laugh, hoping to diffuse some of the tension.

"I sincerely doubt it, Ron," said his father. "But the funny thing is, when I got close enough to that parapet to get a good look at her face...I could swear it looked familiar somehow. And when she saw me, she looked afraid for some reason, as if I _had_ recognized her..."

"So, just who could these four be?" asked Lupin in a heavy tone. "Could they be Voldemort's newest Death Eaters?"

"Since when does Voldemort use jet planes in his plots, or any sort of technology for that matter?" Hermione pointed out.

"Since about two years ago, when he rebuilt that space station overflowing with X parasites," said Ron. This earned him a sharp look from Hermione. Ron winced involuntarily. He sometimes still felt like he was walking on eggshells around Hermione after what happened in their sixth year.

"So, if they're not working for You-Know-Who, what else could they be?" asked Tonks. "Why else would they have also broken out Death Eaters?"

"Why didn' they bust out more than jus' three?" asked Hagrid. "Maybe they jus' needed them three fer somethin'."

"Augustus Rookwood was always good of collecting and relaying information. Perhaps these four think he may have some information they need, perhaps what they sought in the Department of Mysteries?" suggested Kingsley. "But, what could they possibly want with the other two?"

"Especially Malfoy's dad, worthless bungler," sneered Ron.

"There's something we're missing here," said Fleur. "Maybe if we can figure out just what the vampire wanted in the Department of Mysteries, we'd be closer to..."

Fleur was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door. "Huh? Who could that be?" Molly asked no one in particular. As she strode toward the front door, she pulled out her wand. With Voldemort and the Death Eaters grabbing up more and more power, the Order couldn't rely solely on protective charms. Every precaution had to be taken...

But when the door swung open with a flick of her wand, she saw that it was, in this case, unnecessary.

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry cordially, as if nothing was unexpected about him suddenly showing up at the Burrow, weeks ahead of schedule. Harry calmly walked inside, carrying Hedwig's cage in with him. He took a good look around him, seeing all the Order members gathered there. "I...hope I'm not interrupting anything important."

"Harry!" Ron cried at in disbelief, shocked and elated to see his best friend arrive way earlier than expected. He leaped to his feet, bridging the gap between them in less than a second. "Harry, what're you doing here so soon? How'd you get here without anyone noticing you're gone?"

"That's a good question, Ron," said Hermione, walking over to the two of them. "Harry, why'd you come here? You knew the Death Eaters will be swarming over Little Whinging day and night, so why'd you take such a huge risk in leaving your house without anyone in the Order protecting you?" Hermione asked kindly, but in a tone that let Harry know she expected an honest answer.

Harry looked from Hermione to Ron, then back to Hermione, and chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't say I left without any protection," he said at length, jerking a thumb back at the doorway. Ron and Hermione looked to where he was indicating, and saw someone they never expected to ever see again. Standing in the doorway, clad in the concealing witches' robes she had worn around Hogwarts and carrying his trunk, was their old friend Samus Aran.

For a moment, Ron and Hermione, along with everyone else in the Burrow, stared slack-jawed at Samus. "What, not even a 'hello'? Aren't you at least going to invite me in?"

"Samus, why...h-how can you be here?" asked Hermione incredulously. "The clock Dumbledore enchanted was supposed to make it so you couldn't travel back here through the rift!"

"Good question, and I'll answer the best I can. I'll try to answer all the questions that I'm sure everyone's going to want to throw my way," said Samus. "As for what all of you asked Harry, well, I went to Harry first because I was sure he'd be able to fill me in on everything that's happened since I left, and then get me in contact with all of you."

Arthur Weasley then sprang up from the couch, careful not to agitate his bandaged shoulder. "Well, ur, I'm glad you stopped by and brought Harry with you!" he said quickly, walking up to Samus and offering his hand. "As you know, you're always welcome in our home."

"Er, Arthur, not to sound rude or anything, but if Ms. Aran has returned to our time, I suspect it's for a good reason," said Lupin matter-of-factly.

"I'm afraid you're right," was all Samus said as she shook Arthur's hand.

"And how do we know this is really Samus Aran?" asked Moody with a growl. "Just because she didn't set off every defensive charm around this place doesn't mean..."

"Oh please Moody, I already put her through this when she showed up at Privet Drive," said Harry with a roll of his eyes.

"It's alright Harry. If it will make everyone feel better, someone go ahead and ask me a question only the real Samus Aran would know," said Samus.

"That's a bit tricky, seeing as how You-Know-Who had access to your clone's memories," growled Moody.

"I got it!" shouted Ron. "Where were you when you went through your first menstrual cycle?" he asked Samus.

Just about everyone else in the room turned to look at Ron, amazed that he would brazenly ask that. Hermione, in particular, had quite an exasperated look. However, Samus didn't seem the least bit disturbed and quickly said, "Out in the fields of Crateria training with Bird Grandpa."

"That's the real Samus, everyone. Only Samus would say that like it's nothing," said Ron. This seemed to relax everyone, but Hermione was still glaring at him. "What, it was the first thing I could think of!" he cried defensively.


	4. Shots in the Dark

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 4: Shots in the Dark

1-25-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

**June 11, 1997 - 8:53 AM Western European Time**

**The Burrow**

"I hope you all appreciate what I just went through to keep all this quiet!" came Mundungus Fletcher's raspy reply, his head sticking out of the Weasleys' fireplace. Samus, Harry, Ron and Hermione, along with the rest of the Order, gathered around the fireplace to hear his report. "So many Ministry workers appearing at once, flooding that park! Started interrogating me, thinking that somehow I was mixed up in this whole mess..."

"Gee, I wonder why anyone would think that," growled Moody.

"Not now, Alastor!" snapped Kingsley. "Now, go on, Mundungus. Just what did you tell the Ministry officials that arrived?"

"Told them the truth! Not the whole truth of course, just the parts they'd believe," replied Mundungus. "Told them Harry Potter ran into half-a-dozen Death Eaters and was forced to use magic to fend them off. Then said he flew off...I'm sure they thought I meant the boy summoned his Firebolt and took off. Couldn't very well tell them he flew off in some bizarre plane-thingy after being dragged along by some murderous, monstrous she-demon..."

"Hey, watch your tone, Dung!" Ron shot back. "Do you have any idea what Samus has done for..."

Samus clasped a hand on Ron's shoulder while stepping into Mundungus's view, who recoiled...something she was accustomed to. "Don't worry about it, Ron. Believe me, the Space Pirates have far more unflattering names for me."

"Well, at least it looks like the Ministry won't be breathing down Harry's neck for underage magic this time," said Hermione. "But I wonder...why didn't you get involved in the fight if you had been tailing Harry?"

"Well, I, ur, that is," spluttered Mundungus, caught off-guard by Hermione's question. "Well, er, everything happened so fast, and the power that woman used...I'd probably get caught in the crossfire, and..."

"That's no excuse for such cowardice!" cried Molly. "You were assigned to watch Harry, but once again You-Know-Who's forces had a go at him on YOUR WATCH!"

"It wasn't like that, Molly. Harry was busy freeing my ship from those vines, and by the time he had a chance to jump into the fight, only Bellatrix was still standing, and she fled with the others," said Samus, hoping to assuage Molly's concerns for Harry. She had learned quickly that she could be more overprotective of Harry than even her.

"Of course, if Adam hadn't needed a hand, I would've gladly had a go at Bellatrix," Harry chimed in.

"Harry, you're not helping," said Samus through gritted teeth.

"At any rate, what matters most is that Harry is safe," said Lupin quickly. "We can't thank you enough, Mundungus, for keeping this incident from escalating into another messy entanglement with the Ministry."

"Help me move those flying carpets to Pakistan and we'll call it even!" scoffed Mundungus, and his head vanished with a loud pop. Samus sighed, relieved that this pesky criminal was out of their hair. Soon after arriving at the Burrow, Samus had only gotten a brief chance to explain the circumstances behind her return before Mundungus's head poked out of the fireplace, incoherently ranting and babbling.

"Now we can get back to the matter at hand," said Lupin, turning to Samus. "I don't believe we were introduced last time, Ms. Aran. I am..."

"Remus Lupin, I believe," Samus finished for him. "Harry always spoke highly of you. I also met Moody and the most of the Weasleys last time," said Samus as she looked around the Burrow, trying to place all the unfamiliar faces. She stopped when she noticed two of them, who see guessed were Nyphmadora Tonks and Kingsley Shackebolt, were warily staring at her. Confused and a bit annoyed, she was about the say something to them, but someone beat her to it.

"You two do realize that the monster you saw in India was a different beast entirely, and that Samus Aran utterly vanquished that abomination for good, don't you?" barked Moody, his magical eye fixed on the two of them as he leisurely sipped from his flask. Tonks and Kingsley's gazes softened slightly, perhaps out of embarrassment.

"Er, thanks Moody, but it's strange to hear you sticking up for someone like that...almost as if you trust me," said Samus.

"Well, you DID annihilate that space station and all the X on it, so you deserve the benefit of the doubt," growled Moody. "But enough of that, Aran. We all know that if you came back, there's a damned good reason! You mentioned a message that Potter supposedly delivered to your time, so let's hear it!"

_Nice to know I'm not the only one always obsessed with getting to the heart of the matter,_ Samus thought with a sigh as she reached into her robes for the tape recorder. She whipped it out and hit play. Everyone in the Burrow leaned forward a little to hear Harry's panicky voice recite the cryptic, corrupted message. When the last decipherable part finished playing, Samus hit stop, and silenced lingered in the Burrow for many moments.

When no one seemed willing to dare break the silence, Samus spoke up. "Obviously, whatever tragedy altered history has something to do with Voldemort," she said, ignoring the winces and hisses the name evoked. "After collecting Harry, I came straight here, hoping the Order would have any information about Voldemort's activities for me."

"O-Of course we will share any pertinent information with you, Samus," said Arthur. "But please, don't go off thinking that at one point you must go at it alone! You're making it sound that way again. This isn't like last time, where only you and Harry could fight the X and survive. We've all got your back on this one, whatever the situation may be."

"He's right, Aran. This time, you should probably hunt in a pack," said Moody.

Samus felt a mixture of appreciation and apprehension. This wasn't like the times GF Marines pledged to serve alongside her...these people seemed to promise their support out of genuine care for her. Yet somehow, Samus's instincts told her that, just like with the assault on Phaaze, she would be going with an army only to end up on her own in the end. Samus turned around to look at Harry, seeing the comforting yet anxious look in his eyes. _Or the two of us on our own again,_ she thought.

"At any rate, there's not much we can tell you about Voldemort's activities other than that we think he's beginning to make more aggressive moves to infiltrate the Ministry," said Lupin. "So far we believe we've stymied his efforts, but it's been difficult. And there's nothing we've seen so far that indicates an agenda on the scale of what you're suggesting."

"Two years ago there wasn't anything indicating he was planning to unleash an army of alien parasites, but that's exactly what happened," said Kingsley sourly.

"Unfortunately you're right. Voldemort's always been good at keeping his plans secret, even from other Death Eaters, and..." Hermione began, but her voice trailed off, looking as if a revelation had come to her. "Wait a minute, the message said something about Voldemort teaming up with someone!"

"That's it! Those four from Azkaban who broke out those three Death Eaters!" cried Ron, no doubt seeing where Hermione was going. "This can't be a coincidence. Those four must have something to do with this mess!"

"What four from Azkaban?" asked Samus, feeling a rush of hope.

Arthur Weasley quickly gave Samus his account of what happened only hours ago at Azkaban, where two mysterious witches broke in and escaped with three Death Eaters and their two colleagues. "They refer to themselves as the Reformers. The two who were incarcerated were a vampiress calling herself Wildflower and a big guy called Faction, who somehow used two wands at once," Arthur explained. "The witches who somehow breached Azkaban's defenses were this bizarre...frog-woman and a little girl who seemed to cancel out all magic while somehow flying. While in the air, I heard the frog-woman refer to the girl as 'Tesla', who I think called her 'Ped'. And I swear, I just _know_ I've seen this Ped somewhere before..." Samus silently took all this in, trying to maintain a stoic veneer, but some instinct was telling her she would be meeting these four sooner or later, and would be trouble.

"They certainly sound like a unique bunch, but somehow don't seem to fit the mold of people who'd work for You-Know-Who," said Moody. "Don't forget, some of the Aurors there said it looked as if those three Death Eaters were herded into that plane against their will. Shacklebolt thinks they grabbed Rookwood for information, but..."

"I am telling you people, the key to this mystery is finding out just what they wanted in the Department of Mysteries!" clamored a blond-haired woman with a strange accent that Samus did not recognize. But judging from the critical attitude and features she suspected would make weak-minded men fawn over her, Samus could hazard a guess.

"You're Fleur Delacour, right?" asked Samus. Fleur whirled around to look at her, astonished that Samus deduced who she was. "I think you're onto something. Harry told me this Rookwood used to gather intel in this Department of Mysteries, so these Reformers must think that he can find whatever they're looking for. The question remains, though: just what is it?"

"Come on Samus, you're the detective, right! Don't you see what's going on?" Ron cried out exasperatedly. Samus turned to look him in the eye, but Ron seemed unperturbed by her steely glare. "That message said something about technology left behind by your people, the people that raised you, I mean. These people must be trying to track it down, and they're willing to work with You-Know-Who to get to it!"

Samus focused on Ron for a moment, considering his theory. It did seem to fit with what they knew so far. But now that she truly thought about it, something about the idea shocked her for some reason. She knew that the Chozo had explored the galaxy for millennia, shared their knowledge with countless alien races, but she has never considered the possibility of the Chozo traveling to Earth centuries before she was even born. And could they have bestowed some of their secrets upon witches and wizards?

"Uh, excuse me but, what people are we talking about here?" asked Arthur, no doubt mystified.

"The Chozo, the race of aliens that made me what I am," Samus said quickly, now realizing that Ron had spilled something that he was supposed to keep secret. "Like Harry, I was orphaned as a baby, and the Chozo took me in and raised me as one of their own. The technology behind my suit comes from them."

"Ah, I see. So it's no wonder you and Harry became so close," said Arthur. "And the thought of You-Know-Who getting his hands on the same wondrous machines you use...t-t-that's something we can't allow," he went on, but Samus thought she also detected a hint of fascination in his voice. No doubt he, someone obsessed with Earth's technology, was also curious about the technology of an alien race.

"At any rate, we need more clues if we're to track down these Reformers," said Hermione. "I'm sure those two, Wildflower and Faction, were interrogated before being thrown into Azkaban. Maybe we'll find something new if we can get hold of the interrogation reports."

"Well, I don't know if this means anything, but once Scrimgeour heard the name 'Wildflower', he went ballistic," said Tonks. "He obviously knows who this vampire is, and he's scared of her for some reason. But when I tried to press the issue, he brushed me aside...quite rudely I might add. He's supposed to be hardened after fighting the Dark Arts for so long, but I've never seen anyone so unnerved by a name, not even You-Know-Who's..."

"Rufus Scrimgeour...the minister that's replaced Fudge, right? Used to lead the Aurors the first time Voldemort rose to power?" Samus asked. Tonks nodded dully. This revelation made Samus feel even more uneasy. If a hardened veteran of the war against the Dark Arts became unglued, these Reformers were a dangerous bunch indeed...

"Whatever this Wildflower was involved in in the past, I have no idea either," said Kingsley. "It may have happened before either Tonks or I became Aurors, or maybe it was something super-secret. But I've heard some things that might mean something, Samus. In a strategy meeting yesterday, I'm sure I heard Umbridge whisper the name 'Valkyrie' to Scrimgeour while also mentioning that vampire. And I've overheard some whispered conversations about this vampire among Aurors and Unmentionables that I know predate me. Something about an area in the Department of Mysteries that's been inaccessible for nearly sixteen years..."

"Sixteen years? Oh, if I've learned anything, it's that anything that dates back to the year my parents were killed means trouble," said Harry with an air of dreadful certainty. "What else did you hear?"

"Well, I think they were talking about some secret project among the Unmentionables at the time," Kingsley went on. "Let's see, something called the Valhalla Agenda..."

"VALHALLA!?" Samus blurted out, unable to contain her shock.

"Yes. Why, does the name mean something to you?" asked Kingsley.

"It was the name of a Galactic Federation battleship raided by Space Pirates," Samus replied.

"No surprise that a battleship would get a name like that, really," said Hermione. "In Nordic mythology, Valhalla was a place that fallen warriors would travel to in the afterlife, where they would be honored in an eternal paradise for their accomplishments."

_The scuttled ship I had to explore certainly didn't feel like a divine paradise,_ Samus thought morbidly._ No survivors, mutated Metroids everywhere, saturated with Phazon..._

"As the legends go, Odin decreed which dead warriors would enter Valhalla," Hermione went on. "And then their souls were gathered and guided by these angelic beings called..." Hermione suddenly stopped, her eyes widening.

"Go on," said Ron impatiently. "Their souls were led by what?"

"By beings called VALKYRIES!" Hermione finished loudly. "Mr. Shacklebolt, that name Umbridge mentioned and the name of this secret project...this can't be just a coincidence! Umbridge and Scrimgeour must be hiding something!"

"No surprises about Umbridge there," spat Ron.

"In any case, Kingsley and I will do some digging in the Auror Department, see what we can find out about this 'Valhalla Agenda' and 'Valkyrie'," said Tonks.

"I'll get in touch with some old friends as well," said Moody. "Whatever this Valhalla Agenda is, I never heard of it. I got a hunch whoever was behind it thought I was too idealistic to be let in on it, but some of my old co-workers might know something."

"In the meantime Samus, you should let me have a look at that recorder," said Arthur, holding out his hand. "Records sound using magnetic tape, right? Simply fascinating invention, I must say. Perhaps I can clear up the message on it, get more clues..."

"If you say so," said Samus, dropping the tape recorder into Arthur's outstretched hand.

Samus heard the front door open, and turned to see Tonks, Kingsley and Moody head out, no doubt to begin poking around the Ministry of Magic. She let out a heavy sigh as she hung her head. After what Harry had told her about the rest of the Order of the Phoenix, she had been confident they would have all the information on Voldemort she would need to set out right away. But now, it turned out she would have to simply wait around for others to turn up something...

"Samus, you OK?" she heard Harry ask. Samus lifted her head to look him in the eye, seeing the concerned look on his face.

_I'm too used to hiding my face behind my helmet. Forgot I can't let my emotions show while disguised as a witch,_ Samus thought to herself. "It's nothing Harry, but you know me. I was hoping to set out right away to hunt Voldemort," she said out loud, then silently added, _Not to mention track down those Horcruxes Harry mentioned while I'm at it. I'm sure Harry only entrusted that sensitive information with me because he thinks I can help him find these hidden relics. It's what I do best._

"Ms. Aran, your determination is admirable, but as a soldier of peace, you must understand that sometimes one must be patient," said Lupin reassuringly. "The others will dig up something soon, I'm certain of it, so until we're sure what we're dealing with, we must patiently wait for a lead."

"Until then, Samus, please make yourself at home," said Arthur. "I'm sure it must seem quaint to someone who's been all over the galaxy, but please, anyone who's such a close friend of Harry's is always welcome under our roof."

Samus took a moment to look around the Burrow. "You're wrong, Arthur Weasley. It's true I've been among many alien cultures, but I've never seen a home quite like this, and...I can see why Harry thinks of this as a second home." There was just something so comforting about the Burrow; just like the castle of Hogwarts, there was some sort of inviting ambience that let her know she could rest easy here. "But I really must be getting back to my ship. For one thing, I've got to tell Adam everything I've learned here."

"Who is Adam? I was told you had traveled to this time alone," said Fleur.

"That's the name of my ship's computer," said Samus with a tone of finality. As much as she trusted the Order, she still wasn't willing to tell anyone outside Harry and his closest friends what she still considered a shameful secret: how Adam Malkovich had sacrificed his life for her.

"Where is your ship, by the way?" asked Arthur excitedly. "I only got to see it once last time, and would..."

"ARTHUR!" snapped Molly.

"It's quite alright, and to answer your question, I landed it near the stables and the stealth field is active. I doubt anyone will notice it's there," said Samus.

"Well, I suppose you should go ahead and talk to this Adam person," said Molly. "It's not like you plan on waiting in your ship until the Order digs up something."

"Actually, I'm used to that sort of thing," admitted Samus. "For my entire career, I've used small scouting ships as a base of operations."

"What, you mean you practically live in a tiny ship?" asked Molly, sounding somewhat horrified. "You even...sleep in a ship?"

"When it takes me days to travel to certain worlds, it's not like a have a choice," said Samus plainly, not understanding why Molly sounded so surprised and concerned. That sort of lifestyle was what a career as a bounty hunter demanded, and Samus had simply adapted to it. "And when it's a voyage of several weeks, I simply place myself in cryogenic stasis for the duration of the trip, and..." Samus went on, but Molly held up a hand to silence her.

"No need for that today, is there? I simply will not let you sleep in some dreary, gloomy, cramped ship when there's a cozy house and warm bed available for you here," said Molly in an adamant tone.

Samus stared back at Molly, more perplexed than ever. "There's really no need for me to intrude here, I assure you. My ship is one of the most sophisticated the Galactic Federation has to offer," she said, trying to assure Molly her concerns were unfounded. "The interior is climate-controlled, and there's..."

"No! I simply must insist you stay under our roof!" cried Molly. "It won't do for such a close friend of Harry's to stay outside in a cold, lifeless metal ship!"

Molly Weasley's obstinance was becoming grating, but Samus couldn't help but be touched and surprised by Molly's hospitality. She remembered how irate Molly was after she and Harry had returned from the Chamber of Secrets. Now her attitude toward her had spun 180. And Samus simply was not used to anyone welcoming her with open arms...

"Better listen to her, Samus," Ron said before Samus could protest. "Take it from me, when Mum talks like that, she won't take 'no' for an answer."

"Besides, there's no need fer you t' hang in yer ship if ya got noplace t' go and nuthin' t' thrash about an' blow up yet. Mebbe ye should just relax fer awhile, give them fightin' instincts a rest, hmm?" said Hagrid acidly, who had been strangely quiet during the whole meeting.

Hagrid stared down at Samus with a stony glare as he said that. At first, Samus couldn't understand the reason behind his brusqueness, but as she searched her memory, the answer came to her. "Oh yeah...I never did get to apologize for knocking you into that brick wall, did I?" asked Samus weakly. Hagrid kept glaring down at Samus, remaining stonily silent. "Rubeus Hagrid, right? I was hoping you had forgotten about all that, especially since I need a favor from you."

This seemed to pique Hagrid's interest. "A favor, eh? What kinda favor would ya need of me?" asked Hagrid acerbically.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it's one you'll enjoy," replied Samus. "I need someone to keep an eye on my...companions."

"'Companions'?" repeated Hagrid. "I was told ye were always a loner."

"Well, fate had a funny way of throwing us together. Twice," said Samus. She then reached into her cape to press a single button on her arm cannon. Moments later, there was a strange scratching sound coming from the base of the front door, as well as an odd pecking noise. "Why not let them in?" Samus asked a perplexed Hagrid.

Hagrid shrugged his shoulders as sauntered off to the door. Upon opening it, the three Etecoons immediately rolled into the Burrow, curled up into little balls, and the adult Dachora followed close behind, its single offspring dutifully tailing it.

"Good heavens, wha...what are these?" asked Molly, astonished. The adult Dachora walked up to Molly and Arthur and stood there, constantly shifting its curious gaze from one to the other, its feathery plume bobbling.

Meanwhile, all three of the Etecoons had hopped onto Hermione, who struggled to embrace them all in one big bear hug. "They're the Etecoons and Dachoras, the last survivors of Zebes," answered Hermione, hugging the Etecoons even tighter.

"Yes, and I need someone to watch them for me while I remain here at the Order's headquarters," Samus told Hagrid. "Last time, the centaurs watched over them, but from what Harry told me about you, the Etecoons and Dachoras will enjoy your company far more."

Hagrid peered downward, to where the infant Dachora was curiously pecking at his boots. Hagrid reached down with one giant hand and scooped up the alien bird. After gently stroking the baby Dachora for a moment, Hagrid said with a grin, "If this is yer way of apologizin', then it's accepted."

xxxxxx

**June 11, 1997 - 9:01 AM Western European Time**

**Malfoy Manor**

Voldemort idly paced about the main hall of Malfoy Manor, closely examining the aged piece of parchment in his hands. He paid not the slightest bit of attention to either Draco or Narcissa Malfoy and how they kept shifting, anxiously awaiting when he finally spoke. The only other one in the hall was Severus Snape, passing through while carrying boxes full of potion ingredients. He wisely paid the three of them no mind.

"It still eludes me, Narcissa," Voldemort finally said, ignoring how she twitched when he said her name. "I am aware that your husband's home holds many centuries worth of history, that there were undoubtedly many ancient secrets lost over the generations. But I simply cannot conceive how an artifact of this nature was allowed to be buried for so long. The Malfoys always understood the value of the purity of blood, the cause of my ancestor Salazar Slytherin, do they not?"

"I-I am as mystified as you are, My Lord," Narcissa said softly, barely able to bring herself to make eye contact. "Had Lucius known he had something that once belonged to Salazar Slytherin, no doubt he would have told you long ago. He would know how valuable it would be to you."

_Judging by how he threw away the Horcrux I entrusted to him for his own machinations, I cannot help but wonder about that,_ Voldemort thought, the brow of his pale, snakelike face furrowing. Voldemort then gazed back down at the parchment, which, judging from the tears on the left side, had once been bound in a book, no doubt a journal of sorts. And safely nestled in his robes were more pages from the same journal. "Journal pages left behind by the greatest of the Hogwarts four, alluding to events not seen anywhere in history books. Does this not fascinate you, Draco?" he asked tauntingly, wondering if Draco would be bold enough to expect to be allowed to read the pages.

However, Voldemort could sense Draco suspected he was being baited. A moment later, Draco said, "It would be interesting, Master, b-but these journal pages are surely meant for your eyes and your eyes alone."

Voldemort said nothing more, his thin lips curling into a smile. Draco Malfoy was quickly learning his place as a loyal Death Eater. He had been disappointed to hear that, after Draco successfully found a way to get his Death Eaters into Hogwarts and cornered Albus Dumbledore, he had held back at the last moment. However, he could not help but admire his inventiveness, especially since he had not counted on him succeeding at all. He looked forward to seeing if Draco would serve him well on future missions...or fail miserably as his father did.

Paying the Malfoys no mind, Voldemort glanced back down at the parchment, skimming over the handwriting that he recognized as belonging to Salazar Slytherin...

_...such that mere words cannot express how I feel at this juncture. Years ago, we had parted ways after I could not convince them of the importance of limiting who we pass on our knowledge to._

_How could we entrust our wisdom and secrets to students coming from families so suspicious and disdainful of our power? Those who would use their faith as an excuse to hate and fear us, even slaughter us like livestock if the chance arose? And would it truly be a disservice to such children if we refuse to teach them what would make their fellow Muggles hate and fear them even more?_

_But now, not only has fate thrust us four together once more, but we find ourselves joining forces with beings from another world. I cannot get over how I, Salazar Slytherin, who have distrusted and avoided the Muggles for so long, now works side-by-side with beings who know even less about our ways._

_These beings, giant birdlike creatures who walk and talk as men would, know little of the ways of magic, but seem blessed with knowledge and wisdom of another sort. Weapons of such destructive ferocity, vessels capable of effortless flight, and other things I cannot begin to describe. And in light of the circumstances bringing us together, our only hope is to pool our collective knowledge, so that we may turn back this... _

Voldemort finished reading the journal page front and back, and although much was still clouded in mystery, one thing was certain. _Perhaps there would be no harm in letting young Malfoy read this after all, for only I could truly understand what my ancestor was referring to,_ Voldemort thought slyly. Birdlike creatures with no magic, but extraordinary machines? That could only mean one thing. _I never thought I would have to be reminded of my encounter with that Muggle hunter Samus Aran, but now it's obvious that a millennium ago, my ancestor encountered the forefathers of her benefactors. Perhaps I can use his journal, learn more of what these Chozo shared with my ancestor. Who knows, perhaps I could..._

But Voldemort was so engrossed with the journal page, that he did not notice the front door of Malfoy Manor sweeping open, or that two of his Death Eaters blindly stormed through. And since Voldemort had been unfortunate enough to be standing by the doorway, the Death Eaters collided with him, and the trio hit the floor hard.

"My Lord! My humblest apologies, Master! Here, allow me to..." he heard Yaxley splutter as he felt a two pair of hands grasp both of his forearms. He was promptly pulled up, and found himself staring into the face of his newly inducted Death Eater: a blond-haired woman of average height by the name of Francesca Doropoia.

"Doropoia, Yaxley," said Voldemort aloofly, trying to decide whether or not this warranted punishment. Yaxley, understandably looked nervous about his clumsy blunder, but Doropoia seemed unshaken.

"My Lord, I see you're still reading the journal pages I discovered in the basement," said Doropoia, seemingly pleased with herself. Voldemort heard an indignant hiss escape Narcissa's lips, but he paid her no mind. "Tell me, what have you learned? I did not dare lay eyes upon something so precious to you, but..."

"Another time," said Voldemort, holding up a hand for silence. Doropoia had been incredibly anxious to discover what the journal pages discovered since stumbling upon them the other day, but that discussion would have to wait. If Yaxley and Doropoia had charged recklessly into Malfoy Manor this way, there was a reason. He turned to Yaxley and calmly said, "Let us assume, Yaxley, that you two have important news for your lord, and in your haste to deliver it, you neglected to watch where you were going."

"Well, My Lord, we do have...unusual news. And it i-involves, um, three of our n-number," stammered Yaxley. "L-Lucius Malfoy, Rodolphus Lestrange and Augustus Rookwood were broken out of Azkaban earlier this morning."

"Dad's broken out?" Draco cried, forgetting his place. "Who did it? Where is he now?"

Before Voldemort could reprimand Draco, Yaxley turned to the boy and said, "By none of our people, that is for certain!" He then turned back to Voldemort and said, "Doropoia and I spent hours undercover at the Ministry trying to learn all we could, and the more we discovered, the more we realize these four are nothing like us!" Yaxley exclaimed.

Yaxley went on to tell Voldemort all they had discovered about these four 'Reformers'. When he finished, Voldemort regarded him carefully for a moment, then said, "Indeed, these four have power with which I am unfamiliar with. But what would they want with three of my Death Eaters?" he asked. _Especially a proven failure like Lucius Malfoy_, he silently added.

Doropoia opened her mouth to speak, looking annoyingly eager to voice her thoughts. But at that moment, Voldemort heard several loud cracks behind him. Some of his Death Eaters had Apparated right into the manor. Before he could even turn around, Voldemort heard Bellatrix begin to sycophantly splutter. "M-Master, please forgive us! We have failed, failed miserably! We can only beg that you have mercy on our worthless souls!" Upon turning around, he saw Bellatrix kneeling at his feet, shaking uncontrollably. Directly behind her stood Greyback and the Carrows, all nursing what he guessed were painful injuries concealed by their robes. The three were all looking at the floor, unable to meet their master's eyes.

"What is this, Bella? If I recall, you and Greyback were assigned to watch Harry Potter's residence last night," Voldemort said dangerously. "If you mean to tell me he has slipped through your fingers..."

"Forgive us, My Lord!" Bellatrix blurted out. "He was following some strange Muggle woman to a nearby park. We followed them, and then, somehow, she revealed a Muggle flying machine that was Disillusioned. We ensnared it with vines, making sure Potter couldn't get away. We summoned reinforcements just in case. But...that Muggle bitch somehow BEAT US ALL! Two of our number dead, the rest injured...it took me this long to heal the Carrows so that they were well enough to Apparate all the way here!"

"A single Muggle woman defeated half-a-dozen of my Death Eaters!" roared Voldemort, his outburst making the entire manor quake slightly. "How could such a thing be possible! Who could..." Voldemort faltered as he looked down at the piece of parchment he had inadvertently crumpled in his hand, a horrible thought coming to him.

"Tell me, Lestrange," came Severus Snape's voice as he calmly walked toward the others. "Did she fire projectiles that exploded in a flurry of wintry frost, lash out with beams of intense heat, use a whip made of ghostly flame? Was the Killing Curse ineffective? Did she jump impossibly high, show strength rivaling a troll's?"

Bellatrix stared at Snape, her mouth agape. "H-How did YOU know?"

Snape ignored Bellatrix, turning instead to Voldemort. "My Lord, it would appear that Samus Aran has returned."

For a long moment, Voldemort said nothing. After his plans to use the X parasites had been crushed by Samus Aran and Harry Potter, he thought he was at least rid of that one nuisance forever. No, not a nuisance. As much as he hated to admit it, this one Muggle was a serious threat. But what made her return to this time? He looked at the parchment again, which revealed that Samus Aran was not the first human recipient of the Chozo's gifts. Then he turned to Yaxley and Doropoia, who brought him word of a new fighting force, these Reformers. Was all this connected somehow?

"My Lord, please tell us, who is this Samus Aran?" begged Bellatrix. "She dared insist that she once bested you in battle! Even if she could beat us, your loyal followers, how could she possibly stand against you!"

"She was lucky," said Voldemort quickly. "And she had Potter's help. On their own, neither one would have had a chance against my power."

"Still, she's proven to be a threat, My Lord," said Snape. "Whatever her reasons for returning to our time, we must not let Samus Aran..."

"All too true," said Voldemort calmly, turning back to Bellatrix. "Let us assume that all of you were simply...caught off guard by Aran's mysterious weapons and skill at physical combat. Can we all assume that next time, you will be prepared? That next time, Bellatrix, you will be ready for whatever this bounty hunter can throw at you?"

Bellatrix immediately stood. "Of course, My Lord! Mark my words, that arrogant Muggle wench will PAY!"

"Good. See to it that Greyback and the Carrows are healed fully. Then, your four are charged with tracking down Harry Potter and Samus Aran," Voldemort ordered.

"As you wish, My Lord! Once we find them, I will be sure we return with Harry Potter carrying this Samus Aran's head by her ponytail!" Bellatrix declared with fanatical zeal.

"Very well," said Voldemort, giving the four permission to leave. Bellatrix nodded and turned to leave for another part of the manor, Greyback and the Carrows limping behind her. He then turned to Doropoia and Yaxley. "As for you two, get back to the Ministry and find out all you can about these Reformers. I suspect that, somehow, these events are connected in some way that is yet unclear."

At once, Yaxley nodded and bolted for the door, but Narcissa grabbed him, pleading with him to find out where her husband was taken. Voldemort was about to tell her to be silent, but then he noticed Doropoia's eyes were lingering on the parchment still clutched in his hand. Once she saw he had noticed this, she flashed a quick smile, then turned to leave, clutching Yaxley by the arm and dragging him out of the manor.

_That girl has become insufferably full of herself ever since receiving the Dark Mark. One day soon, I will have to teach her some humility,_ Voldemort thought vehemently. He then glanced back down at the parchment one last time.

xxxxxx

**June 11, 1997 - 6:31 PM Hawaii-Aluetian Standard Time**

**Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii U.S.A.**

The Hickam Air Force Base holds a special historical significance, as it was targeted by Japanese strafing and bombing runs during the attack on Pearl Harbor nearly 56 years ago. Some of the bullet holes were still visible in many of the walls, a solemn reminder of the devastating attack that spurred a nation to war.

And today, history may very well repeat itself.

It all started with the detection of an unidentified aircraft circling the base that refused to answer demands to identify itself. When the base's jets were sent to intercept the aircraft, all hell broke loose. The pilots found themselves quickly outmaneuvered and outgunned by...whatever it was.

Then, the onslaught began. The base's anti-air defenses were swiftly taken out by missiles that nothing seemed to be able to intercept, all communication to outside the base had been cut off, and at one point, half the systems on the base seemed to go offline when the mysterious aircraft made a low pass over the base.

"Oh man, after more than twenty years in the Air Force and piloting a dozen shuttle missions, I was supposed to spend the rest of my career here just training new pilots. Something nice and quiet and safe until it's time to retire. And on my first day, something like THIS happens?" grumbled a middle-aged man in full uniform with mulleted, greying hair and a thick, bushy beard and mustache. He stood beside a good friend of his, a technician manning a radar station, who seemed even more perplexed and anxious than he was. "Please tell me you've got SOMETHING on these bastards!"

"Sorry J.B., I still got nuthin'," said the technician. "It seems kinda like a SR-71 and kinda like a space shuttle, but..."

A tremendous whooshing noise was heard outside the base, audible even over the blaring alarms, and the entire building shook slightly. "Oh fuck hell, that thing just took out the last of our anti-air turrets!" cried the technician. "And now it's, wait a minute, I can't be hearing this right." The technician adjusted his headset, disbelief etched on his face. "J.B., according to this status report I'm getting, when that thing made its last pass...the jets and choppers we had left on the ground...the wings and propellers just MELTED!"

"Melted?" repeated J.B., unsure if he had heard right.

"Yeah, J.B., just melted away like butter in a microwave, they said," said the technician. "But that's impossible, there's no kind of weapon that can do that!"

J.B. didn't answer, for a horrible thought entered his mind. His friend was right, there was NO weapon known to mankind could do something like that. But unlike most of the men and women on this base, he knew of a force that could.

J.B. scrambled across the room to where the base's commander was standing. On many of the monitors the commander was looking at were live images, being fed from cameras mounted onto the helmets of soldiers stationed at Hickam. And the footage they were transmitting confirmed J.B.'s worst fears.

One of the soldiers was firing at something in the air, and as J.B. squinted to get a better look, he realized it was actually a PERSON hovering above the soldiers...a girl in some blue bodysuit from the look of it. She glided through the air, avoiding all the gunfire. While the soldiers kept firing, hoping against hope they would hit her, two jeeps that had been set ablaze seemed to rise up behind the girl as if shot up with catapults. They came down with a sickening crash on what J.B. dreaded was a crowd of soldiers.

J.B. looked at another screen, seeing another soldier firing at a mysterious enemy...a green-skinned, turquoise-haired woman sticking to a wall like Spider-Man! She waved some sort of stick in front of her, and a glistening, crimson barrier sprang up in front of her, deflecting all the bullets. A second later, the woman opened her mouth, and an impossibly long tongue shot out at the soldier. Then the feed was cut off.

"Captain, do you have any idea what these...THINGS are?" demanded the commander, no doubt noticing the horrified look on J.B.'s face.

J.B. said nothing as he turned and ran out of the room, his mind racing. There could be no doubt about it: Hickam Air Force Base was under attack by witches and wizards. That unidentified aircraft must have been enhanced with magic somehow, and now whoever had been aboard planned on infiltrating the base!

_Could these be those Death Eaters she told me about?_ J.B. wondered. _But wait, those guys wear black robes and masks that resemble skulls, and they usually use stealthy tactics, don't they? And they mostly are content with mucking things up in England, not America. So just who are they?_ As he ran, he reached for a pistol he kept holstered in his pants. _But I don't care who they are, they're not taking this base without a fight. I've got plenty of inside information about what these people can and can't do, maybe that'll give me a bit of an edge..._

As J.B. rounded a corner, he saw at least a dozen armed soldiers standing in the hallway. J.B. suspected they received word that the team invading the base was headed this way. _That means they're after something in our main computer! _he realized. He briefly wondered if he should tell them what he knew, but doubted that, even now, any of the soldiers would believe him. He remembered all too well his own disbelief when his own brother told him his niece was a witch...

As J.B. was considering his options, he saw a stun grenade pull itself free from a soldier's belt...and the pin pulled itself out. "EVERYONE, DUCK AND COVER YOUR EARS!" shouted J.B., then quickly followed his own advice. Unfortunately, the rest of the soldiers didn't react as swiftly, and the flash-bang combo knocked them all senseless.

J.B. himself was disoriented by the explosive bang for quite some time, but once the ringing in his ears subsided, he could hear girlish giggling.

"Ah, welcome to America!" said a grating, saccharine voice. "Ha ha ha ha ha...this has been fun! It's great that we won't have to worry about secrecy anymore. Now we get to really fuck some shit up! Melting half the aircraft on the base, transforming some of the electrical wiring into Devil's Snare...oh, this is just delicious! Now we get to let the whole world know who and what we are, right before we give over five billion Muggles the surprise of a lifetime!"

"Get a hold of yourself, Tesla. This is important Inferno business, not playtime," said a deep, low voice that sounded like it belonged to a black man.

"Hey, the doc said not to bother anymore with secrecy if we were on a clock!" retorted the girl. "And Faction, if you're still sore about that thing with the jeeps, give it a rest. At least I left them alive."

"I would hope so, Tesla," came a sultry voice with a French accent. "The doctor insisted that we avoid any unnecessary bloodshed. The more survivors to spread different stories to confuse everyone, the better. And no doubt everyone back in Britain is still confused about our recent venture at Azkaban, trying to figure out whether or not we were acting for the Death Eaters."

J.B. remained perfectly still on the floor, trying to control his breathing, but that last revelation almost made him gasp. He knew about Azkaban, but that wasn't what bothered him now. _So they're not Death Eaters. So who are they?_ he silently wondered. _If only I could get hold of my niece somehow..._

Through partially-opened eyes, he saw a lengthy foot covered in slimy, greenish-brown skin plant itself in front of his face, making an odious squishing noise. "Ugh, I've been to Hawaii once before, on a family vacation," came a fourth voice, undoubtedly a woman's. "It was one of the last times I was truly a..."

"Patience, Ped," said the woman with a French accent. "Soon, the doctor's plans will come to fruition, and you can put those memories to rest."

For a few moments, J.B. lay in the hallway, feigning unconsciousness, until he was sure the invaders were gone. Shoring up his courage, J.B. eventually stood back up, his pistol clutched tightly in both hands. _They're probably halfway to the computer room by now. If anyone's gonna stop them, it has to be me,_ he thought resolutely.

Walking as quietly as he could, J.B. made his way back. At last he turned the final corner, going down the hallway that would lead him back to the command room. But one look into the room told him he was too late. Through the open doorway, bright flashes of light and flying bodies could be seen. By the time he reached the doorway and flattened himself against the wall, the sounds of battle ceased.

_What makes me think I can do this?_ J.B. asked himself. _I'm a pilot, not a commando._ But he knew he had a duty to defend the base at all costs. As he breathed deeply, summoning all his courage, another idea came to him. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his new digital camcorder. This new gizmo had been a major splurge, but right now, it could prove useful. If he could get these invaders on film, then maybe get the camera to his niece, she could figure out who they were.

He quietly turned it on and peered into the computer room. To his right, he saw that there were four of them. A tall, muscular black man, wearing some blood-red sleeveless vest and black pants, was seated at a terminal. Another thing J.B. noticed about him was a tattoo on his shoulder: a sort of flaming bird.

Right behind him was a pale, white-haired woman. She wore a navy-blue dress that had floral designs all over it, as well as lavender ruffles around her cuffs and collar, and an oversized belt around her waist that acted like a girdle. She seemed to give off an air of aristocratic splendor. Lastly, she held a staff nearly as long as she was tall, with something shaped like a rose at the end. And standing behind her were the girl and frog-woman he had seen on the monitors.

"How long do you believe this will take, Faction?" asked the white-haired woman.

"Shouldn't take me all that long, once I break through the primary firewalls," said Faction. "We could have probably gotten the data we needed without breaking into this base, by the way."

"Of course we could have. But the doctor was clear. We were to get this data by choosing any base we wanted and raising some hell," said the frog-woman. "And I must say, Wildflower chose well, considering the historical significance of what happened here over half a century ago. The doctor wanted to send a message, and this will!"

"Enough chitter-chatter. Our activities won't go unnoticed forever, and neither will the Razor Knight circling the base at such a low altitude," said the white-haired woman. "Faction, get started with the hacking. And Tesla, please, this time do us all a favor and stand away from the console. FAR away."

Tesla stuck her tongue out at Wildflower, then began to float away. For some reason, she made J.B. think of a ghost. Meanwhile, the big black guy extended some sort of wand from a gauntlet he was wearing, and shoved it into the disk drive as he began to type furiously. At this point, J.B. had seen enough. He shut off the camera and pocketed it, then tried to finally make up his mind: should he try to take out these four, or escape with what he had just filmed?

Unfortunately, at that moment, the decision was made for him. He heard Tesla blurt out, "Hey, there's someone in the doorway!"

Acting purely on instinct, J.B. dashed out with his pistol at the ready, aiming for the terminal. _At least I can keep that big guy from hacking into our computers!_ J.B. thought hopefully as he took aim. He fired a single shot. He hit the frog-woman in the midsection, but judging from the grunt he heard from behind her, the bullet had gone through her and hit this 'Faction'.

J.B. then whirled around, hoping to spot the other two. But as he did so, his gun flew out of his hands. It was caught in Tesla's outstretched hand, who promptly dismantled it, all the while staring at J.B. with a sour expression. _Wait a minute, don't you need a wand to do that?_ he thought, his curiosity momentarily winning over his fear.

But he didn't have long to dwell on the matter. The white-haired woman called Wildflower came out of nowhere and, with one hand, grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him against the wall. She brought the tip of his staff right under his chin, staring at him with nightmarish, blood-red eyes. Then her lips parted slightly, revealing sharp fangs. _Oh my sweet fucking Jesus...A VAMPIRE!_ he thought, almost paralyzed with fear. Even though he knew of the existence of magic, J.B. never considered that vampires weren't merely the stuff of novels and cheap horror movies.

"Tesla, how are Ped and Faction?" asked Wildflower at length, not taking her eyes off of J.B..

"Looks like Faction's already Vanished the bullet lodged in him and he's patched both of them up," he heard Tesla say. "Oh, Faction's getting right back to work. We're still on schedule."

"Good, good," said Wildflower airily, still staring at J.B.. Wildflower leaned a little closer, which made J.B. involuntarily quiver.

"Scared of me? You didn't really have to be...at first," said the vampiress in that French accent. "But you made two serious mistakes. The first is that you attacked my teammates. The second is that when you did so, you drew blood, and the scent of fresh blood is now making me quite...ravenous." Wildflower leaned even closer. "For decades, I have fought to keep my thirst in check, through sheer force of will. But the struggle becomes ever harder when I smell freshly-shed blood, and the fact that it's from the wounds you inflicted on my friends makes me a lot less willing to keep my fangs to myself..." With that, Wildflower opened her mouth wide, and J.B. couldn't keep himself from screaming.

"No , Isobel! I don't think you wanna do that!" cried Tesla, her voice suddenly dead-serious. "The name! Look at the name!"

Wildflower's eyes slowly went from J.B.'s eyes to the nametag on his coat. "Captain J.B. Granger," said Wildflower softly. "Well, I suppose Hermione Granger will appreciate the chance to get back in touch with family."

An even greater dread now took hold of J.B.'s heart. "Why...how d'you know Hermione? How'd you know Hermione's my niece?" demanded J.B. vehemently.

Wildflower simply reared her head back and laughed. "Because you just told me, Captain!"

J.B. was afforded one instant to curse himself for his stupidity. In the span of a second, Wildflower released his shoulder, only to backhand J.B. in the head. He was out cold before he hit the ground.


	5. Links to the Past

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 5: Links to the Past

1-31-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

**June 13, 1997 - 7:40 AM Western European Time**

**The Burrow**

Samus Aran lay on the couch in the Weasleys' living room, fast asleep. She still wore her witches' robes over her suit, but was also blanketed in copies of the _Daily Prophet _and whatever Muggle newspapers Hermione could scrounge up. It was obvious that Samus was unwilling to patiently sit by while others dug up leads for her. But while searching for some clue, ANY clue, herself...she had fallen asleep on the job.

What would prove more embarrassing for Samus is that this did not go unnoticed. Hermione, Ginny and Fleur were all crowded around the couch, staring curiously at the slumbering bounty hunter. "It's hard to imagine...the other day she barged in here with a one-track mind," whispered Fleur. "She seemed to be made of steel, hardened no doubt by years of fighting...now she looks so serene and at ease."

"Look at how fast her eyes are moving," said Ginny softly. "I wonder what she's dreaming about?"

"No idea, but if I had to guess...from the way her eyes are moving, she's dreaming about shooting stuff. Lots of stuff," said Hermione flatly.

At that moment, Harry and Ron clambered down the stairs, still clad in their pajamas. Upon arriving in the living room, Harry didn't know which surprised him more: the sight of the hardened huntress doing something as perfectly normal as falling into a deep sleep, or that the three girls crowded around her as if she were a museum exhibit. He knew which irked him more, though.

"Um, what are you three doing?" Harry asked delicately. Ginny immediately looked up, her face turning red at the sight of him. Harry had been dreading this. All day yesterday, she had been visiting Luna Lovegood's home, but now the time had come to face Ginny again.

"Oh Harry! We, we were just, ah..." Ginny began. But by raising her voice, she had accidently awoken Samus who, acting on instincts honed after years as a mercenary, immediately raised her arm cannon. The three girls shrieked as the arm cannon was pointed at each one of them, the missile barrel open, until Samus, still breathing heavily, calmed herself down and lowered her right arm.

"Seriously Samus, that's becoming a bad habit for you," grumbled Hermione, still looking wearily at Samus.

"Sorry, so sorry," said Samus quickly. She sat up, and several pages of newspaper fluttered to the floor. "But you should know better than to sneak up on me like that while I'm sleeping."

"With the way you used to patrol Hogwarts, some of us wondered if you ever slept at all," said Hermione. Harry raised an eyebrow, amazed that Hermione had gotten the same impression of Samus that he had. Before he could say anything, though, Fleur walked up to him, wonderment and curiosity etched in her features.

"'Arry, Ginny and Hermione were just telling me about what happened two years ago. Is it true? Did you really go with Samus Aran to a space station rebuilt by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to fight off thousands of aliens all by yourselves!" Fleur asked, unable to keep the astonishment out of her voice.

"Uh, yeah, I did. I just couldn't let her go alone," said Harry, trying to sound modest.

"And these things, these X...they could mimic anything? Dementors, dragons...any living thing they touched? Even you?" Fleur went on. "And you still went by yourself to help her anyway?"

"Had to be me. After getting some of Samus's genes, I was the only wizard who couldn't be infected," replied Harry.

Harry never saw Fleur look so impressed. "You're tougher than I ever gave you credit for, 'Arry!" she exclaimed. "You have got balls. I like your balls."

Harry saw Ron's eyes go wide with shock at that statement, an expression that reflected how he felt. _Fleur obviously still needs to work on her English_, Harry thought. Out loud he said, "Uh, just don't let your fiance hear you say that."

"So who is this Luna Lovegood, Ginny?" Harry heard Samus ask. "I don't ever remember meeting her."

"Well, she's in Ravenclaw, and Harry and the others didn't really hang around with her until after you left. She was a part of the D.A., and was with us when we broke into the Department of Mysteries," said Ginny. "She's a good duelist, and she might be of some help. But don't worry, I didn't mention anything about you yet..."

"There'd be no harm done if you did," scoffed Hermione. "Luna's the type that'll believe just about anything, and no one believes half of the nonsense she spouts anyway."

Harry was about to point out that their attack on Voldemort's space station would be considered a tall tale worthy of _The Quibbler_, but it was true nonetheless. Before Harry could voice his thoughts, Ginny nudged Hermione with her elbow and whispered, through gritted teeth, "Ask her."

"I'm not asking her, YOU ask her," Hermione hissed back.

"Excuse me, but...ask me what?" inquired Samus, confused.

Hermione looked at Samus with an expression of pure anxiety. "Fleur wanted us to ask you if...you wanted to be a bridesmaid at her wedding," she finally said.

Samus stared back at her with a vacant expression, clearly not understanding what she was being offered. Fleur then spoke up. "Yes, Samus! You are a good friend of 'Arry's and Bill's entire family, so I believe you deserved to be offered the chance! I truly think that you, Gabrielle and Ginny would make a perfect trio of bridesmaids! And Ron and Ginny say a truly beautiful woman lies underneath all that armor, so..."

Samus stared over at Fleur, still wearing that same blank expression. At length, she finally said, "Well, I don't think I can answer that until someone tells me exactly what it is a bridesmaid does."

Maybe he was really as unimaginative as Snape always insisted, because for the life of him, Harry found it impossible to mentally picture Samus in a lacy, frilly bridal dress. Or any feminine clothing for that matter. And Harry had a hunch that if anyone went ahead and told Samus what a bridesmaid was supposed to do...he didn't want to imagine her reaction either.

Thankfully, a loud knock on the door interrupted the whole conversation. Ron ran over the door, wand drawn, and softly demanded to know who it was. Harry couldn't hear the reply, but obviously Ron was satisfied with their answer and promptly opened the door. Professor Minerva McGonagall stepped into the kitchen, carrying a large stack of books under her arms. Following close behind was Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody.

"Good morning, Mr. Weasley," said McGonagall politely as she looked around. Her eyes instantly fell upon Samus, who stood up from the couch. "Samus Aran, it's really you! I could hardly believe it when they said you returned! Oh, I don't care if this means we've got another tough battle on our hands, it is still good to see you again!" McGonagall walked over into the living room, with some difficulty thanks to the books. "Ah yes. Here Ms. Granger, these are all the books you requested from the library."

"What're all those books for?" asked Ron, looking at the heavy load of ancient-looking books. Meanwhile, McGonagall had firmly clasped Samus's left hand, then proceeded to embrace her in a hug. Samus, predictably, seemed astonished to be greeted so warmly by someone she once had quite a row with.

"Books about the history of the Wizarding world, mostly. The rest are about things like prophecies and ancient wizarding legends," said Hermione.

"Why do you think we'll need those?" asked Samus, still looking surprised.

"Well, one thing we're certain of is that the Chozo technology mentioned in that message couldn't have come from the future. Voldemort only brought back bits of that space station," explained Hermione. "Plus, we now have these Reformers, who're obviously searching anywhere they can for clues about _something_. The only logical thing to assume is that the Chozo left something here on Earth long ago, and I'm hoping we'll find a clue in these books that'll lead us to whatever it is...before the Reformers find it."

"Wow, you're even one step ahead of me," said Samus, sounding impressed. "Now I see how you've helped Harry and Ron all these years."

Harry heard Moody's magical eye whizzing around in its socket, and swore he could feel it fixing upon him for a moment. He looked up to see Moody standing there silently, as if wondering whether or not he should say anything. "Um, Moody, did anyone in the Order find anything out? About this Valhalla Agenda, or Valkyrie, or..."

"Sorry, no such luck, Potter," Moody replied gruffly. "Tonks and Shacklebolt were at it in the Ministry all day yesterday but came up empty-handed. I haven't found out much either. All my old friends and co-workers who're living in quiet retirement...I can't tell if most of them really don't know anything or are under some enchantment, something like a Fidelius Charm to keep them from spilling what they know. A couple did let some juicy tidbits slip though, and from what I can guess, whatever this 'Valhalla Agenda' was, it was scrapped because the chief Auror behind it suddenly went rogue. But I do have something for you, Potter. I stopped by our old headquarters for a few things, and yesterday, while clearing out the rest of the stuff, Lupin found a bunch of old photos I think you'd want."

"Oh, oh that's OK, Moody," said Harry quickly, remembering the depressing photograph of the original Order of the Phoenix. "I don't think I..."

"Oh, but I think you do, Potter," growled Moody, reaching into his coat pocket. "Unless Lupin and I are mistaken, these pictures were snapped by your mother. So as far as anyone's concerned, they're yours." Harry wasn't particularly anxious to look at the pictures, but out of politeness, Harry took them from Moody. He both heard and felt Hermione and Ron come up behind him to have a look as well.

The first one didn't have his mother in it at all. Instead, he saw his father and Sirius Black, back when they were in Hogwarts, even younger than when he had seen them in Snape's memories. They were seated at the Gryffindor table for a meal, and whoever had taken the picture must have been sitting across from them. On the bottom of the photo were the words 'M.M. Strikes Again'.

_Who's M.M.?_ Harry briefly wondered. But then he saw none other than Moaning Myrtle rise up behind James and Sirius. Perhaps taking pointers from Peeves, she grabbed the two of them by the hair and shoved their faces into their dinner plates. When they rose, there were mashed potatoes and rice covering their faces. Myrtle let out a grating laugh not unlike Peeves's, then floated away.

"Oh, I get it. M.M. stands for Moaning Myrtle," said Ron.

"Or it could be Myrtle's initials," said Hermione. "I did some research after the Chamber of Secrets incident, and I found out her family name was 'Maxwell'."

Harry wasn't really paying attention to them, however, focusing instead on the photograph. He remembered that his mother seemed hostile to his father in Snape's memory, and now it was clear it may have been that way during their early years at Hogwarts. Lily must have coaxed Myrtle Maxwell into pulling that prank while she snapped a photo.

Shrugging his shoulders, Harry flipped through more photos. They were mostly pictures taken during his mother's time at Hogwarts. But one face kept showing up in almost all the photos: there was an Asian girl that sort of reminded Harry of Cho Chang, who seemed to be a good friend of Lily's.

As Harry looked through the photos, he caught bits and pieces of a conversation between McGonagall and Samus. "Don't worry, Samus. Your alien companions seem right at home with Hagrid, and I can tell he's delighted to have their company. I do believe he won't hold a grudge against you after this," said McGonagall. "But he told me he's found it awkward not knowing their names. Did you not tell Hagrid what their names were?"

There was an awkward pause. "I...never thought to give them names," said Samus weakly.

"Hmmm, then perhaps Hagrid will end up doing so for you," suggested McGonagall.

Eventually, Harry came to what was clearly a Muggle photograph for two obvious reasons. First, the people in the picture did not move. Secondly, the brown-haired girl in the photograph was much younger than eleven, well before Lily discovered she was a witch. The Lily Potter in the photograph couldn't have been any older than five, and was wearing a pink bathing suit while floating on an inner tube in a pool. And swimming nearby was a slightly older-looking, blond-haired girl. Both girls had been looking at the camera, smiling happily, obviously enjoying the good times...

"Hmm, must've been your mother as a little girl," said Ron, stating the obvious.

"Then...the other girl must be..." Hermione began.

"Aunt Petunia," Harry finished flatly. Still, the photograph intrigued him for some reason. Was there ever a time Petunia didn't resent her sister? From the picture, the two seemed close when they were very young.

As Harry pondered this, he noticed something written on the bottom of the photograph:

'One day, I will bridge the divide between you two'. But the handwriting was different from the handwriting on the photo with Myrtle. Who could have written that, and what did he or she mean by 'bridge the divide'?

Harry kept cycling through the photographs, until he finally came to the last one, which almost made him gasp. Albus Dumbledore stood proudly at the center, less haggard and aged than he remembered him. For a moment, Harry stared blankly at the smiling image of the headmaster he saw murdered while being forced to stand by helplessly.

Dumbledore was not the only person in the photo. Standing in front and slightly to his right was his mother in full Hogwarts uniform, probably in her second or third year. To Dumbledore's left was a young boy with long black hair, and directly in front of him was that Asian girl from the other photos, looking no older than Lily did in this one. "Who is that girl who keeps showing up in these photos?" Harry wondered aloud.

"Say what, Potter?" muttered Moody. Harry heard the clanking of his pegged leg as he walked over for a good look. "Oh! That was your mother's best friend."

"My mother's best friend?" Harry repeated.

"Oh yeah, everyone remembers her," said Moody. "Was quite the sensation in her time at Hogwarts, then was a member of the original Order of the Phoenix. Didn't I point her out in that other photo? Can't seem to remember..."

"Who are we talking about, Alastor?" asked McGonagall, who leaned over Harry's shoulder. "Oh, I see. Your old protege, Valencia Asara."

"Valencia Asara? Who was she?" asked Harry, curious about who was supposed to be his mother's best friend.

"Perhaps the most brilliant student I ever taught," said McGonagall. "Your mother was one of the brightest girls ever sorted into my house, and Ms. Granger has reminded me so much of her over the last six years. But here's another contender for the title of my brightest student."

"Really?" asked Hermione, sounding as if she felt she was being admonished.

"Oh absolutely. Though she seemed to struggle in her first year, she adapted to life at Hogwarts quickly after that," said McGonagall. "It was no surprise that she was sorted into Ravenclaw. Though I remember a conversation I had with the Sorting Hat in the headmaster's office one time, saying that she was almost sorted into Slytherin. The reason given was that, and I quote: 'Asara is too sneaky for her own good.'"

"But I find it no surprise that Val was ultimately put in Ravenclaw, since she was, in all likelihood, a Muggle-born," said Moody.

"What makes you figure that?" asked Ron.

"It was easy to tell. She was just too knowledgeable about the Muggle world, for one thing," said McGonagall. "I remember I was having a conversation in the hall with Gloria Walazia one time, who taught Muggle Studies back then, about the discovery of DNA by Muggles. Then little Asara comes up, overhears us, and starts explaining to us about how DNA replicates itself, repairs itself, how it was 'transcribed' into another form called RNA...things that I'm sure even Muggle professors and scholars couldn't describe in such detail! Needless to say, both of us were astounded!"

"Val never really told any of us about her life before Hogwarts, though," said Moody. "All we really know is that she was adopted by the Asaras shortly before her first year. The Asaras were an old and respected wizarding family. Pure-blooded, went back a long way, but nothing like say, the Malfoys. They never bought into all that pure-blood mania, and shunned the Dark Arts entirely. Close friends with Dumbledore, too. But one thing we all know for sure about Val's past was that she wasn't born anywhere in Britain."

"How d'you figure that?" asked Harry.

"Because seven years of magical education at Hogwarts couldn't rid her of the most obnoxious American accent any of us have ever heard," said Moody dryly. "At any rate, it's true that she was your mother's closest friend at Hogwarts. The two of them were inseparable, and did everything together. Think of her as what Sirius was to your father; together, they could do anything. But in hindsight, there was one dumb mistake: who she ended up snogging."

Harry had a feeling he wouldn't like the answer. "Uh, who?"

"Take a closer look at the boy on the right," said McGonagall sourly.

Harry did just that. The boy on Dumbledore's left was smiling at the camera, but it looked extremely forced. As Harry examined the photograph again, he saw the boy's black eyes staring back at him from under a canopy of long, greasy hair...

"SEVERUS SNAPE?" exclaimed Harry, not believing that any girl could have possibly desired the greasy-haired, unpleasant-looking boy that grew up to be a traitorous Death Eater.

"You got it," grumbled Moody. "From what I hear, it happened near the end of their fifth year. Believe it or not, your mother and Snape used to be old friends, but by then Lily could see what Snape would eventually become. Val didn't give up on him, though. Thought she could keep him from going down the wrong path. Unfortunately, it didn't work..."

"Ms. Asara was very always nonjudgmental. She could always get along with just about anyone," said McGonagall. "I even remember seeing Asara accepting tutoring lessons from Lucius Malfoy's wife in her first year; no doubt Narcissa never suspected that a respected family like the Asaras adopted a Muggle-born. But despite how sociable and open she was, I always suspected there was a part of her she kept hidden, some deep pain that made her feel alienated. Much like Ms. Aran during her time at Hogwarts, I suppose. And I suppose it was this that drew her to someone like Snape in the first place."

"And the attraction still lingered, even after Val became an Auror," added Moody. "She was quick to trust Snape after he supposedly switched sides."

"Wow, she was an Auror?" asked Harry, impressed enough to forget Valencia Asara ever fooled around with Snape.

"No one ever got through basic training and out on the field quicker than she did," said Moody. "I still remember the day she made her career choice, begging and pleading for me to get her in. The Asara Mansion had been razed to the ground, the Dark Mark lingering overhead, everyone in the family dead...no doubt because they refused to join You-Know-Who. And after that, Val was a different person."

"How so?" asked Ron, but Harry had a feeling he knew the answer.

"From that point forward, Ms. Asara was singlemindedly devoted to hunting Dark wizards," answered McGonagall. "She also joined the Order, but her obsessive rage often brought her into conflict with the rest of us. She always kept telling us it wasn't our job to stand for ideas or morals, that it was simply our duty to hunt down as many Dark wizards as we could. Lily and Dumbledore were the only ones she ever listened to..."

"This woman sounds like my kind of witch," said Samus, turning from a conversation she was having with Fleur. Harry wondered if Samus was looking for an excuse to get away from the subject of weddings and bridesmaids.

"You don't know the half of it, Aran. They said I filled half the cells in Azkaban, but Val probably filled the other half. I was called 'Mad-Eye' well before I got this," said Moody, pointing at his magical eye. "But Val had her own nickname as well: Asara the Avenging Angel. But how she got that name..."

Harry noticed the look of regret on Moody's face. "What...did she kill?"

Moody shook his head. "No. Like me, she brought them in alive when possible. But she loved to torture her targets before bringing them in. No, not with Unforgivable Curses. She loved to humiliate Death Eaters by disarming them, then beating them into submission with bare fists. I don't think even Muggles can fight hand-to-hand like she did. And one time I asked why she at least brought them in alive, and to my dismay, it wasn't because of the example I set. She told me that death was too swift a punishment for You-Know-Who's followers. She relished the thought of throwing them to the dementors."

Just then, Harry realized Moody and McGonagall had been talking of Valencia Asara in the past tense. "But she's...dead now, isn't she?"

"Afraid so, Potter. Happened about a week before You-Know-Who got to your family," replied Moody heavily. "Val was determined to keep him from finding your parents, and convinced the Auror department to help set a trap for him, planning to bait him with false information. Unfortunately, it all fell apart. All the other Aurors got killed, I was incapacitated and flung into a corner, and Val was forced to take him on alone. And she performed beautifully, but at one point You-Know-Who blew her left arm off, and the whole place caved in shortly after that. The arm landed near me, and I was forced to flee, couldn't reach Val in time. Took the arm with me, to have something to bury..."

As Harry listened to Moody's tragic tale, understanding his grief over the fallen Auror. But as he thought about his story, something in his mind clicked...

"Moody, did you say that her left arm was blown clean off? That would mean it couldn't be regrown, right?" asked Harry, a theory forming in his mind.

"Uh, of course," replied Moody, not sure what Harry was getting at.

"And you said she was called the 'Avenging Angel', right?" continued Harry.

"Uh, that's right," said Moody.

Harry whirled around to look at Samus. "Samus, I think we've just found who the message referred to," he told her. Samus's face immediately brightened, obviously hopeful. "The message talked about a 'one-armed fallen angel', and who else could it be but..."

"Potter, weren't you listening?" barked Moody. "I saw that whole three-story Muggle building crumble right on top of her, and You-Know-Who and I barely got out of there alive! All that was left of her that was intact was..."

"Her arm," finished Samus. "But everyone assumed Peter Pettigrew was dead after finding only his finger, correct?"

"But this was different, Samus. The body was later recovered and identified," said McGonagall heavily. "I am sorry, but there is no doubt that Valencia Asara was killed in action sixteen years ago. And let me reassure you two that she loathed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named with every fiber of her being! She volunteered to lead a team of Aurors with Moody to trap him! She would _**NEVER**_ willingly join forces with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!" she finished with a biting vehemence.

Harry's heart sank. It looked as if he and Samus had finally come upon a vital clue, only to have their hopes dashed. As Moody and McGonagall walked away, Samus whispered to Harry, "I'm not convinced. If I've learned anything about your world, it's to take nothing at face value. This could be Peter Pettigrew all over again..."

As Harry stared down at his mother's photograph, at the young Asian girl who would one day become a ruthless, dutiful Auror, Harry couldn't help but wonder. Wormtail had been a good friend of his father's, but ultimately betrayed him. Was it the same story with this Valencia Asara?

As Harry was thinking, Samus spoke up again. "Oh, and Harry, one question: What's an 'angel'?"

xxxxxx

**June 13, 1997 - 12:20 PM going by Western European Time**

**somewhere in Inferno**

Lucius Malfoy was no stranger to the ocean. In his time as a Death Eater, many tasks required him to lurk underwater for hours, hiding underneath Muggle docks and ports. It was the type of assignment he enjoyed. The seas always had a tranquil, subtle beauty that the Muggles, with their hideous machines and pollutants, could never truly destroy.

The view of the ocean outside the window Lucius was pressed against had no such beauty.

Wherever they were, wherever this Inferno was (a blindfold had materialized over his eyes shortly after the Razor Knight descended under the waves), it was so deep that no sunlight reached the bottom. The only light source was from his window and certain fixtures right outside the wall. All he could make out were these long, white tubelike worms attached to the ocean floor. And all around, Lucius could see explosive bursts of gas and heat rising from cracks. The wall was soundproofed, but Lucius could imagine what it would sound like, like the gurgling and frothing of some volatile potion brewing in a cauldron...

The sight was horrifyingly alien to Lucius, and coupled with the strange company that had dragged him here, it was enough to keep him on edge. If he could choose one word to describe the scenery outside his window, it would be 'hellish'.

"Oh, when will they come back and release us?" cried Rodolphus, who Lucius heard pacing around their room. "They threw the three of us in here, then a few hours ago they come back and drag Rookwood off somewhere..."

Lucius turned from the window to look around their room again. _At least this can't be considered a cell,_ Lucius thought. _Whoever the people of Inferno are, delving into the backward methods of the Muggles obviously has not dulled their skill with enchantments._ When the Reformers had thrown them into this 'guest room' over a day ago, it had been nothing but a bare room with cold, grey metal walls. But the instant the three of them stepped inside, it had shifted into a room that looked as if it was from his manor. A wooden bookcase lined with ancient books lined one wall, and light was provided by wall sconches shaped like serpent heads. It was as if the room sensed what would seem most comforting, and shifted itself to meet their needs. Even the door had changed from a sliding steel door to a heavy, oak double door.

And Lucius heard the double door swing open. Turning on the spot, he saw the four Reformers standing there, only now Wildflower and Faction had changed out of their prison garb. Wildflower now wore an elaborate dress covered with floral patterns, but also had the insignia of Inferno on her left shoulder. Faction wore a red, sleeveless vest, black pants and black boots that Lucius guessed were all made of dragon hide, but he only bore the insignia on his tattooed shoulders. Ped and Tesla, however, wore the same outfits. Ped looked sour and sulky, while Tesla looked cheery and energetic.

And with them, standing in front of Wildflower, was Rookwood, looking weary, exhausted, and incredibly anxious. With a nudge from Wildflower's staff, Rookwood stumbled into their room. Rodolphus immediately approached the Reformers. "What have you done to him?" he demanded.

Wildflower fixed an icy gaze upon Rodolphus. "We merely extracted the information we needed. Luckily for your friend, we need not resort to the Cruciatus Curse or painfully intrusive Legilimancy to get what we want. Still, it would have been much easier if Augustus cooperated from the beginning. It would have spared him hours of unnecessary...discomfort," said Wildflower coolly.

"At any rate, now that crater-face here has delivered the goods, we can get on with it!" squealed Tesla.

"Indeed. Rodolphus, you obviously don't realize that the information Rookwood gave us will also be to your lord's benefit," said Wildflower. "As the doctor suspected, to achieve our ultimate goal, we must enlist the help of Lord Voldemort. And the doctor rewards exemplary service. So in time, the seven of us will join the doctor, then set out to find your master to make our proposal."

"So don't worry, Lestrange. You'll be back on your knees, sucking away at your master's pet snake, soon enough," Tesla added.

Once upon a time, Lucius would have been shocked to hear anyone speak of the Dark Lord as just another hired hand to recruit. But after the breakout from Azkaban, he knew these people had good reason to sound so confident.

All of a sudden, Ped seemed to falter, clutching her stomach tightly. Faction immediately grabbed her shoulders. "Are you unwell?" he asked simply.

"I'm fine, Kago," said Ped wanly. "You did a good enough job healing me back in Hawaii. Don't worry about me."

Lucius didn't know why he felt so concerned, but regardless, he asked, "What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing to worry yourself over, Malfoy," said Wildflower aloofly. "Ped was merely shot in the stomach. A single Muggle managed to fire off a single shot."

"And you wouldn't BELIEVE who it was!" cried Tesla. "Remember your son's old classmate, Hermione Granger? Of all the bases out there, we pick the one her uncle was stationed at! What're the odds?" Lucius didn't know why, but he suddenly felt sorry for Granger's unlucky uncle.

"Yes, an unexpected acquisition," said Wildflower. "That was why we hurriedly dropped you three off here. We had another task that needed our urgent attention. A shame for all of you that we couldn't bring you along, really. If you could be trusted to not try to escape, and not kill any Muggles unnecessarily, it would have been a venture you three would have surely relished," she added silkily.

"You cannot fool me!" shouted Rodolphus, walking up to Wildflower. "You nonchalantly talk of abducting that wretched Mudblood's uncle, raiding the Muggle soldiers' bases...but you will never convince the Dark Lord you are like-minded equals! Especially YOU!" Wildflower leered at Rodolphus curiously, amused by his blustering display. "Oh yes, I know just who you are...ISOBEL! A French vampiress with an air of aristocratic refinement, ancient enough to master the art of staff-wielding...oh yes, I know the legends built around you. And I know that at one time, you detested the Muggles that scuttle over this Earth like cockroaches!"

For a moment, Wildflower's blood-red eyes stared back into Rodolphus's, her expression unreadable. At length, she said, "All you say is true. I am the one spoken of in those legends. And once, I valued the purity of blood as zealously as you do. But after being cursed with the taint of the vampire, and I had to rely on the blood of others, I came to realize how insignificant the heritage of one's blood truly is." Wildflower finished with a tone that let them all know she would not tolerate hearing of this further.

"Anyway, once the doc gives the word, the seven of us are outta here," Tesla said to Rodolphus. "Personally, I can't wait to see how your boss and your wife react to us. Not to mention Lucius's son is really cute..."

"Oh please, you know that's a road to nowhere," said Ped.

"What, is it the whole Mudblood thing?" Tesla asked innocently, as if her blood status was some quaint, insignificant detail.

"That, and the fact that your age is quadruple that of Draco's," said Ped with a sly grin. Tesla's only reply was making a pouty face. "At any rate, while we're waiting for the green light, we need to borrow Lucius for a moment."

Lucius had been wondering how such a young-looking girl could be more than 68 years old, but the mention of his name snapped him to attention. "Me? What for?" he demanded, at once apprehensive.

"The doctor is out on a reconnaissance mission, but has recently left a private message," said Wildflower. "You may not remember the doctor, but the doctor certainly remembers you. So come. I was told it was an urgent matter...for you." Again, she finished with a tone of voice that let him know that crossing her would be a bad idea.

Lucius cast a nervous glance back at Rodolphus, but the fellow Death Eater merely stared back with a stony, obdurate expression. Sighing, Lucius walked toward the Reformers, wondering just what the message could be...and who left it for him.

"Oh, and as a gesture of good faith, I was told to return this to you," said Wildflower. With that, she reached behind her back and produced his walking stick, which had his serpent-head wand nestled inside. No doubt Tesla had nicked it when she stole back Wildflower's staff and Faction's gauntlets.

"Er, thanks," Lucius said timidly, taking his stick. He briefly considered waiting for the right opportunity to fight back, but quickly remembered that he was in unfamiliar territory...miles underneath the ocean's surface. After what he saw, he doubted he could ever match any one of the Reformers, let alone their combined might. Seeing no other choice, Lucius obediently followed the Reformers...toward an uncertain fate.

xxxxxx

**June 13, 1997 - 7:28 PM Western European Time**

**the grounds outside Hogwarts**

The red glow of the sunset spread out all across the expansive grounds of Hogwarts, creating a truly impressive, serene sight. Which did little to lift the spirits of the one who marched across, alone, clad in a black, hooded robe. The figure continued on, heading straight for the headstone marking where Albus Dumbledore, the last headmaster of Hogwarts, was buried, and only stopped a few feet in front of it.

"Hopefully our old friend will be too busy looking after his new extraterrestrial friends to bother us, Albus," came a voice from under the hood, which had a soft, feminine quality. "This is something I've been meaning to do for a while, but with all my responsibilities..."

Her voice trailed off, as if she had no idea how to continue. "I blame myself for it coming to this. You know me, always having to plan for every little step, micromanaging every little detail. I can't help but wonder that if I acted sooner, we could have avoided this. You obviously felt the need to go this far, driven to take matters into your own hands...I so wanted you to live to see what was coming..."

She stopped again, but quickly continued. "You taught me the things I needed most in life, all that was truly worth knowing. You were more than a teacher...you were the closest thing to a father I ever had. And I just hope that, wherever you are now, wherever you're watching me from, you'll understand that everything I've done so far, I've done to honor what you taught me. And I just hope you can forgive me...for what it is that I'm about to do."

The woman had evidently finished, for she then pulled a bundle of roses from her robes with her left hand. She started to kneel so she could gently set it over Dumbledore's grave, but suddenly, she yelped in surprise, causing her to drop the roses instead.

"Oh that's just great," she muttered dejectedly, her left arm still outstretched. She pulled back her sleeve...to reveal the Dark Mark burning on her forearm. "Well, Albus, it looks like I must be going. My _master_ awaits," she finished with a sneer.

With that, she turned and walked back the way she came. Before she was beyond the range of Hogwarts's enchantments and able to Apparate, however, a stiff summer breeze blew back her hood...to reveal the face of Francesca Doropoia. And her expression was one of absolute certainty, adamant about seeing her plans through to the end...

**June 13, 1997 - 8:03 PM Western European Time**

**Malfoy Manor**

Voldemort paced impatiently around the drawing room of the Malfoy family's manor, where almost all of his Death Eaters had been summoned. They all stood as still as statues, except for Draco Malfoy, who quivered whenever he drew near. The boy's timidity was beginning to grate on his nerves, but at the moment he could not dwell on that. There were greater matters to attend to.

He finally stopped in front of Alecto Carrow, who, after a moment's hesitation, forced herself to look into her master's eyes. "It's been over two days since your team was charged with finding the whereabouts of Harry Potter and his Muggle friend," he said coldly, taking note of the beads of nervous sweat forming on her brow. "You mean to tell me that the lot of you have yet to come across a single lead?"

"N-Not yet, My Lord," said Alecto in a voice that was almost a whisper. "We've been trying our hardest, w-we scoured a good chunk of Britain on broomsticks, hoping to dispel what keeps her ship Disillusioned, but..."

"Samus Aran does not use Disillusioning Charms to conceal her ship, you fool!" roared Voldemort, making Alecto jump back at once. "It is nothing but machines that she uses! Muggle technology, no match for our Dark magic! It disgusts me to think all my Death Eaters are being outwitted by a single Muggle! This woman fancies herself a hunter, but it is she who should find herself your prey!"

No one said anything. They were all rooted to the spot, their tongues held in check by their fear of their master's wrath. Only Severus Snape seemed unfazed, watching him intently as he strode around the drawing room.

Finally, Voldemort continued. "At first I was content to let Bellatrix's team handle the hunt for Potter and Aran, but I have swiftly lost all my patience. Now, I will lead this endeavor myself. That is why I have summoned nearly every single Death Eater tonight. All of us will begin scouring every square inch of England, of the entire globe, until we find these two and I finally rid myself of these petty nuisances once and for all!"

The echo of Voldemort's booming voice seemed to linger throughout the manor for some time, but as it died away, another sound could be heard...

Laughter. Soft, jovial laughter.

The other Death Eaters looked around, no doubt wondering who would dare laugh in Voldemort's presence like that. His already flaming temper aroused even further, Voldemort tried to pinpoint its source. He realized it was coming from the main door leading to the hallway an instant before it flew open.

Francesca Doropoia sauntered into the room, still chuckling to herself. Her eyes immediately locked onto Voldemort's, and she slowly strode through the crowd of Death Eaters toward him. They all let her pass, not sure what to expect. "Heh heh heh heh heh, and some people say _I'M_ a slow learner," said Doropoia. "After making so many egregious screw-ups, Voldemort, one would think you'd gain a little wisdom."

"Wha-What is the meaning of this, Doropoia?" demanded Voldemort. "First you arrive late, and now..."

"It's quite embarrassing, actually. You're supposed to be one of the cleverest wizards of our time, and yet you keep letting Harry Potter get the better of you," said Doropoia, as if Voldemort had said nothing. She began to slowly circle Voldemort as she spoke. "You keep trying to convince yourself that he merely got lucky, but that excuse rings hollow when one considers that EVERY TIME you've clashed, Harry Potter has found a way to beat you, humble you, humiliate you! And when he's not owning your sorry, pasty ass, he's busy doing stuff like fighting off your Death Eaters, warding off dozens of dementors, slaughtering your ancestor's basilisk with only a sword, and even teaching others his age how to fight back against your forces."

Voldemort glared at Doropoia as she circled him, trying to decide on a punishment horrendous enough for such impertinence. "And now, another intriguing factor has entered the equation: Samus Aran, the time-travelling bounty hunter who also handed you a humiliating defeat. You try to pump yourself up in front of your Death Eaters, but you know full well how dangerous she truly is. The ass-kicking she handed your Death Eaters the other day should've driven that point home.

"And lastly, you know that when working as a team, Harry Potter and Samus Aran are a near unstoppable force that you had no hope of beating. Do you really think your Death Eaters can eliminate them head-on, after those two wrecked your pet science project in a matter of hours? And this time, Potter's two friends will probably get in on the action, which will mean more trouble for you, especially when it comes to Hermione Granger. Say what you will about us so-called Mudbloods, but you know that that girl has more IQ points than this entire lot of Death Eaters put together! Let's face it, most of your followers, if I converted what functional grey matter they had into crude...there wouldn't be enough to power an ant's go-kart around the inside of a Froot Loop!"

At this point, the only thing that had kept Doropoia from becoming a messy blotch on the manor's carpet was Voldemort's shock over hearing her recount the fiasco with the X parasites. _How does she know!?_ he wondered, his eyes wide as he watched Doropoia slowly circle him. _I __**MUST**__ find out how she knows! A couple Cruciatus Curses and a little Legilimancy should be all I need to..._

Voldemort's musings were interrupted when Bellatrix, no longer able to keep silent, exploded with volcanic fury. "Who, what in...how DARE YOU! How DARE YOU speak of us as...as inferior to that piece of Mudblood filth that clings to Potter! How DARE YOU mock the Dark Lord like that! Af-After finally earning the honor of bearing the Dark Mark, you dare to...WHO DO THINK YOU ARE, FRANCESCA DOROPOIA!?"

Doropoia turned to Bellatrix. "See, I was right about how thick you people are," she said calmly to Bellatrix, who was still fuming. "Isn't it obvious? I am not Francesca Doropoia at all. Upon learning that she would soon be branded with the Dark Mark, and seeing that her height and mass were close to mine, I seized the opportunity. I took her place, got branded with the mark in her stead. Unfortunately, she wouldn't let herself be taken alive, but it was an opportunity I could not pass up. I have always loved field research, and always believed the best way to study a subject is up close and personal. In this case, the object of study was your master."

"You dare...YOU DARE SPEAK OF THE DARK LORD AS IF HE IS SOME ANIMAL IN A ZOO!?" bellowed Bellatrix, looking about ready to blast Doropoia away.

Doropoia didn't even reply to her, turning back to Voldemort instead. "Riddle, you should really keep your psycho-bitch on her short leash, or I may be forced to do it for you," she said with a roll of her eyes.

_She dares use my Muggle name!_ _And she dares speak of me as if I am some specimen to be researched! _Voldemort thought furiously. He then saw Bellatrix reach for her wand, but Voldemort held up a hand, signaling her to stand down. Some instinct was telling him that whoever this impostor was, she wouldn't be an easy conquest if she dared expose herself like this.

"Thank you, Riddle," said Doropoia calmly. "No doubt you're wondering why I'd reveal myself so soon. Well, I'm afraid I've become frustrated with your glacial pace. Salazar Slytherin's journal pages, which I planted here in this manor...I hoped they would entice you, that the lure of discovering more about the founders of Hogwarts would make you curious enough...

"But instead, you want to storm out on a wild goose chase after Harry Potter and Samus Aran, the two who've routinely beaten you and will do so the next time if you're not ready! Can't you see, Riddle? The key to all your problems could be what your ancestor was a part of, what he left behind! You know what that journal alluded to, the alien race that made Samus Aran what she is! The secret to undoing her could be yours! The journal told of vast wonders developed by the combined knowledge of the Chozo and the founders...things that could be ours for the taking! As for myself, I'm willing to swallow my pride and work with you to have a shot at it!"

Voldemort considered his words carefully as he stared down the impostor looking fearlessly back at him. Here was a very ambitious woman, thinking she could defy him in front of his Death Eaters and still enlist his help. But what she said had merit. There was no telling what fantastic magic his ancestor developed with the other three founders, working with the Chozo.

He tried using Legilimancy to peer into her thoughts. He instantly realized she was an accomplished Occlumens, but even she could not completely keep him out. All he got were bits and pieces of memories, but one powerful image seem to stand out: parts of a sprawling city with massive, metal towers...a city that seemed to be beneath the water! But this image...it was connected to a deep feeling of love held by this woman, and soon, just as when Harry Potter had recalled the image of his godfather, he was forced to break eye contact.

Voldemort heard her chuckle arrogantly to herself, obviously aware of his botched attempt. At last, he spoke. "And you think you can just come here, after killing and impersonating my servant and defying me in front of my followers? Are you truly that confident of your abilities, that somehow your standing is equal that of mine?"

The woman impersonating Doropoia said nothing. She merely smiled back at Voldemort, a teasing, sadistic grin that made him scowl involuntarily. So focused was he on her face, that he didn't notice her curling her left hand into a fist...until about a second before she planted it squarely between his eyes.

A crushing pain in Voldemort's face overwhelmed him, almost dulling him to the sensation of flying back across the drawing room. He only stopped when his back collided with a piano. Loud notes reverberated throughout the manor as he struggled to get back up, but over the noise, he heard the impostor gloat. "That answer your question, snake-eyes?" As he tried to decide the best way to torture this impostor for her unmitigated arrogance, he heard her say something else to Bellatrix. "Going for your wand again, Bella? Not a good idea. I can bridge the distance between us and snap your neck before you can say 'Weasley Is Our King'. You always were a hothead, and it may cost you one day..."

At this point, Voldemort had gotten back up, and the haze from the gnawing was clearing. He saw Bellatrix standing a few feet from the impostor, glaring at her with murderous intent. "Y-You...w-whatever you are, you're a fool if you think the Dark Lord will let this outrage go unanswered! You still bear the Dark Mark, and through it, he can inflict unthinkable..."

"Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me!" cried Doropoia in a carefree voice. "I won't be needing this mark anymore, so might as well remove it now."

"What lunacy is this, woman!" sneered Voldemort. "Anyone who is branded with my mark with bear it until his or her dying day! It is impossible to remove with magic!"

Doropoia just flashed another insufferably self-assured grin. "Who said anything about magic?" she asked coyly. "I know that if I want it gone, it'll have to be removed physically. Just...just give me a minute here, people," she pleaded, holding up a hand. And with that, she pulled off her robes, leaving her in a short-sleeved blouse and skirt. Then she stuck her wand in her mouth and bit down.

At first, Voldemort was going to attack after she foolishly left herself defenseless. But he hesitated when she grasped her left forearm with outstretched fingers, her nails digging into the area around her Dark Mark. A second later, she drew blood. She bit down on her wand even harder, and let out a hiss as her nails dug deeper. Many Death Eaters let out astonished gasps as she began to pull her skin clean off her arm, letting out muffled screams as she did so. Even Voldemort was shocked into silence, taken aback by this display of self-mutilation.

On and on it went, with the impostor ripping more and more skin off her left arm as her screams echoed throughout the mansion. None of his Death Eaters moved. Even Bellatrix looked on in shock as the impostor tore her skin off her entire left arm.

But Voldemort realized something was very wrong. The white of her bones, the muscles of her arm...he could make out none of that. As he peered closer for a better look, he blinked in surprise...he could not have seen the faint glint of metal! But at long last, Doropoia's impersonator had ripped all her skin off, and there could be no doubt that she had had living skin grown over some sort of metal arm. It was still covered in globs of coagulated blood, though, and he could not make out its finer details.

Her gruesome task finished, she took her wand out of her mouth and, with a few waves, incinerated the blood and scraps of discarded skin she left on the carpet. Then she drew her wand across her arm, clearing away all the blood to reveal, not a solid metal limb like Wormtail's silver hand, but some sort of machine! Everything from the impostor's deltoids down was nothing but an elaborate, armored mechanical limb. She raised her arm, flexing her fingers and twirling her wrist, as if to show off how it perfectly mimicked a normal human's arm. It moved gracefully and silently, giving off no clunky, mechanical sounds as she examined her arm, apparently admiring her handiwork.

At last, someone dared to break the awkward silence. Amazingly, it was Draco. "A...a robotic arm?" he asked, his voice betraying profound disbelief.

"The correct term is 'bionic arm', but yes," said the impostor simply.

"And you had it hidden underneath...your own skin? That's not possible!" cried Narcissa.

"Of course it is, Cissy," said the impostor sweetly. "Didn't you ever watch the _Terminator_ movies?" she added with a sly grin.

"It..i-it doesn't matter what sort of Muggle toys you have...NOTHING will help you now! You have no chance against ALL of us!" shrieked Bellatrix, finally finding her voice as well.

For the second time that night, the impostor ignored Bellatrix entirely, turning to the crowd of Death Eaters instead. "You know, I always knew Bella had degraded into a slavish psychopath, but after seeing her up close and personal again, I'm starting to think she's also just a sex-starved powderkeg. No surprise, really. Probably didn't get many opportunities for her husband to bang her in Azkaban. As if a pussy like Rodolphus actually had the equipment anyway..."

The impostor finally drove Bellatrix over the edge. Her face twisted into a hideous snarl, Bellatrix whipped out her wand and cried, "_Crucio!_"

However, the impostor merely swatted the air with her bionic arm, and the curse was knocked back toward Bellatrix, who had no time to react. Her rebounded curse levitated her off the ground for a moment as her surprised scream filled the air, and then she dropped down, sprawled out and breathing heavily.

"You were always quick to use the Cruciatus Curse, Bella. I say it's high time you got a taste of your own medicine," said the impostor. "Oh, by the way, you think I was joking about the leash thing before?"

Voldemort and the other Death Eaters watched as the mechanical parts of her left forearm began to move and shift about. In a blinding flash, the impostor flung her left arm out at the floored Bellatrix, and some sort of lariat lashed out, wrapping itself around Bellatrix's neck like a living tentacle. Bellatrix had one second to stare down at the coils binding her neck before the impostor, with one sharp tug, hurled Bellatrix across the room. She landed painfully on the walkway above. The impostor watched her arm revert to its previous state, not even bothering to look up at Bellatrix's unconscious form.

Another Death Eater was finally spurred into action. Fenrir Greyback charged at the fake Death Eater, his claws outstretched. The impostor had her back turned to the werewolf, but once Greyback was near enough, she whirled around and grabbed him with both hands. She hoisted him up and slammed him down onto the floor, pinning his arms behind his back.

"My feral friend, we really must do something about this anger management problem you have," jeered the impostor . "May I humbly suggest electro-shock therapy?"

Greyback had only a second to let out a grunt of confusion before the impostor planted her left hand over his head. At once he wailed in agony, electricity arcing all over his body. Eventually, the impostor let go and Greyback slumped to the floor. A horrible burning smell filled the air as steam rose from the werewolf's body.

Voldemort had had enough of this arrogant, troublemaking upstart. He pointed his wand at the impostor, but once again, one of his Death Eaters acted first. To his utter amazement, it was Wormtail, who flung his right arm out. His outstretched silver hand rocketed toward the impostor, but she spun around and caught it with her mechanical hand.

"Hmm, so this was your reward for selling out the Potters, eh Pettigrew?" she asked airily. "A fine example of your boss's magical talent, but not all that practical when compared to mine. No hydraulics, no actuators, not a single charm to increase crushing pressure..." The impostor squeezed her hand tightly, and the silvery metal gushed through her fingers like clay. "No sale," she finished. She tossed the remains of the hand right back at Wormtail, knocking him out cold.

The impostor leaned back and let out a peal of maniacal, ear-splitting laughter that rang in everyone's ears. "People, you have GOT to be shitting me! You're the DEATH EATERS, the most feared band of wizards of our time! And so far, I haven't had to use my wand ONCE!"

His rage boiling over, Voldemort sent out a Killing Curse at the impostor, and likewise, several Death Eaters were finally goaded into attacking as well. Unfortunately, the impostor merely ducked and swerved to evade the curses with inhuman speed, and also deflected any curses she could not avoid with her bionic arm and wand.

The impostor chuckled to herself once more, and gleefully cried, "Now THAT'S more like it!" She then moved with uncanny speed, becoming little more than a blur, appearing less than a second later to the closest Death Eater, who happened to be Yaxley. She knocked Yaxley down by sweeping his legs, then with a wave of her wand, a silvery spider's web appeared over him. She moved again, reappearing next to a pair of Death Eaters close to the heavy double doors. One of them was blasted backwards with a powerful jet of water. He collided with three other Death Eaters before the whole lot slammed into the wall. The other was backhanded by a metal fist, and he flipped over in the air three times before landing with a painful thud.

"I have had ENOUGH!" bellowed Voldemort before firing another Killing Curse at the impostor. But she merely held up her bionic hand, which seemed to harmlessly absorb the curse's power. With a shrill battle cry, she drove her fist into the manor floor, releasing it in the form of an energy wave that radiated along the floor, momentarily paralyzing everyone as it swept past. She used that opportunity to dash across the room, taking out Death Eaters with swift punches and kicks. It was almost as if she flew across the manor. When she neared Snape, she jumped atop him. For a moment, her legs were wrapped around his head, which was firmly pressed against her crotch. Snape struggled for a moment, trying to pry her off, but she spun in midair and then released him, slamming him flat onto the floor.

"Leave it to us, My Lord!" cried Amycus Carrow, who ran past Voldemort with his sister. Voldemort was prevented from attacking with the Carrows standing between him and the impostor as they conjured up Fiendfyre. Fiery serpents slithered through the air toward the impostor, but she twirled her wand arm around, creating some sort of vortex that swallowed up all the Fiendfyre. Meanwhile, she thrust the elbow of her bionic arm behind her, and jets of chemical flame shot out at the Death Eaters behind her, burning some badly.

"Out of my way!" cried Voldemort exasperatedly, shoving the Carrows aside with a wave of his wand. But as he took aim at the impostor, she leaped across the room with a grace that rivaled Samus Aran's. It looked like she meant to land on the piano Voldemort had crashed into. As she neared the piano, she pointed her wand at it, and at once it was transformed into a fully-grown Erumpent.

_That...is not good,_ Voldemort thought dejectedly as the Erumpent charged, with the impostor standing proudly on its back. He dashed aside just in time, and as the Erumpent continued its charge, it fired its explosive horns, which rocked the manor to its foundation and blasted away any Death Eater too close to where the horns detonated. The impostor leaped again and pointed at the Erumpent, which turned into a flurry of oversized bats. The bats flew overhead and emitted high-pitched shrieks, forcing everyone else to cover their ears. As seconds passed, one Death Eater after another slumped to the floor, barely conscious or out cold.

For a moment, the impostor hovered in midair like a ghost among her bats, surveying the carnage below. Then, with a wave of her wand, she Vanished all the bats and slowly descended toward the floor. Upon touching the floor, she calmly walked toward Voldemort. _Now that all the other Death Eaters can't get in the way, I will show this upstart who is truly the master here!_ he thought wickedly, seeing he was only one left standing.

But she now had no intention to continue fighting. "Well Voldemort, do I have your attention now? Are you convinced I'd make a worthy ally now?"

"You think you can still count on my help after such a display?" sneered Voldemort.

"This little show was a risky choice, but a necessary one. You needed to be shown that I neither worship you nor fear you," said the impostor. "If you want me to help you track down what the Chozo left behind and reclaim whatever your ancestor helped create, you need to realize that I cannot be threatened and bullied."

"Just who ARE you, anyway?" demanded Voldemort. It finally occurred to him to ask the most obvious question.

"You disappoint me, Tom Marvolo Riddle," said the impostor, shaking her head. "You were supposed to be the brightest student Hogwarts ever saw in your day. I thought it would be obvious by now. Who would dare use your name so casually? Who knows how to fight with Muggle martial arts? Who would have the brains and the daring to impersonate a newly-inducted Death Eater? And most importantly...who do you know who's missing her entire left arm?"

When she asked that last question, it finally occurred to him. A foggiest recollection came to him, a heated battle with a young Auror audacious enough to try setting a trap for him, cursing her left arm off with Snape's innovative Sectumsempra spell, as Alastor Moody watched helplessly...

"Quite disillusioning, really," said the impostor as he stuck the tip of her wand in her hair. At once, it changed from blond to a silky, raven black, and grew until it reached her ankles. "I'm starting to wonder if you'll really be able to pull this off," she continued as she touched her cheek with her wand. Through the mass of cascading black hair, Voldemort saw the skin around her face bulge out and expand like rising bread dough. He noticed a rippling effect across her legs and arm as well, as if waves of flesh-colored liquid were travelling up to her face. Afterward, her skin had a slightly fairer complexion. With her robotic hand, she reached for her face, and made a motion as if to pull a mask off. A gooey mass of flesh-colored slime dropped to the floor and spread across the carpet, and the impostor's face was finally revealed: the face of a middle-aged woman of Asian descent.

Nearby, Narcissa Malfoy came to, and gasped as she looked into the face hidden behind that mass of flowing black hair. "Val? Val, is that really you?" she asked breathlessly.

"Valencia Asara," came Bellatrix's embittered voice from high above, awakening just in time for the revelation.

"That's one of my many names. Like your master, I have gone by many names," she said airily, never taking her eyes off of Voldemort as he glared back at her with venomous malice. "For a long time, I never even knew the family name of my Muggle birth parents, what I was called before I was orphaned. Then, when adopted by a family of American Muggles, I was named Valerie Prime," she continued. Voldemort's eyes widened at the mention of that name, recalling that one of Samus Aran's greatest enemies was also called 'Prime'. "Then, after I was taken in by the Asaras, I took their name, and changed my first name to Valencia. And later on, I took a page out of your book, Voldemort, and chose a special name for myself: the Valkyrie."


	6. Hearts of Darkness

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 6: Hearts of Darkness

2-14-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

**June 14, 1997 - 8:51 AM Western European Time**

**Spinner's End**

Exhausted and emotionally drained, Severus Snape warily walked up to the door of his house on Spinner's End. The days that followed the fulfillment of his promises to Albus Dumbledore and Narcissa Malfoy had been nerve-wracking. The stress of being a double-agent for over two years was taxing enough, but the last few days had been even more draining. Only now did he realize how much Dumbledore had meant to him, to have someone to confide in and who trusted him completely.

Now he was gone, and the rest of the Order thought him a murderous traitor. Snape was very much alone, forced to carry out Dumbledore's final orders in secret, while Harry Potter went ahead with whatever task the headmaster had left him. He bristled at the notion of the boy being left some important mission, but that wasn't the only thing. Though he knew Harry Potter had to succeed, he dreaded what that would mean. He would eventually have to confront the boy and tell him the truth, and to convince him, to gain his trust, he would have to reveal...everything else.

And just when circumstances could not seem more daunting, Samus Aran mysteriously reappeared. Snape had no doubt it was because she was once again embarking on some bounty hunting mission, but he had no clue what it could be...

Until the lover he thought long dead had abruptly returned after almost sixteen years, alive and well, bringing the Dark Lord tantalizing stories of secrets of the founders of Hogwarts, buried long ago by the Chozo...the alien race that made Samus Aran into a near-unstoppable fighting machine. Snape had no doubt that whatever Samus Aran had traveled back in time for, it had something to do with that. Some secret so grand, she was willing to work with the man who murdered Lily and ordered the death of her family.

So many questions ran through Snape's mind, but the pulsing pain in his head made it impossible to think straight. Wormtail had only regained consciousness about an hour ago, and only moments ago did Snape feel well enough to travel home, though headaches still plagued him. Even so, he tried to focus on the most pressing questions: What could Valencia Asara, now this 'Valkyrie', really be after? And if the Dark Lord accepted her offer, how would it affect Dumbledore's final orders for Harry Potter and himself?

But another question lingered in the back of his mind: Why did Valencia never reveal herself these last sixteen years?

Determined to unravel the mystery after whipping up a potion for his headaches and getting some sleep, Snape flicked his wand and his front door opened. It only opened halfway before coming to a halt. "What's this?" Snape thought aloud as he stepped through. Upon entering, he saw Wormtail's unconscious body obstructing the door.

However, Wormtail was not alone. A strange bird, roughly the size of an owl, had been sniffing and pecking at Wormtail's face. Its feathers were of an odd, purplish-green shade, had claws protruding from its wings and a long, plumish tail that, for some reason, made Snape think of a lizard's tail. When it finally turned to face Snape, he let out a gasp of surprise. Its head also resembled a lizard's, but covered in darker feathers, its 'beak' scaly-looking and baring rows of razor-sharp teeth...

The lizard-bird glared unblinkingly at Snape for a moment, then let out a hideous shriek which only worsened his headache. It then began to flutter around him, cawing.

At last, Snape got over his shock and brought up his wand. But then, a sharp, resounding voice echoed throughout his house. "Ryx! That's enough! Leave Severus alone. After all, he's an old friend of Mommy's." At once, the creature flew off to another part of the house.

Snape stood, rooted to the spot, recognizing the voice instantly. There was no mistaking that American accent. Across the house, standing in front of a table, he saw Valencia Asara, her back turned to him. She was wearing a brown, sleeveless coat that reminded him of the one Nymphadora Tonks sometimes wore. Tumbling down over it were three elaborate braids of raven-black hair, nearly reaching the floor. "Please forgive little Ryx, she gets so overprotective of me sometimes," said Valencia calmly. "And don't worry about Pettigrew. He won't be getting up for quite some time, giving us an opportunity to talk about what's to come."

Snape said nothing, his mind racing as a cold fear gripped at him. Snape remembered how Valencia had come to see Dumbledore as a father figure. Sometimes, it had seemed she revered him the same way Bellatrix Lestrange worshipped the Dark Lord. If she now thought he murdered the headmaster in cold blood...

But when she spoke again, he found that wasn't the case. "Oh Severus, I do hope you'll forgive me for that beating I gave you back there. Had to make it looked like nothing was between us anymore. Our relationship was well-known, and after the hassles of being Albus's double-agent for so long, I didn't want Voldemort putting you in an uncomfortable situation again. Besides, it's not like your face hasn't been buried in that part of my body before." She finished that last sentence with a hearty chuckle, then turned around.

A ridiculously long braid of hair tumbled over each of her shoulders, and her right arm was completely bare. She wore black boots so thick, they seemed to be composed of several layers of armor. They were laced up in the front and nearly came up to her knees, which were covered by thick kneepads. Her pants had varying shades of grey, all arranged in what he believed Muggles called a 'camo' pattern. She wore a black T-shirt that had a giant flaming bird, with wings outstretched and talons bared, emblazoned on the front. And her body...still as slim and muscular as ever. Years of discipline in physical fitness, doing things like one-armed pull-ups on a levitating broom, had ensured she aged gracefully.

Snape took all this in in a second, for after that, something else caught his eye. She was holding her wand, prodding something on the table...her bionic arm, which she had completely removed from her body. "Y-Your a-arm?" Snape spluttered, unable to stop himself.

"Oh yes, Severus. I'm always tinkering with it. You know how much of a perfectionist I am, and it's always easier for me when I take it off completely," said Valencia. She stuck her wand in her mouth, then picked up her bionic arm. Upon picking it up, it flopped around limply, but then she thrust it back into its socket. There was a loud click, followed by a faint buzzing, and it suddenly sprang to life again, moving as fluidly as a normal arm would.

For a moment, Snape's gaze lingered on her bionic arm, finding himself admiring her handiwork. Her arm could not be regrown, so she used her unparalleled intellect to forge a mechanical one instead, which also served as a multi-faceted weapon. Valencia slowly walked toward him, a solemn look in her eyes. As always, she wore no cosmetics whatsoever, but though her face bore many faint battle scars and signs of creeping age, she still had that sharp beauty he remembered. And as he stared, Snape noticed something odd: her eyes were once as black as his, but now they were a violent shade of indigo.

"I've been putting this off for nearly sixteen years, Severus. I know you have many questions for me, so ask away," said Valencia as she strode ever closer. "Oh, but before I forget, there's something I must do first."

With that, she raised her bionic arm, and some sort of thin tube rose out of the forearm. Before he knew it, it shot toward him like a spring-loaded dart. A stinging pain in his shoulder and a quick glance let Snape know it was exactly that, and he could feel some chilling liquid spread out from his shoulder. "What is the meaning of this?" demanded Snape.

"That little potion of mine is for your protection," said Valencia simply.

"Protection?" repeated Snape. "From what?"

"From _me_," said Valencia in an embittered voice. "I'll explain when the time comes. For now, just ask whatever you were about to."

Snape was silent for a moment, carefully considering what he should ask Valencia first. He still could not bring himself to believe that this was actually the woman he once seemed destined to share his life with. Just as he had loved Lily the first time he laid eyes upon her, so had Valencia been drawn to him when they first met in the Great Hall. Even back then, Snape could see what kind of woman she was, someone who would relentlessly pursue what she fervently desired. And after his inexcusable slip of the tongue after their O.W.L. exams, which caused Lily to forsake their friendship, Valencia seized on the opportunity. She never stopped trying to get Lily to reconcile with him, but like a predator seeking to trap its quarry, she sought to finally claim him for herself.

And in time, she succeeded. Ultimately, the prey willingly submitted to the huntress.

Snape shut his eyes as the memories came flooding back: the time they spent together in their final years at Hogwarts, and how despite the joy and comfort she brought him, he foolishly kept going down the same dark path that drove a rift between Lily and himself. Valencia was quick to forgive him when Dumbledore accepted him into the Order of the Phoenix, and for a while, he dared to dream of a life together with her. But their botched attempt to trap the Dark Lord ended that, and Lily's murder a week later led him to believe that he was doomed to suffer in solitude forever. But now...

Snape finally opened his eyes, ready with his first question. "How is it you're still alive? Moody had said the entire office building collapsed on top of you, shortly after your arm was cursed off. A body was recovered and..."

"Oh come now, Severus. You should know I pulled that off," chided Valencia in a singsong voice. "Did we not share all of our invented spells together? Did I not pass onto you almost every bit of magic I ever dreamed up?"

Snape let out a sigh. "All too true," he said softly. He had the feeling that Valencia was intent on playing games with him, as she often did. If so, he would respond accordingly. "Earlier, you sounded convinced that I am still loyal to the Order of the Phoenix. How can you be so sure? You must..."

"Please Severus, you think me that unintuitive?" scoffed Valencia. "Voldemort believed he had a loyal spy in you, planted in Hogwarts. One spy. Singular. Well, all last year, I had _THREE_, the greatest of which _no one _would ever suspect, who could go almost anywhere and listen in on anything. Besides, a couple months before that night Albus passed on, I got a good look at him. I saw what happened to his arm, and knew what it meant. Don't forget, I too can boast of mastering the Dark Arts, thanks to you."

"I most certainly have not forgotten," said Snape evenly. Indeed, it was the one thing that had set Valencia apart. While Lily wanted nothing to do with the Dark Arts, Valencia was willing to learn all she could and convinced Snape to teach her all he knew.

"So I know Albus let you finish him to spare Draco Malfoy from doing it...and I'm glad he did. That was why you went ahead and made that Unbreakable Vow with Cissy," Valencia went on. Then she hung her head low, letting out a sorrowful sigh. "But I can't help but wonder if I had not stayed on the sidelines all these years, things would have turned out differently. For you, me, Albus...not to mention Harry Potter."

Snape's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of that name. As she so often did before, Valencia picked up on his facial cues. "Oh stop that," she said with an admonishing grin. "I know all about the six-year grudge match between you two. Seriously, from what I've seen, he's got far more of his mother in him than his father...luckily for all of us. But again, when I look at Harry, I can't help but wonder about what might have been...

"I successfully faked my death to throw off Voldemort, sure. But still I lapsed into a coma. When I awoke, it was well after Voldemort got to the Potters. Afterwards I was so tempted to take him from his aunt and uncle, raise him myself, but only my trust and respect for Albus kept me from doing that. And then, of course, there's you. Had I revealed myself to you, taken you as well...I still wonder... The two of us, husband and wife, raising The Boy Who Lived as our own son. He's a formidable wizard as is, sure, but think of what we could have forged Lily's son into together!"

Snape doubted he could have lived out the rest of his days with a living reminder of his foolish past. Still, Valencia's notion did intrigue him. Would that have been an ideal way to honor Lily's sacrifice? By raising the boy as his own son? And unlike the Potters, and the various people who helped raise the boy, the two of them were unhindered by a black-and-white view of the world. Valencia went on. "I know it's useless to dwell on might-have-beens, but still...you, me and Harry Potter, and Isobel and Kago... All of us, together as a family, laying the groundwork for the new nation of Inferno."

"Inferno? What is this Inferno?" asked Snape.

Valencia placed a hand over her chest, over the flaming bird. "This is the symbol of Inferno," she said somberly. "It is my refuge at the bottom of the ocean, which I've spent the last sixteen years building and expanding. I gather people like you and me from both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds, people rejected, ridiculed, despised, hated, hunted, callously used and thrown away. I give them a new home, a new purpose, and we work together to bring about our ultimate goal: the Day of Reckoning."

Snape was not sure what this 'Day of Reckoning' was, and at the moment he did not particularly care. His ire was slowly starting to rise as he thought of how, all these years, Valencia had been gathering hundreds or thousands, perhaps even millions, of followers, yet somehow never bothered to tell him she was still alive. After Lily's murder, he could have used her counsel and her love, spared him sixteen years of anguish, but instead she spent all that time building some underwater city.

Snape could not keep himself from scowling at Valencia, and at once after seeing his face, Valencia's cool and composed attitude melted away. She sighed and hung her head low. "I can tell you're bitter about me never telling you," she said heavily. Valencia looked back up and reached out with her hands, grasping the sides of Snape's face. As would be expected, her robotic hand was deathly cold, but her right hand seemed to radiate an unnatural warmth.

"Oh Severus, I never stopped thinking about you. It was you that made my time in Hogwarts so memorable. I was so popular back in our Hogwarts days, but the more friends I had to flock around me, the emptier I felt. You, Lily and Albus...you three were the only ones who understood me, the only ones I could count on. Especially you, you made me feel complete," Valencia paused for a moment as she let go of Snape's face, took a deep breath, then continued. "I so wanted to tell you I was still alive, so we could build Inferno together, but it was so soon after Lily's death when I awoke, and then...I couldn't drop another bombshell into your lap so soon. If I had come to you, told you everything, I was afraid the overwhelming feeling of loss would destroy you."

"Overwhelming feeling of loss?" repeated Snape. "What do you mean by that?"

"So I avoided coming to you, kept making excuse after excuse, and the years kept going by," said Valencia as if she hadn't heard him. "Tell me something, Severus. Did the Sorting Hat ever consider you for Gryffindor?"

Snape recalled how, for a fleeting instant, the Sorting Hat had toyed with the idea of placing him in Gryffindor with Lily. "Very briefly. Why?"

"Not for me. Right from the start, the Sorting Hat told me it would be a toss-up between Ravenclaw and Slytherin," said Valencia. "Now I know why. I've proven I don't have the courage someone would need to get into Gryffindor. I couldn't own up to my failures, how I failed you. I've gathered an incalcuable number around me in Inferno, taking in complete strangers, but I didn't have the courage to face the man I loved and bring such sobering news...until now, when there's no postponing it any longer."

Snape simply stared down into her blazing, indigo eyes, nonplussed by this admission. _What in the name of Golpalott's pimply, left buttcheek is she babbling about?_ wondered Snape, now completely at a loss. _What 'failures'? What 'sobering news'?_ As he looked into her eyes, he briefly considered using Legilimancy to get a better idea. But Valencia's brow immediately furrowed.

"None of that, Severus," said Valencia coldly. "Once upon a time, we didn't need Legilimancy to read each other, and no amount of skill with Occlumency could hide our secrets from each other. There's no delaying it now. I will tell you everything. But before I do, I must ask you something, and you must answer with absolute truthfulness."

Snape regarded her intently for a moment, then said, "Go ahead."

"I know you're wondering what exactly it is that the Chozo and the founders of Hogwarts left behind. And I know you're wondering why I'd be willing to work with Voldemort to get at it," Valencia said. "I will tell you why, but answer me this: How badly do you want to honor the memories of Lily Potter and Albus Dumbledore? How badly do you want to see them not only avenged, but to bring about the world they dreamed of, which they fought and died for in the hopes of making a reality? If I told you I can do all of that, will you stand by me once again? Will the Half-Blood Prince reign beside me again?" She finished with a tone that let Snape know she wanted an immediate, yes-or-no answer.

Snape hesitated, trying to get a measure of what Valencia was saying, wondering just what she had planned. Then he remembered the soul-crushing sorrow he endured upon finding out the Potters were dead, and his self-loathing upon being forced to kill Dumbledore...

"Y-Yes," he said tentatively.

That seemed to be enough. Valencia smiled brightly, but her indigo eyes remained cruel and fiery. "Then listen and listen well, Sev. You know I hate having to repeat myself."

xxxxxx

**June 14, 1997 - 11:11 AM Western European Time**

**The Burrow**

Harry and Ron stared at the gaping hole, over a meter wide, that had just been formed near the Burrow's gardens. They were so anxious for what would happen next, they barely paid any attention to Hermione, who had just clambered out of the house, vigorously flipping through one of the books McGonagall brought.

"Ugh, it's so frustrating how the four of us have been pouring over every page of every book, yet not one hint of something linked to the Chozo!" Hermione fumed. "You'd think someone would consider contact with an alien race a momentous part of magical history, but..." Hermione stopped when she noticed the hole. "Wait a minute, did she just use one of George's..."

"Yeah," said Ron dully, nodding.

"So...why is she..." Hermione began.

"You'll see," said Harry simply.

At that moment, several odd, faint blooping noises could be heard from the hole. A second later, explosions underneath the garden made the ground shake, and it wasn't long before the garden gnomes started emerging from the garden, coaxed into showing themselves by the bombs' impacts. Harry and Ron immediately got to work, chucking one gnome after another away from the garden.

It wasn't long before Samus, in morph ball mode, sprang out of the hole and unrolled. She immediately removed her helmet and went for her robes, which had been thrown down onto a nearby stump. Hermione looked hesitant to say anything, then tentatively said, "Samus, you know, you don't have to wear those robes all the time. This isn't like Hogwarts, where you had to keep yourself disguised."

"True, true," said Samus dismissively as she struggled to robe herself again with one arm. "But elders help me, I've become attached to this little garment." Harry did not interject as he chucked more garden gnomes, suspecting the real reason why Samus had grown fond of her robes. Unlike her time serving the Galactic Federation, while wearing those robes here, she no longer stood out among present company. She, an intensely private person, could let herself feel she belonged among them. Once Samus was fully robed again, she turned to Hermione and said, "So I take it you still haven't had much luck?"

Hermione furiously shook her head. "It's INFURIATING! No mention in anything about magical history, or prophecies, ANYTHING! And the Order still hasn't found out anything more about this Valhalla Agenda or these Reformers. For all we know, Voldemort could've gotten his hands on this cache of Chozo technology by now!" Hermione let out one last exasperated huff, then sat down on the stump, flipping through her book some more.

Samus glanced at Hermione's book. "A book on prophecies? You know, maybe we're going down the wrong path. I don't really think scouring for information about obscure prophecies and ancient myths is a good way to..."

"Everyone used to think the Chamber of Secrets was only a myth, but it turned out to be all too real," said Ron, walking up to Samus with Harry, now that the degnoming was complete. "And we know from Trelawney that prophecies are the real deal, too."

"I think Ron's right, Samus. If we find even the faintest clue about what the Chozo did on Earth in Hermione's books, we should go with it," said Harry. "Myths and legends have some basis in historical fact, after all."

"Yeah, I'm sure there're some fables and myths the Chozo taught you that turned out to have some truth to them," said Ron.

"Ron may be onto something here, Samus," said Hermione, brightening up. "Maybe there's something about the Chozo's history that you learned that'll help. Something about their travels across the galaxy, or some sort of fable that was handed down through the millennia. I'm sure that you didn't just learn about the sciences and battle tactics from the Chozo, you must've delved into their lore as well."

For a long moment, Samus was silent, carefully regarding Hermione with an unreadable expression. At first, Harry was afraid that Hermione had pried too deep. Despite how Samus had become a close friend, perhaps asking such questions about the Chozo was still too personal for her. But finally, Samus shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, Hermione. I can't recall learning of anything pointing to a Chozo envoy sent to Earth, especially so far back in time. As for fables and myths, I don't think..."

"Come on, Samus. We're drowning here. If we can't find any clues in the Wizarding world's history, it wouldn't hurt to consider the Chozo's," pleaded Ron.

Samus sighed and closed her eyes, her face was screwed up in concentration. Harry waited apprehensively for her to finish searching her memory for any Chozo legends that had any revelance. After a long minute, she warily breathed one word: "Kor-Zor."

"Kor-Zor?" repeated Ron. "What's that supposed to be?"

"Not what, who," said Samus. "In the Chozo language, the name 'Kor-Zor' became synonymous with things like 'despised', 'betrayer', 'reckless' and 'selfish'..."

"Sounds like a more fitting name for Snape than 'Half-Blood Prince'," said Harry bitterly. "So what's the story about this Kor-Zor?"

"Well, as the myth built around Kor-Zor goes, he was one of the most respected of our tribe's elders, whose knowledge of physics was unparalleled," explained Samus. "But over time, the power and prestige he wielded got to his head, and he developed some fascinating theories about harnessing dark matter and dark energy, but began to lose touch of the fundamental reverence for life that is paramount for a Chozo elder. He began to perform dangerous experiments, endangering the very ecosystem of Zebes. Eventually, the rest of the elders had no choice but to exile him."

"Kinda reminds me of what happened to that loony old codger, Salazar Slytherin," sniped Ron. "I smell a Chamber of Secrets scenario coming."

"You guessed right. Even after being exiled, Kor-Zor continued his dangerous work, and in time the tribe could not sit idly by," Samus went on. "The tribe took up arms and went after Kor-Zor. Official records say he was killed in the skirmish, though some myths persist of how Kor-Zor transcended into some sort of malevolent, noncorporeal entity, like the Phazon-irradiated spirits on Tallon IV but worse, wandering the cosmos in search of a means of completing his work." Samus shook her head. "I'm sorry, that's really the only Chozo myth I can recall at the moment. I can't see how the legend behind Kor-Zor can help us."

"But if this Kor-Zor really was wandering the galaxy, could he have come to Earth?" asked Harry hopefully.

"I don't think so. That battle happened almost two millennia ago," said Samus.

"And if it was that long ago, there'd be no technology on Earth that would interest Kor-Zor, nothing that would help him unlock the power of dark energy and dark matter," said Hermione, looking defeated.

"Perhaps not, Hermione. Like I've told Harry, a good part of Chozo philosophy has always been about shamanistic mysticism, and the Chozo did encounter another race that practiced a sort of supernatural art: the people of Bryyo," said Samus. But her expression betrayed no hopefulness, and she shook her head again. "No, it's just idle speculation after all. There's no indication that Kor-Zor ever reached the level of mastery that an elder would need to have one's spirit would carry on after mortal death. I'm sorry everyone, but I don't see us getting anywhere with this."

Looking sulkier than ever, Hermione went back to flipping through her book. Harry shook his head. "This is ridiculous. It's just like last time, having to wait for the enemy to strike because we can't find a lead anywhere. But now that we've gotten wind of Voldemort's new plan, we can't spend much time finding out about his Horcruxes either."

"It is regrettable that we can't focus on these Horcruxes, since it's doubtful we'd ever eliminate them all before Voldemort gets hold of whatever the Chozo left here," said Samus.

"Maybe we could do something useful to pass the time," suggested Ron. "Maybe brush up on our D.A.D.A. skills, or..."

"You and Hermione can, but I can't. I've got more than a month to go before the Trace is gone," said Harry acidly.

"Ah, that reminds me. There's something I wanted to give you, Harry," said Samus, walking over to him while reaching into her robes. She pulled out something that looked like a pistol. "Here, I want you to keep this with you. It was recovered after I crashed my gunship into that asteroid belt. It was the pistol I used in training exercises growing up."

"Oh no, I-I can't use this. This is...a part of your history, your childhood!" cried Harry. He couldn't imagine being entrusted with something that must be so precious to Samus. "Besides, I don't know how to use guns!"

"Exactly. That's why no one would expect you to pull one out in the heat of battle. The Death Eaters will no doubt expect something like this from me. But with this, you would have the element of surprise," explained Samus.

Harry just stared at the pistol, still not willing to take it. Either unaware of his reluctance or choosing to ignore it, Samus went on. "Anyway, its name in our language would probably be 'Paralyzer'. First of all, it fires bursts of energy that can..."

A low moaning could be heard from the garden. Samus and Harry looked over to the garden, seeing that one gnome remained, having just emerged. "Allow me to demonstrate," said Samus suddenly, aiming the Paralyzer at it. A sizzling blasting sound filled the air, drowning out Hermione's gasp of horror, and a pinkish-red burst of crackling energy shot out at the gnome, which was petrified instantly. "As you can see, it has the power to stun most organisms with a nervous system. It also has a handy secondary function." Samus then flicked a button, and the barrel moved and angled upwards at 45 degrees. A long, shimmering orange-pink strand of energy shot out, limply dangling like a whip. She flung the Paralyzer forward, and the cord of energy latched onto the gnome. With one yank, she flung the hapless gnome over the treeline, and it sailed out of sight.

No one said anything as the three of them said anything as they stared over the treetops. Samus then retracted the energy whip and with a flick, the Paralyzer reverted to its pistol form, and she thrust it into Harry's hands. _Somehow, it makes sense that her most cherished relic from her childhood is a weapon_, Harry thought.

"Here, I can teach you how to use it properly," said Samus, forcing Harry's fingers to close around the handle. "First of all, if you've lost your wand in a fight, go ahead and grip it with both hands." Harry complied, and then Samus showed him how to line up targets. Harry was about to aim and shoot a small branch off of a tree, as Samus suggested, but a sudden exclamation from Hermione startled him.

"Hey, I think I found something!" Hermione cried, and Harry accidently fired a blast perilously close to Ron's feet.

"Hey, watch it!" snapped Ron. "Damnit Hermione, this better be good."

"I-It might be," said Hermione. "There's a prophecy in here, the very last given by Cassandra Vablatsky before she died, and her dying wish was to have it published in as many books as possible, according to this. The title she gave it was 'The Seven Stars'."

"Well, let's hear it," said Samus impatiently.

Hermione cleared her throat, then began to recite the prophecy.

_Seven keys to the future, Seven portals in time, Seven beacons of hope, Seven Stars will rise._

_Brought together for battle, for all that is good and true, a fight across time and space, for the Mother of Virtue._

_Her disciples they will be, to pass onto all she knows, her guiding light in an ocean of darkness, to ensure the coming of tomorrow._

_With adversaries thought long gone, as centuries of plotting reach fruition, as one they will stand, to forever vanquish the Mother of Ruin._

For a moment, there was silence as the four of them tried to decipher the meaning of the Seer's final, cryptic prophecy. It was Samus who broke the silence first. "And just why is this prophecy supposed to pertain to our current problem?" she asked brusquely.

"All that talk about traveling across time and space. There's nothing like that in any other prophecies, as far as I can tell," said Hermione. "And then, this mention of a 'Mother of Virtue'...I thought it might be referring to you."

"But what about this 'Mother of Ruin'?" asked Ron. "I mean, I can't see You-Know-Who going through a gender change anytime soon."

"It can't mean any of my old enemies that could be labeled as feminine, either," said Samus. "The Queen Metroid, Dark Samus, Mother Brain and the SA-X are all dead."

"And what about these 'Seven Stars', Hermione?" added Harry speculatively. "OK, I suppose the three of us could be considered to be under Samus's wing, sort of. But if this prophecy is supposed to be about us, who are the other four?"

"Well, Ginny and Neville fought with us against the X parasites that one time," offered Hermione half-heartedly. "And Luna...she fought with us at the Department of Mysteries and at Hogwarts. And knowing her passion for...unusual stories, she'd jump at the chance to learn from someone like Samus Aran."

"And that still leaves us one short," Harry pointed out. "Who would be the seventh?"

"And we're missing the biggest disqualifier here: calling me some 'Mother of Virtue'," said Samus somberly. "I'm no mother of anything, and certainly of nothing virtuous. Whoever's mentioned in this prophecy is made out to be a hero. The Chozo tribe of Tallon IV...their prophecies correctly portrayed me as a hunter, a bringer of destructive wrath, but no hero."

"Samus, how can you say that? Think of all you've done for us, for the people in your time!" cried Hermione.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Hermione. But the reality is, you people give me too much credit," said Samus evenly. "I'm no hero and I don't pretend to be one. I've accepted that I'm nothing more than what I was raised to be: a hunter and a soldier. I can't be considered a hero when I make my living as a mercenary."

"Did the Luminoth have you under contract when you saved Aether? Were you acting on anyone's orders when you went after the baby Metroid? Was anyone paying you when you helped Harry beat Voldemort and the X parasites? Are you being paid now?" Hermione ceased her litany to let Samus stew over what she said, and the hardened bounty hunter could only stare back.

Samus was spared, however, by a sharp resounding voice cutting across the Burrow's gardens. "Samus, Harry, return to the ship. I have something important to show you," came Adam's sharp, synthesized voice. At once, Samus swept past Harry and his friends, heading for where her ship was safely hidden and cloaked. The three of them followed a second later.

Once they reached the shabby-looking garage, Samus reached into her sleeve and pressed a button her arm cannon. Her ship shimmered into view right beside the garage, and the four of them walked directly under the ship. At soon as they were position, the four were levitated into the ship's interior, right behind the cockpit. Immediately upon entering, Adam's imperious voice boomed. "Have a seat, My Lady, and the rest of you gather round. All of you should see some video footage I've just uncovered, which could be vital."

Samus sat down, and Harry, Ron and Hermione leaned over her shoulders to get a good look at whatever Adam was about to display. "What I'm about to show you is information that was deemed classified by the United States military and was no doubt covered up as much as possible, and no doubt it was the magical community in the United States that helped them do it. It's taken me days of analyzing radio and television broadcasts, as well as scouring the Internet for information, before I put the pieces of the puzzle together and thought of hacking into the Pentagon's database."

"Let's see it then," said Ron impatiently. "What did you dig up from the Muggles' database thingy?"

"Video surveillance taken from the Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, three days ago," said Adam. "The base was attacked, but it was downplayed and hushed up. When I finally succeeded in hacking into the Pentagon's computers, this is as much as I could recover."

On one of the screens at the cockpit, video footage began to play. A pale, white-haired woman in an elaborate dress was standing in the middle of some sort of parking lot housing rows of jeeps. She wielded a long staff, with something resembling a blooming rose at the end. She deftly took out Muggle soldiers at close range with it, and deflected bullets with magic when the need arose. Behind her was a huge, burly black man, who, to Harry's amazement, held a wand in both hands. One wand was pointing at a helicopter flying overhead, which seemed to be held in place. The other wand was being used to spew freezing mist that blanketed a squad of soldiers advancing on the woman.

"Whoever they are, they're trained to work as a unit," Hermione commented breathlessly, as captivated as Harry and Ron were. Soon the scene changed, and now they saw a strange girl wearing oversized, dark-tinted goggles and a bulky, form-fitting bodysuit that almost seemed mechanical. She hovered over the concrete, and after swiping a hand through the air, the guns held by advancing soldiers flew out of their hands. "How did she do that without a wand? How is she flying!?" cried Hermione.

Harry then noticed someone else standing close to the levitating girl, a horribly lanky woman with turquoise hair and greenish skin, her legs bare and arms covered only with odd, bronze gauntlets. A wand was attached to her right gauntlet, and she used it to fire curses at approaching soldiers, but she also lashed out with an impossibly long tongue, striking them with it like a whip.

"Hold on a second...didn't Dad say something about some frog-lady breaking into Azkaban? These are the Reformers! The frog-lady must've raided this base right after she sprung her mates and those Death Eaters from Azkaban!" exclaimed Ron, sounding both elated and horrified. Harry understood why. Whoever these four were, their plans were obviously bigger in scope than they first thought if they had traveled all the way to America.

Harry kept watching the frog-woman as she warded off soldiers. Arthur had said that she seemed familiar, but there was nothing about her that jogged Harry's memory. All he was sure of is that she would be an unattractive woman even without the tongue and slimy, green skin. Maybe if Adam would zoom in on her face for a better look...

Adam quickly switched to another bit of recovered footage, however, and Harry put aside his curiosity. They were now watching the four Reformers as they strode down a hallway, being regally led by the pale, white-haired woman that Harry was sure was Wildflower, the vampiress that Scrimgeour feared for some reason. Harry briefly wondered what it was that made Scrimgeour so afraid of this one vampire, but a sudden outcry from Hermione jolted him out of his thoughts.

"OH NO! That man following the Reformers...it can't be!" shrieked Hermione, her voice cracking. Harry looked up to see a Muggle in some important-looking uniform with long greying hair, mustache and beard running down the same hallway, a pistol at the ready.

"What's wrong, Hermione? Do you know that officer?" asked Samus.

"Of course I do! That's my uncle!" replied Hermione in an anguished, shaky voice.

"Your uncle?" asked Ron, sounding like he was taken aback. "I never knew you had family in America."

"All of my father's side of the family is American," said Hermione weakly, shaking all over. "He met my Mum while attending Oxford to become a dentist, but his brother J.B. went into the Air Force and served there most of his life! He even served as an astronaut for a while! He taught me so much, was sort of like an older brother to me." She paused for a moment, breathing heavily, then asked, "Adam, d-do you know if there were any casualties from the R-Reformers' attack?"

For a moment there was silence, and Harry had a suspicion that Adam, as insensitive as he could be, would have done anything to avoid answering Hermione. But at last, in a measured tone, Adam drearily reported, "According to what encrypted data I've been able to uncover thus far, there were no fatalities from their attack. Though there are a litany of injuries, many severe, as well as some odd afflictions such as one officer...constantly farting fire for hours on end. However, only one officer is still unaccounted for...Captain J.B. Granger."

Hermione's deafening scream of mingled anguish and fury made everyone else wince in pain as well as cut into their hearts. Hermione sank to her knees, burying her face in her hands, sobbing. At once, Ron kneeled by her side, embracing her in a hug. "Hermione, don't worry. It doesn't look like these Reformers are like the Death Eaters, remember? They didn't kill anyone in Azkaban or that air base, right? Maybe they thought your uncle could get them closer to what they're looking for. They won't kill him if they think that," he said reassuringly, stroking her long, bushy hair.

Harry watched his best friends, feeling nothing but sorrow for Hermione, but an ember of hatred for these Reformers burned in his stomach as well. Harry never met J.B. Granger before, but if the Reformers did anything with a member of Hermione's family...

"Harry," said Samus in a grave tone, and Harry turned to face her. Her expression was now one of pitiless, iron-willed resolve. "Go find Molly and have her contact the rest of the Order. Make sure they learn of everything that Adam uncovered, especially the part about Hermione's uncle. And make sure they understand the Reformers made a serious mistake by kidnapping him and making this personal."

xxxxxx

**June 14, 1997 - 8:28 PM Western European Time**

**Malfoy Manor**

Voldemort stood in the middle of the drawing room, Nagini lazily slithering and circling around him, as he watched some of his Death Eaters magically repair the damage caused by the Valkyrie's rampage. Most of the damage was from the Erumpent's explosive horns blasting apart the walls. Even Draco and Narcissa were hard at work, given there was only a handful of Death Eaters present.

_But perhaps I should recall more of them, if this message is to be believed,_ Voldemort thought to himself as he stared at the small piece of parchment in his hand, which read: _It has been almost 24 hours, more than enough time to decide. I will return soon to hear your answer in person. - Dr. Valencia Asara, the Valkyrie_

Voldemort looked up to stare at the creature that had delivered it moments ago. Perched atop a bust of Abraxas Malfoy was an owl-sized bird that, in many ways, resembled a reptile. The creature gazed over at Voldemort fearlessly, studying him intently, as if to report whatever it learned back to its mistress.

_Studying me, _Voldemort thought acidly. The burning sense of indignation had not abated one iota since Valkyrie exposed herself the previous night. The Auror he left for dead years ago had taken the place of his newest Death Eater, partly to observe him closely, as if he, the greatest Dark wizard ever, were something simply to be categorized and quantified. _Of course, considering she's a Mudblood after all, such asinine notions are hardly surprising..._

But Valkyrie also went undercover as a Death Eater to plant pages of Salazar Slytherin's old journal in this manor. Why would she go through such trouble? As much as he hated to admit it, she was an exceedingly talented witch if she could transfigure a piano into a fully-grown Erumpent, horns and all. If she was after this cache of Chozo secrets, why did she need his help?

_During my first rise to power, I dismissed her as just another shortsighted Auror, motivated by the desire for petty revenge, _thought Voldemort. _Considering she's now willing to join forces with me, I was clearly in error. Thieving Mudblood she may be, but a dangerously crafty one. _He looked around, seeing Narcissa hurry past him to another ruined part of the manor. "Narcissa, I must speak with you." Narcissa froze, her back remaining turned to him for a moment, before she slowly turned around. "From what I understand, you knew Valencia Asara very well. Both you and your husband. Tell me all you know about the Mudblood who now calls herself the Valkyrie."

Narcissa opened her mouth, but her words seemed to be caught in her throat. Eventually, she spoke in a hushed voice. "I-I am not sure if I can t-tell you anything of use, My Lord. A-And you must understand, none suspected what she r-really was," said Narcissa, but Voldemort instantly knew she wasn't being entirely truthful. "Back then, the Blacks and the Malfoys got along well with the Asara family. We never imagined the Asaras would abandon their pride by adopting a Mudblood. I simply remember seeing her struggle at first, so I offered to be a mentor to her in her first year. When I was there, she was always friendly with most of the Slytherins for some reason. B-But she was always closest to P-Potter's mother and Severus Snape. No doubt Snape could tell you more."

"Perhaps he can, but right now I am asking you," said Voldemort coldly. "Now, what else can you..."

An angry hiss from Nagini made Voldemort turn back to the bust. Nagini was circling around it, head ready to strike, as Valkyrie's odd bird fluttered about, squawking. At one point, her bird flung forth its head and opened its scaly beak; a blueish-white beam of energy lanced out from its maw, striking Nagini square between the eyes and making his snake falter.

"I've had enough of that bird," hissed Voldemort, but Valkyrie's pet was already flying away at top speed to hide in some other part of the manor.

"Just what the hell is that thing supposed to be anyway?" Draco thought aloud. "Why keep a bird like...that!"

"All the greats have their familiars Draco, as you must know," came a voice from beyond the double doors, which swung open an instant later to reveal Valkyrie, now in an entirely new wardrobe that looked disappointingly derived from Muggle fashion. "Albus Dumbledore had Fawkes, Harry Potter has Hedwig, your boss has Nagini, and even Samus Aran has the Etecoons and Dachoras. And I have my darling little girl Ryx here," she went on, and the creature called Ryx swooped down and perched herself on Valkyrie's left shoulder. "Of course, she's not the only thing that of mine that counts as a familiar..."

"So you've returned, Dr. Valencia Asara," said Voldemort coolly.

"You was expecting, maybe, the San Diego Chicken?" Valkyrie scoffed as she stroked Ryx's head with metal fingers. She then turned back to Draco, and for some reason, her eyes were alight with intent interest. "Well, if you must know what she is, Draco...I hoped her name would give you a clue. Her name is derived from _Archeopteryx lithographica_, the earliest example of the evolutionary transition from dinosaur to bird."

"Dinosaur?" repeated Draco incredulously. "Then...t-that means..."

"Correct. Ryx here represents the resurrection of an animal that lived long, long ago, over 150 million years to be exact," Valkyrie explained proudly as she continued stroking Ryx.

"You revived a species extinct for THAT long?" cried Narcissa. "That's impossible!"

Valkyrie smiled brightly. "Of course it's not impossible, Cissy. Ever watch that movie _Jurassic Park_? Besides, my old friend, 'impossible' is a word I routinely make a mockery of." She then turned to Voldemort, who glared back at her with a mixture of loathing and anxiousness. "But of course, my friends and I cannot do everything by ourselves, otherwise I would not be here, waiting to hear your answer to my proposal."

Voldemort's snake-like eyes narrowed dangerously. "I am still not convinced you can be trusted, or that the information you brought me is reliable."

Valkyrie laughed. "That information came from your ancestor, did it not? I'm sure you performed every charm you knew of that would confirm its authenticity, as did I. Even did some carbon-dating for good measure. It's the real deal. And if you're not satisfied with the eyewitness accounts of your House's founder, perhaps you'd like to read pages recovered from the journal of mine." She reached into her coat and produced a stack of ancient-looking parchment. "The founders were the first humans to meet the Chozo, Riddle, not Samus Aran, and they left their combined knowledge for us to find. But for now, I'd like to introduce you and your followers to _my_ loyal friends. And I do believe they're already here."

"Impossible!" barked Bellatrix, striding into the drawing room. "The Fidelius Charm, the Dark Lord is our Secret-Keeper...it's impossible to speak of this place to anyone else!"

Valkyrie grinned wickedly. "Who said I had to _speak_ of this place? Besides, like I told Cissy, 'impossible' is a word I routinely make a mockery of." Valkyrie snapped the fingers on her good hand, and the double doors flew open once more.

Voldemort had never seen the four that strode into the drawing room, but he instantly knew who they were: the mysterious Reformers.

Voldemort's immediate thought was that they looked like a motley bunch of freakish misfits. Only the vampire called Wildflower, with her icy beauty and air of elegance, seemed to blend into the Malfoys' home. The expression of the large man called Faction was unreadable, his huge arms crossed, but the freakish toad-woman Ped looked sulky and disdainful as her inhuman gaze swept across the manor. The final Reformer, who Voldemort guessed was Tesla, was the only one whose body language mimicked her leader's: flippant and self-assured. She was staring over at Draco, who gazed back at her apprehensively. Though Voldemort could not see Tesla's eyes, her girlish smile let him know what was on her mind.

"So everyone, what did I miss in the weeks I was cooped up here?" Valkyrie asked her followers.

"Well, during our mission to Siberia last week, Ped got her tongue stuck on the Razor Knight's wing when she tried to drive off a flock of snowsucker birds," jeered Tesla.

"Says the one who sneezed in the middle of the mess hall the other day and was nearly beaten to death with flying spoons," Ped retorted with a faint smirk.

Tesla shook her head, still grinning. "You people see what I've had to put up with for the last year or so? I'm supposed to be Peddy's partner, showing her the ropes, but she can be _so_ ungrateful at times..."

"Trust me, Tesla. Ped is more grateful for your help than you can imagine," said Valkyrie. "But please, about the more pressing matters at hand..."

"You'll be happy to hear that every available potioneer, charms master, biochemist and engineer is working around-the-clock on our synthesizers," Wildflower cut in, ignoring the growling of Fenrir Greyback, who paced menacingly behind her. "I'm happy to report that they may even be finished ahead of schedule."

"Excellent. I can always count on you to look after Inferno in my absence," said Valkyrie. "And what of your last assignment? What did you choose to attack?"

"Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii," replied Wildflower matter-of-factly.

Valkyrie let out a barking laugh, which intrigued Voldemort. She obviously had no qualms about sending her followers out to attack Muggles. "Good choice! Couldn't have picked a better target myself! And I trust you retrieved all the relevant data from the American military's database?"

Faction stepped forward and pulled some sort of flat, silvery, circular disk from his vest. "Here you are, a few juicy terabytes of classified information for you to chew on," he said, smiling for the first time.

Valkyrie held out her bionic arm, and some sort of metallic tray popped out from the forearm, on which Faction placed the disk. "That's my boy," said Valkyrie as the tray slid back into her arm; evidently her arm had Undetectable Extension Charms placed on it.

"'That's my boy?'" repeated Draco.

"Indeed. Kago is Val's son," said Wildflower.

"Son?" Draco looked from one to the other. "But he's...and she's..."

"_Adopted_ son," interjected Valkyrie. "I first came across little Kago in South Africa, shortly after awakening from my coma. He was the first in his village to be born with the gift of magic, which I noticed immediately. Everyone rejected him, thought him a freak, so I took him in and raised him as my own."

"Makes sense. A Mudblood adopting another Mudblood," sneered Bellatrix.

Valkyrie just laughed again. "Believe you me, Bella, 'dirty blood' doesn't even begin to describe my physiological problems." Voldemort just kept watching her, frowning. What was supposed to be a deriding insult about her unworthiness to wield magic, Valkyrie gleefully laughed off.

"What is wrong with all of you?" bellowed Narcissa. Voldemort turned to glare at her; she was daring to lash out at him as well as his Death Eaters. "Look at those four! We all heard of what happened in Azkaban! They're the ones who escaped with Lucius and the others!"

"Hey, that's right!" cried Draco. "So where's my father!?" he demanded, though his voice was shaky.

"Here with us," said Wildflower simply. She turned around and slashed her staff through the air, and the double doors slammed open a third time, revealing the three Death Eaters liberated from Azkaban. Lucius Malfoy hesitantly stepped inside. Even though he was clad in his finest robes and wielded his cane, he somehow looked horribly out of place in his own home, an anxious, timid look on his face. Narcissa and Draco hesitated for an instant, then rushed to embrace Lucius. Meanwhile, Rodolphus ran up to his wife and started a hushed, hurried conversation with her, while Rookwood simply stood in the doorway, uncertain if he should enter.

"A gesture of good faith, to prove my sincerity," Valkyrie said, eyeing Voldemort. "Three of your followers, freely returned to your fold."

"I still do not trust you," said Bellatrix, turning away from her husband. "I've heard the rumors from Cissy and others...you were nearly sorted into our House due to your talent for deception, in spite of the filth that runs through your veins. I'm still convinced you've got more trick cards to play." Valkyrie smiled and remained silent, but Wildflower swept past her and approached Bellatrix, her blood-red eyes glistening dangerously.

"Bellatrix Lestrange, you call yourself the most powerful and loyal of Voldemort's followers, do you not?" Wildflower asked calmly.

"You dare...of _COURSE_ I am!" Bellatrix retorted acidly.

"Then know this, Lestrange: I am second-in-command of Inferno's forces, and will spend the rest of my eternal life serving Dr. Asara's cause," said Wildflower, raising her staff and pointing it at Bellatrix. "My existence as a vampire had no purpose, no meaning...until I met her. I was the very first to join the doctor, nearly sixteen years ago, and have served her loyally ever since. I owe everything to her. She will laugh off all your pitiful insults about her blood status, but you disparage her and her son in my presence at your peril." Bellatrix glowered at the vampiress, her expression one of barely-contained fury.

"Such a pity, to think that once, you championed blood purity," spat Rodolphus.

"Times change, and people must change with it," replied Wildflower aloofly. "It is not the strongest who survive, but those most able to adapt and change."

"Well said, Isobel," said Valkyrie, who turned back to Voldemort. "Now then Voldemort, I reunite Cissy and Bella with their husbands as an acknowledgement of what might once have been called friendship. But Augustus Rookwood I freed for a different reason. I was certain he would have information that would lead us to what we need...and I was right."

"If Rookwood knew of a means to unlock a secret that Salazar Slytherin left behind, he would have surely told me," sneered Voldemort. As he glared at Valkyrie, he saw Ped and Tesla far to his right. He turned to see them watching him carefully, Ped with her arms folded and Tesla with a hand on her hip. Both of them stared at him with not necessarily looks of malice, but intense curiosity. Incensed, Voldemort glared first at Tesla, but his Legilimancy failed. Was it because of her goggles? As he glared at the girl, Voldemort could not help but feel that he recognized her from somewhere. The shape of her face, the hair...it was all so familiar. But seeing that he had no luck reading her mind, he turned to Ped. Before he could try anything, though, Valkyrie spoke up again.

"Rookwood had no idea what sort of information he collected before he was captured again, but Wildflower put the pieces of the puzzle together," she explained. "And as I suspected, what we seek, the key to unlocking the founders and Chozo's secrets, is in a place even I and my Reformers stand little chance of breaking into alone."

"So it turns out you need me," Voldemort jeered. "But you infiltrated the ranks of my Death Eaters well before your Reformers ever got to Rookwood. You obviously believed you would need my help, even then. Why?"

"Simply being prudent. I know of the Chamber of Secrets and how to open it up. I had no doubt that if the founders took part in creating whatever the Chozo left behind, it would take one of their descendants to unleash it," explained Valkyrie. "And I know you'd stop at nothing to have a means of conquering Harry Potter, and now Samus Aran, once and for all. As for me, I don't care what you do with whatever your ancestor created. The Muggle world, the Wizarding world...neither matters to me anymore. All that matters to me is how I can use the Chozo's technology to benefit Inferno."

A quick glance into Valkyrie's eyes revealed that she was being, for the most part, truthful. Still, he had many questions. "Just what is this Inferno?" demanded Voldemort.

"Ask the Death Eaters I returned to you. The three of them saw its wonders for themselves," said Valkyrie proudly. "But shouldn't you be more interested in unearthing the Hogwarts founders' greatest secret? Answer me now, Voldemort: Are you in?"


	7. Yin and Yang

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 7: Yin and Yang

2-21-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

Dawn on Zebes was announced by the first blazing red rays of sun, slowly peering through the line of craggy mountains and buttes surrounding Crateria. The gentle rays filtered through all the narrow caverns and valleys crisscrossing the landscape.

But another astounding phenomenon was also taking place within those caverns and valleys. A young human girl, scarcely more than five Earth years old, with long, flowing golden-blond hair, was dashing through the many branching valleys of Crateria at breathtaking speed. She ran with a speed and grace that surpassed any other human athlete, all the more impressive when one considered how the very atmosphere of Zebes was notoriously inhospitable to hominids.

The girl kept on running, her breathing measured and disciplined as her leg muscles pumped harder and harder. The hostile environment was nothing to her. With the gift of Chozo blood, she had adapted to Zebes's environment perfectly. Her training under the tribe's elders and scholars would also prepare her for life outside her childhood home, when it came time to leave the nest...

On and on she ran, sometimes going so fast she actually ran along the walls of the valleys, her body nearly parallel with the ground. Eventually, the valley through reached an end, and beyond it was an expansive pit that would have meant a good twenty-meter drop, had not several stalagmite-like structures rose throughout the pit.

Her stride not breaking for a second, the girl launched herself over the pit, only to land agilely on one of the stalagmites. Then she jumped to another one, and another and another, each time landing with breathtaking grace. Once she mounted the tallest rock formation jutting out of the pit, the sun had finally risen over the mountain range. The girl stood up to gaze at the beautiful sunrise which heralded another beautiful day on Zebes, her home...

xxxxxx

**June 17, 1997 - 7:50 AM Western European Time**

**The Burrow**

Samus Aran's eyes fluttered as she pulled herself out of her daydream, memories of a home she would never return to, to focus on the here and now. Of course, at the moment, there was nothing of much importance to focus on. She lay surrounded by mountains of bubbles, trying to relax in the hot bath provided by Molly Weasley. It had been almost a week since returning to Harry's time, and she was still no closer to identifying the source of the alterations in the timeline. Molly, perhaps out of guilt for the Order's inability to discover what Voldemort was plotting, had suggested a hot bath to alleviate her stress.

Molly also no doubt proposed the bath once it sunk in how she had not removed her fusion suit since arriving. Samus had tried to explain to Molly that with her suit's systems fully functional, there was no danger of any hygiene problems. Besides, any excess salts due to sweat would only increase her skin's conductivity, and thus her connection to her suit. But it was as if Molly was deaf to her words. And Samus shook her head as she recalled trying to explain how her suit recycled water. She couldn't understand the disgusted reactions she had received from everyone. To her it was nothing, just the basic workings of biology and technology. It was times like this when Samus wondered if humanity was truly the species she was born to.

Sighing, Samus looked around the bathroom. On the toilet was her witches' robes, cleaned and folded, with her fusion suit, rolled into morph ball mode, carefully set on top. As unbearably punctilious as Molly was, she did appreciate her hospitality, even if it felt so strange to be fussed over like that. All throughout her career working with the Galactic Federation, whenever it was required to stay on a base or space station for a length of time, she maintained a professional distance. They merely provided quarters and any services she needed, and nothing more. Samus had grown accustomed to such that, oftentimes preferring it. Though being treated as an honored guest by the Weasleys might have been a welcome change of pace, it still felt odd.

Samus thought of all the people who welcomed her back: Arthur Weasley, who was ecstatic about the chance of learning more of what the future held. Alastor Moody, the grizzled veteran of war who put aside his suspicious nature. Minerva McGonagall, whose wisdom and discipline reminded her so much of the Chozo. And of course Harry Potter, one of the few humans who could truly understand her.

But as she brooded over this, a realization came to Samus. _Perhaps that's the most profound difference between us. I grew up surrounded by love, cared for, educated and trained by the most spiritual beings in the galaxy, while Harry grew up neglected. Later on though, he made so many friends, opened up to so many people, while I became more distant after leaving the nest, unable to relate to my own species, even while I served in the GF..._

Was that what the elders would have wanted? Would they have wanted her to turn out more like Harry? Samus shook her head, not wanting to dwell on the matter, and instead leaned back, savoring the gentle, soothing heat and the fragrant aroma. As much as Samus hated to admit it, the bath was proving very therapeutic. Samus shut her eyes, allowing herself to relax.

A soft, sardonic chuckle made Samus open her eyes.

The sound came from directly across the bathtub, where a mirror was mounted onto the wall. Suddenly apprehensive, Samus sat up and peered into the mirror. The reflection that stared back at her...its mouth was twisted into a depraved grin, and the eyes gave off a sinister, yellow-green glow.

Samus instinctively lurched backward, causing soapy water to gush out. "YOU!" she demanded, her eyes wide with terror.

The reflection continued to leer evilly at Samus. "Don't sound so surprised," she said softly. "You boasted you would put me back where I belong, and so you did. Once again, we are whole."

Samus stared back in disbelief. Was she hallucinating? No, this had happened before, aboard her ship right after exiting the vortex. As horrible as the thought was, the essence of the SA-X obviously had yet to be subdued.

"But this last week has proven to be so very embarrassing for us," said the SA-X. "You...we are supposed to be the greatest hunter that ever existed. And what do you do instead? Enjoy all the creature comforts the Weasleys have provided, while the Order of the Phoenix does all the work. That's not who we are. Why haven't you even attempted to hunt down Voldemort yourself? Unravel this conspiracy yourself? It's what you're the best at, what you always do. Why should this be any different?"

Samus was only half-listening to her doppelganger's taunts, still transfixed by the face of the enemy she had thought defeated once and for all. "H-How is this possible? I-I reabsorbed you! H-How can you be..."

"Deny it all you want, but I am once again part of you," sneered the SA-X. "Harry Potter told you of our little conversation aboard Riddle's station. Metroid Prime mimicked your form, your genetic potential...but I _AM_ you, Samus Aran. Your intellect, your desires, your skills..._I_ am your true doppelganger, what humans would call the yang counterpart buried deep under the surface yin. Everything the X did under my leadership, everything _I_ did, was motivated by what you desire deep down in _your_ soul!"

"NOOOOO!" shrieked Samus, shocked out of her paralyzing fear. She lurched forward and drove her fist into the mirror, smashing through it, filling the bathroom with a horrible shattering sound.

Samus had no idea how long she sat there, breathing heavily as her fist remained lodged in the wall. Eventually, a dull pain made her pull it out. Samus saw small shards of glass lodged into it, blood dribbling down her fingers into the bath water.

"Samus, what's wrong?" came a hushed, concerned voice from the door. Samus turned to see Hermione standing in the open doorway. Ron was right behind her, but his head had turned to the side, eyes screwed shut and teeth clenched. Samus swore she could see a deepening reddish color in his freckled face as well. That was of no concern to Samus whatsoever.

"Oh God, your hand!" cried Hermione, stepping in with her wand drawn. With a tap upon Samus's fist, the lacerations began to slowly seal themselves. "Hmmm, that strange resistance to magic is keeping the charm from working as fast as it should. But Samus, why did you smash that mirror? What was..."

"Later, Hermione," Samus said quickly as she grabbed a towel with her good hand. "Go get Harry and wait for me in Ron's room. There's something the four of us need to discuss right away." Hermione stared at her for a moment, then nodded, turning and vehemently motioning for Ron to leave. Samus briefly wondered why Hermione was being so fussy, but as she reactivated her fusion suit, her thoughts quickly went back to the image of the SA-X in the mirror. As she slipped her robes back over her suit, Samus came to a sobering realization: the SA-X was right about one thing.

When Samus swept into Ron's room, she found Harry standing by the window, listlessly peering outside, while Hermione and Ron sat on the bed with expectant looks. Samus also noticed Ron's ears and cheeks still looked a little red. For a moment there was silence, as Samus felt unsure of how to proceed, and Hermione who spoke up first. "Samus, just...why did you punch that mirror? I mean, it must've..."

"Later Hermione, later," said Samus quickly. These periodic visions involving the SA-X...as harrowing as they were, solving that mystery could wait. "Look everyone, I think we've been patient long enough. We know that Voldemort is after Chozo technology and probably now has new allies who're helping him do just that. The Order has tried their best to track the Death Eater's movements, but I say it high time I try to do some investigating of my own. And I want you three to help me."

Once again, silence lingered for a while, but soon Harry turned from the window. "Believe you me, Samus, I've been itching to get some action too. But where would you want to go? It's not like we can get you into Azkaban or that Air Force base to look for clues."

"Harry's right, Samus. I don't think there's much you can find out on your own," said Hermione. "Besides, the last time you were here, you only saw Hogwarts. No offense, but you're not familiar enough with the Wizarding world to go investigating on your own. There's too many things you don't know about."

But Samus did take offense. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at Hermione, who seemed to wither a little under her gaze. "Hermione, you think I learned nothing those months I worked in Hogwarts, stricken with amnesia?" she asked in a delicately inflected voice. "Almost every night I would sneak off to the library and gorge myself, just like you do. I learned plenty from Dumbledore too, he tried so hard to educate me about your world, make me feel..." Samus shut her eyes, forcing down the feeling of loss, knowing that she'd never get the chance to let Dumbledore for his kindness. "The point is, after handling Voldemort and the Death Eaters, I'm confident I can go out into your world and begin hunting them on my own. And in case you forgotten, those Reformers kidnapped your uncle. Do you still expect me to sit around and do nothing, knowing that?"

Hermione looked down at the floor. "Hermione, Samus has a point," said Harry. "And Samus said that she wants us to tag along. If she runs into something she can't handle, that's when we'd step in."

"That's right. Last time I went after Voldemort, I learned that it's not always a good idea to hunt down every enemy alone," said Samus.

"OK, I convinced! You have no idea how worried sick I've been about Uncle J.B., but where do you want to start searching?" asked Hermione.

"Taking another look at the Department of Mysteries might reveal something about this 'Valhalla Agenda'. Maybe find out something the Order hasn't dug up yet," suggested Ron. "But...doubtful we'll be able to just walk on in like last time..."

"You snuck into the Department of Mysteries after nightfall, correct? If we try searching there, that's when we'll strike," said Samus. "In the meantime, I have another idea. I've been all over the galaxy, had to make my way through many different cultures, but there are still some things that are relatively constant. Like the best places to get information. And I think I know of one good place to start."

xxxxxx

**June 17, 1997 - 9:58 AM Western European Time**

**Diagon Alley**

As had been the case ever since Voldemort's return was widely known, the once-bustling Diagon Alley was now almost devoid of activity. A dreary, morbid atmosphere had settled over London's hub of magical commerce. So hardly anyone was out and about this morning, thus almost no one took notice when the brick wall that served as the passageway to the Leaky Cauldron began to shift and fold apart. Once it opened completely, the tall, imposing figure of Samus Aran, her suit still disguised by her robes, stepping out into Diagon alley, flanked by Harry and his friends.

"Too bad we couldn't have used the Floo network to get here," mused Ron as he looked around. "But with the Ministry closely watching it, and with them probably teeming with You-Know-Who's plants..."

"There's no telling if Samus can even use Floo powder anyway, given her...unique physiology," said Hermione. "But you're right, taking her ship to London was the safest way."

"Speaking of that slight resistance to enchantments I have, there's something that's been bothering me for a while," said Samus. "That doesn't explain how I can see things only your kind are supposed to see. That establishment we just passed through is supposed to be invisible to anyone without the genetic potential for magic, right? Yet I saw it just fine. I saw the X parasites mimicking dementors without any problems, too."

"Well, if magic is supposed to be genetic, maybe you absorbed some of those genes the very first time you fed on an X parasite," suggested Ron.

Samus shook her head. "No, that doesn't explain it. The first night I arrived at Hogwarts, I was able to see Myrtle and Peeves. It must be something else. But I'll dope that out later. Let's get moving."

The four of them then set off through Diagon Alley. All the while, Harry noticed Samus was looking every which way, taking in all the sights, watching attentively as people came out of shops with fresh potion ingredients, new broomsticks, custom-tailored robes, and other goods one only found in the Wizarding world. Harry wondered if Samus had looked forward to this, a chance to learn more about the world he came from and belonged to. If that was the case, Harry felt sorry for her. Diagon Alley was now nothing like the wondrous, bustling place that he remembered first coming to six years ago. Cold dread over Voldemort's return sucked almost all the livelihood out of Diagon Alley.

"Um, Samus, you said you wanted us to get you into Diagon Alley, but you didn't say where you wanted to go," said Hermione.

"Like I said, experience has taught me that merchants and investors always seem to know more about what's going on, keeping their ears close to the ground," explained Samus. "And from what you three told me, there's two incredibly successful merchants and investors who've practically taken over Diagon Alley."

At once, Harry knew what shop Samus intended to visit first. "Samus, are you talking about...Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes?"

"Exactly. It didn't escape me how Ron's brothers are incredibly crafty, always attentive to any shifts in the economic climate and the general happenings in your world," said Samus with a smile. "I'm counting on them having picked up on something the rest of the Order hasn't."

At last, the four of them arrived at Fred and George's joke shop, whose advertisements and window displays were still as flamboyant as ever. Harry saw Samus raise an eyebrow as she took in the controlled chaos going on in the windows. "Intriguing market strategy," Samus said airily. "Come on, let's go in."

The four of them entered the shop, which was, to their amazement, empty. Harry was certain that suited Samus perfectly, who no doubt wanted to start asking Fred and George questions right away.

"Harry! Didn't expect you to leave the Muggles so soon!" beamed a voice from the counter. Harry looked up to see one of the Weasley twins, no doubt Fred judging from the huge gold 'F' on his magenta robes. "And who else is here with...Merlin's beard, it can't be!" exclaimed Fred, finally getting a good look at Samus.

"Wait a minute, no one in the Order told you I'd returned? I've been back in this time for a week!" cried Samus.

"Obviously some in the Order still think we shouldn't be kept in the loop, even after being properly inducted and all!" said Fred, a noticeable bite to his voice now. "But how'd you get back here, and why?"

"What's going on, Fred? We have our first customers for the morning?" came George's voice from the back. Fred's twin stepped out from where Harry knew their Defense product line was kept. As soon as his eyes fell on Samus, however, the bottles of love potion he'd been carrying fell to the floor, shattering and splattering their contents everywhere. George looked transfixed, as if his wildest, most impossible dreams had come true. Then, with astounding swiftness, he practically glided across his store, stopping directly in front of Samus. "The lovely and mighty Samus Aran, blessing us with her divine presence once more? Dare I believe this to be true?" George asked dreamily.

Samus didn't say anything, merely staring back at George with blank shock. Obviously it had never sunk in that George fancied her, judging by the flabbergasted look on her face. George then moved with inhuman swiftness once more, taking Samus's armored hand in his right, while using his left hand to conjure a bouquet of roses from his wand. "My dear Samus. please take these as a token of my gratitude for stopping by our humble shop. Whatever I can do to help you, you need only ask," he said as he knelt before her.

"OK, _**NOW**_ I'm starting to see why no one in the Order told us," hissed Fred. George ignored him completely.

Ron leaned into Hermione's ear and whispered, "Samus looks totally dumbstruck. D'you really reckon no one in her time ever fancied her, approached her?"

"I doubt anyone in her time ever behaved like a gentleman for her," replied Hermione quietly. "Or at least, George _would_ be a gentleman compared to anyone who ever made a pass at Samus in the future."

It was quite a while before Samus got over her shock, finally saying, "Well, er, it's a long story. But, um, we've reason to believe Voldemort is after some alien technology that's been buried on Earth for millennia, and, um, the Order has yet to uncover any solid leads. I was wondering if you two had come across any information they hadn't."

"Whatever you say, my dear huntress!" beamed George enthusiastically. "Come on into the back! While we're talking, you can have a look at some of our Defense products...anything to help out everyone's favorite bounty huntress!" With that, George dragged a flummoxed Samus into the back room.

"Just leave me to clean up _**YOUR**_ mess why don't you!" Fred shouted after his twin, Vanishing the spilled love potions.

"Well, that took an...interesting turn," said Harry sheepishly. Harry then heard the shop door open. A booming voice let him know exactly who had joined them.

"Oho! Harry, m'boy, didn't expect to see you leave your aunt and uncle's so soon! What brings you to Diagon Alley on a morning like this?" came the jovial voice of Horace Slughorn, the Potions Master who had come out of retirement. Harry slowly turned around to face the professor, not exactly eager to do so. Harry respected Slughorn's skill as a potioneer, he knew that he considered his mother one of his prize students, and understood how deeply he regretted that day he explained the workings of Horcruxes to Voldemort. But there were still some things about Slughorn that rankled, like how he constantly tried to make him a prized member of his Slug Club.

"Nothing much, Professor Slughorn. Just helping out a...friend," Harry said quickly. Harry didn't want to say too much, and Slughorn, who probably still wanted to distance himself from the Order of the Phoenix, most likely didn't want to know what was going on. "What're you doing here?"

"Oh, nothing all that important. Just a quick stop at the Apothecary for some pickled dragon kidneys, a quick browse through Flourish and Blotts," said Slughorn. "Then I thought I'd come and see this place for myself, heard so much about it. I could certainly use a good laugh. We all could. Dumbledore passing on, so tragic, a close colleague all these years..."

Harry remembered Slughorn's shock upon hearing of Dumbledore's murder. Despite how self-centered Slughorn could seem at times, Harry knew he cared deeply about his friends. He vividly recalled the night he coaxed a drunken Slughorn into giving him the memory about the Horcruxes, how ashamed and sorrowful he felt. But as far as Harry was concerned, Slughorn had made amends by that one act, giving him a key piece of information needed to strike at the one who killed one of his favorite pupils...

_Favorite pupils,_ Harry thought. Then, a realization came to him. There was now a chance to gather some information on his own. "Slughorn, my mother was one of your favorite students, right? What about her best friend, Valencia Asara?"

Slughorn brightened up a little. "Oho! How could I _ever_ forget about Val? Don't take this the wrong way, Harry, but in many ways Val was even more brilliant than your mother! Charming, ambitious little girl, always eager to learn more and more!"

"I heard people say she was probably Muggle-born, though. Did you know that?" asked Harry delicately, remembering their first meeting.

"Kind of obvious, really!" Slughorn said quickly, almost evasively. "Always asking me things like 'Will any heat-resistant microorganisms contaminate my potion?' and 'Won't the extreme alkalinity of bubotober pus denature the key proteins in dragon liver?' and other Muggle jargon like that! But why would that matter, m'boy? Val certainly had what always distinguished the Ravenclaws: wit beyond measure! And she always said I was her favorite teacher, even telling me she sometimes wished she'd gotten into Slytherin instead, so I could have been her Head of House. Goes without saying I'd have relished having a brilliant pupil like Val in my House! But I would've settled for her being sorted into Gryffindor, so then I could've taught all three of my best students from that year in one class: Val, Lily and Snape..."

Slughorn suddenly fell silent. When he spoke again, it was in a heavier tone. "Yes, believe it or not, back then in those early years, those three were inseparable. And Val fancied Snape, she did. Would've broken her heart to know how he turned out. I even reckon the bond between them was so great, Snape taught her all about the Dark Arts. That was probably her one great flaw, you see. She was the type who believed no knowledge was forbidden." After what Voldemort went on to do, Harry understood why Slughorn frowned upon that.

"Really?" asked Hermione, sounding astonished. Harry understood why. Neither Moody nor McGonagall had mentioned that Valencia wanted to learn the Dark Arts. But all these revelations of Snape having been close friends with his mother was also weighing on Harry's mind. Was that why she defended Snape in that memory?

"Yes yes, in that respect, Val was the exact opposite of Lily," Slughorn went on. "Harry, your father and Sirius, those two were almost like identical twins. But Lily and Val, at times, they were like...what's that concept Muggles in Asia have? Yin and yang, I believe. Yes, in many ways Lily and Val were polar opposites that worked together in harmony."

Harry said nothing as he tried to digest this. More than ever, it was starting to seem like this Valencia Asara could be involved with Voldemort's newest plot. "And the way she died, so tragic," Slughorn said sorrowfully. "Both Lily and Val lost to us within a week. I had always insisted she was ill-suited for the Aurors. A brilliant girl like her should've been into some sort of research, or eyeing a teaching job, not fighting a private war. I would've loved to have seen Val eventually take my place."

"Yeah, well, Snape ended up doing that instead," Harry blurted out before he could stop himself. Harry hadn't meant for it to come out like that, and the way Slughorn hung his head only made him feel worse.

Thankfully, at that moment George and Samus burst from the back room, providing just the distraction Harry needed. "Since you can't cast countercurses yourself, this new Shield Cape will certainly come in handy," said George obsequiously, smoothing out a new glistening, silky black cape on Samus's right side. "And also a Shield Witches' Hat, free of charge!" added George, thrusting the hat into her free hand. Fred repeatedly banged his head against the store counter.

"Err, thank you, thank you so much," said Samus uneasily, looking eager to get out of the store. She quickly turned to Harry. "Come on everyone, we'd better get going. There's another store here I want to try."

"Harry, may I ask who this is?" came Slughorn's surprised voice, eyeing the towering woman curiously.

Samus looked Slughorn up and down. "You're Horace Slughorn, the new Potions Master, correct?" she asked simply. Slughorn looked taken aback.

"Tell me Professor, ever read _The Quibbler_?" asked Harry.

Slughorn stared at him. "Only the one with your interview. Why?"

"Because if I told you about Samus Aran, trust me, it'd be more unbelievable than any of their stories," said Harry. As he was talking to Slughorn, Harry noticed someone peering in through the window. His old classmate Susan Bones was gazing at him, her face stony. The instant she realized she'd been spotted, though, she darted away, leaving Harry with nothing but confusion.

"Sorry to cut this short, Slughorn, but Harry and I have places to go," said Samus quickly. With that, the four of them hurried out of the joke shop, hearing more of George's fawning praise and offers for free Defense products until they were out of range.

"Why does _**EVERYONE**_ get free stuff out of them except me!?" shouted Ron indignantly.

"Never mind that," said Samus quickly. Harry was curious about just how far George had dared to go, but the unnerved look on Samus's face dissuaded him. "Unfortunately, George couldn't give me any relevant information, except that he's been noticing a bit more activity in Knockturn Alley lately. But that's pointed us in the right direction. After mulling over everything you've told me about that place, I realized there might be someone else who can deliver the goods."

And so, Samus swept through Knockturn Alley, going down the same path Harry had a year before, when tailing Draco Malfoy. Suddenly, Harry realized exactly where she was headed. Before he could say anything, though, an old, stooping witch bumped into her, looked as if she'd run into a solid wall, then ran off. "Funny...people usually give me a wide berth whenever I go hunting for information," said Samus.

"But I thought everyone in your time worshipped you as a hero?" inquired Hermione.

"At times it seems that way, but whenever I have to mingle among the galaxy's citizens, they tend to keep their distance, whether it's subconsciously or not. They're well aware of everything I've done, but are also well aware of how well I've done it," said Samus nonchalantly. Harry kept silent, for he knew she was not as ambivalent about that as she'd like them to think.

The four finally came across Borgin and Burkes, and without breaking her stride, Samus barged through the front door. Harry and the others nervously followed. Borgin was counting coins behind the store counter, and immediately looked up, a sniveling smile forming on his face. It gradually began to fade as he felt the weight of Samus's cold stare. Then Borgin got a glimpse of Harry standing beside her, and once again put on that furtive face he was known for.

"Ah, Mr. Harry Potter, an unexpected pleasure! Never had the honor of seeing you face-to-face," said Borgin in that oily voice. Harry said nothing. He had seen Borgin at work twice before, and did not care for him at all. "How may I be of service?" Borgin went on.

"Don't mind me, I'm just tagging along with her," said Harry, tilting his head toward Samus. "She's the one interested in doing business with you."

Samus leaned forward a little. "That's right, and what I'm in the market for is information, straight-up," said Samus coolly. "We're after Voldemort and the Death Eaters, and we think you're the man who can lead us to them."

Borgin nearly fell out of his chair. "My-my dear, what makes you think...why d-do y-you..." he spluttered.

Samus glared at him even more sinisterly. "Ron, Hermione. Imperturbable Charms on the door and windows. Now," she called out to them without taking her eyes off Borgin. When they hesitated, she shouted, "I said _**NOW**_!" and they were finally spurred into action, drawing their wands and doing as Samus bid. With the sounds inside the store inaudible to anyone outside, Harry had a bad feeling he knew where this was going.

Borgin's slick face was now going pale. "M-My dear, w-what is the m-meaning of..."

"It's quite simple, really," said Samus aloofly. "We all know that Lord Voldemort used to be your employee in his youth. Furthermore, you seem to have quite an amiable relationship with the families of known Death Eaters. Harry saw the Malfoys in here five years ago, and don't think we're ignorant of how it was the Vanishing cabinet in your store that was used to breach Hogwarts's defenses. Right now, we know Voldemort's on the move, searching for some...powerful artifacts."

Borgin was getting more and more nervous by the second, his face growing paler. For several moments he did not speak, paralyzed by Samus's withering glare. Then, with surprising swiftness, Borgin pulled out his wand and sent out an Impediment Jinx at Samus. However, it harmlessly ricocheted off her new Shield Cape and whizzed past Borgin's head, smashing an ancient stone mask on the back wall to powder.

Samus stared back nonchalantly at Borgin for a moment, who stood as still as a statue, his wand arm still outstretched. Then, in one fluid motion, Samus dropped George's hat, slapped Borgin's wand out of his hand and grabbed him by his oily hair. She slammed him down on top of his counter. Then, raising her left forearm so that the fins were facing down, brought it down on the back of Borgin's neck. "Samus, what are you...NO!" cried Hermione in disbelief. But Samus had not killed Borgin. He wasn't even injured. Her upper and lower fins had been extended, impaled into the wood and trapping Borgin's head between them. The middle fin remained unextended, but then Harry saw it slowly lengthen, pressing against the back of Borgin's neck.

"Relax, Hermione. I'm not going to kill him, or even hurt him...provided he cooperates," said Samus, looking down upon the struggling shopkeeper. "Besides, I understand Borgin's kind very well. There are better ways to...persuade people like him." She threw back her cape, aiming her arm cannon at his Vanishing cabinet.

"That cabinet is supposed to be rare and valuable, correct?" Samus asked Borgin icily. Borgin could only watch helplessly as Samus fired an ice missile at it, causing it to fly apart in a flurry of splinters and ice crystals. "Now then, Borgin, must I level half of your store, or are you prepared to cooperate with us now?"

"It's no use!" said Borgin quickly. "I know nothing of any artifacts the Dark Lord covets! I know nothing of his plans!"

"You must have some information we can use. The Weasley twins have seen increased activity in Knockturn Alley lately, and there's a good probability some were disguised Death Eaters seeking to get some valuable gear from you," sneered Samus. "And we know of your belief in pure-blood supremacy. You're obviously the type who Death Eaters would confide in. One of them must have let something slip. How about some information about the Reformers, the four that broke three Death Eaters out of Azkaban?"

"I-I-I...I know nothing about that! No one h-has said anything to me, a-and the _Daily Prophet_ no doubt has covered that up!" screamed Borgin, still struggling to free his head. Harry thought he saw Samus's middle fin press against Borgin's neck a little harder. Hermione must have noticed to, for she whimpered a little.

"Very well. What about the whereabouts of the three Death Eaters they freed? One of them was Lucius Malfoy, an old friend of yours, after all. They can tell us something. If you've got anything for us, I suggest you speak now, or winter comes early for this part of London," said Samus, raising her arm cannon again.

"YOU WIN, YOU WIN!" Borgin shrieked. "There was a Death Eater in here the other day, and mentioned that the three you spoke of had returned to the fold!"

"So the Reformers are working with Voldemort," Samus said to herself. "So where are they now?"

"I b-believe Lucius Malfoy was ordered to stay at his home with Augustus Rookwood. But good luck getting in there. Ancient enchantments make it virtually impossible for unwanted guests to barge in unannounced!" sneered Borgin. "But Rodolphus Lestrange...I hear the Dark Lord had an assignment for him, some big attack on Muggles...don't ask me what the target is, I don't know!"

Harry saw Ron and Hermione stiffen a little, but Samus's composure did not waver. "Then where is Rodolphus Lestrange? We'll stop the attack by stopping him before he starts," said Samus.

"I-I am not sure where exactly!" pleaded Borgin. "The D-Death Eater mentioned, though, that Lestrange's group was supposed to wait in, what did he say, a place the Dark Lord said he was ashamed to be connected to..."

"A place Voldemort was ashamed to be connected to," Samus repeated. Her eyes widened about the same time Harry's did, and they looked at each other, having deduced exactly what that meant. Samus then retracted her fins and released Borgin, who slumped back into his chair, nursing the spot where Samus's fin had almost pierced his neck. Turning to Hermione, she said, "Hermione, I'm sure you know how to magically alter memories. Use the charm on Borgin."

Hermione looked thunderstruck, and Borgin looked more terrified than ever. "Samus, I've never performed a Memory Charm on a human before! I-I could do permanent damage!" Hermione pleaded.

"We can't risk Borgin tipping off any of his Death Eater friends before we can get to Rodolphus Lestrange," said Samus matter-of-factly as she picked up her Shield Hat. "You'll have to take the chance, or I _will_ have to kill him."

Borgin let out a feeble whimper, and Ron let out a gasp of horror. "Samus, y-you can't really mean that!" exclaimed Harry, not believing what he'd heard. But one look into her cold, sapphire eyes let Harry know she was dead serious.

Hermione evidently understood this as well, for with a trembling hand she aimed her wand at Borgin, and, almost whispering, muttered "_Obliviate._" Borgin immediately slumped back in his chair, his eyes half-opened and glassy.

"Hopefully it worked, but we have no time to make sure," said Samus. "At last we have something to work with. So let's get to those Death Eaters before he launches that attack Borgin mentioned." Samus swept toward the door, and though the three of them were still taken aback by Samus's brutality, Harry and his friends obediently followed. "Bellatrix Lestrange was the only Death Eater left standing after that fight in Little Whinging last week. I do hope squeezing every bit of information we need out of her husband will be just as humbling for her as taking her out myself."

Normally, the thought of visiting all sorts of hell upon Bellatrix Lestrange would have lifted Harry's spirits instantly, but mentioning their last encounter also reminded him of how Samus had slew two Death Eaters in the heat of battle. That, along with seeing Samus harshly interrogate Borgin, then threaten to kill him if Hermione could not perform a Memory Charm, unnerved him even more. Harry recalled Samus's own words from the other day...'I'm no hero and I don't pretend to be one. I've accepted that I'm nothing more than what I was raised to be: a hunter and a soldier'. Harry silently wondered if a career as an Auror would require him to be just as ruthless...

"Hermione, before we go after Lestrange, there's something we may need," said Samus suddenly, making Harry look back up at her. "Where in London could I get the necessary chemicals for Adam to synthesize something for me? Any chemical plants or medical centers?"

"Well, er, maybe Adam could find out once we get back to the ship," said Hermione weakly.

"Hopefully he can. Trust me, I don't underestimate the Death Eaters. I know how hard it will be to goad them into betraying their master's secrets. That's why we'll have to be even more conniving and crafty than they are," said Samus sleekly, smiling.

xxxxxx

**June 17, 1997 - 12:02 PM Western European Time**

**Riddle House**

Rodolphus Lestrange paced back and forth in the dingy, dusty main room on the first floor of the place called 'Riddle House'. Occasionally, he glanced out the window, where he could easily see the headstones of the graveyard in the afternoon sun. Over two years ago...that was where the Dark Lord had done the impossible, escaped the ignomity of mortal death. How he regretted having been incarcerated in Azkaban with his wife, missing his triumphant return...

Of course, if he had, Rodolphus would have also witnessed the unthinkable: Harry Potter besting the Dark Lord in some bizarre battle of wits, then escaping yet again. And if what these Reformers told him was to be believed, it happened again a few months after that, with the help of this Samus Aran...

Rodolphus had not believed a word of it at first. Some freakish Muggle bounty hunter, infused with the blood of alien beings, had triumphed over the Dark Lord? Unthinkable. But after speaking with his wife and hearing of her clash with the accursed huntress, there was no denying it: this was one Muggle they could not dismiss so easily.

Perhaps that was why the Dark Lord was willing to go along with what Valencia Asara, the Mudblood with delusions of grandeur now calling herself Valkyrie, had proposed. These Chozo...they were supposedly the same alien race that made Samus Aran everything she was, and thus by unearthing their secrets, the Dark Lord would find the means to defeat both this hunter and Harry Potter.

Rodolphus smiled to himself, laughing inwardly. Did the Mudblood think the Dark Lord would let her get away with any of the secrets that his master's ancestor helped create? _Such a naive fool._ Rodolphus was certain Valkyrie had some trick up her sleeve, but he had faith the Dark Lord would see through her plans. Yes, Valkyrie was a fool if she thought the Dark Lord would honor a deal with her. A subhuman, cowardly, conniving piece of filth like her, who had hidden away in an underwater sanctum for over a decade, who confided in uncouth freaks like the Reformers. He had no idea what his wife or her youngest sister ever saw in her...

In the meantime, while the Dark Lord feigned cooperation, he was intent on continuing his campaign against the Muggle insects swarming across their nation. Soon after the Reformers brought him to the Malfoy's manor, his master had pulled him aside, wanting to put him to good use. He ordered him to pick a small group of Death Eaters and relocate to this house, where they could plot another mass Muggle killing, far from the prying eyes of their new allies.

As Rodolphus continued to pace, he heard a horrible wailing noise outside. The Caterwauling Charm had been set off. Rodolphus looked out the windows again, but could see no sign of intruders. He then heard several of his fellow Death Eaters clambering down the stairs. "I don't get it Lestrange! We couldn't see anyone around the house from up there!" one of them cried apologetically.

"Fools! It could be Aurors, simply Disillusioned!" snapped Rodolphus. "Or...it could be Potter and his lot under that Invisibility Cloak of his!" he went on, brightening up. "If those three poor, deluded children think they can get the better of us...let them come! Wands out! Be ready for anything!"

Wand at the ready, Rodolphus began to casually stroll about the room, watching and listening for any signs of intrusion. "Come out, come out, wherever you are, little Potter!" he jeered. "We know you dream of being an Auror. Aiming to steal a little glory early on? Think you can vanquish some of the Dark Lord's most talented servants on your own? Then by all means, go ahead and..."

Rodolphus broke off when he finally heard something. But it was not a noise from outside the house or around the room. No, it was an odd rolling, scraping noise _underneath_ the floorboard! Then there was a strange blooping noise...

A second later, a small explosion went off underneath the floor, propeling a metallic, teal, bisected sphere up into the room. While in midair, the ball unrolled and expanded, transforming into what looked like a tall human completely covered in strange, grotesque armor. Shining, golden plating showing around the legs and midsection, while most of the rest of the body was enveloped in a rubbery, teal membrane. Three sharp-looking fins were under the left forearm, and the right forearm...nothing but a large cannon. And the head, covered in a red helmet with a large blue visor, through which Rodolphus could see a pair of cold, pitiless eyes.

Another Death Eater entered the room behind the intruder, wand raised. But the intruder swiftly whirled about and bludgeoned him with that 'arm cannon', flooring him instantly. Rodolphus raised his wand. "_Avada Ked-_" he began, but with a fluid grace, the intruder turned right back around and raised her right arm. The arm cannon opened up at the tip, and something rocketed out at him. Rodolphus ducked aside and, whatever it was, it impacted the wall behind him. However, the object exploded, blasting him forward with a rush of freezing air.

Then it occured to him. Projectiles that exploded with blasts of icy air? This was that one Muggle, the bounty hunter even his master feared!

Rodolphus skidded along the floor, but quickly righted himself in time to deflect some sort of wavy, purple blast of crackling energy. Then he quickly aimed his wand at a shabby, dirty couch off to Samus's right. It burst into flame and was flung toward Samus, assuming a horseshoe shape to wrap around and engulf her.

But those fins under her left forearm lengthened as if by magic, and she sliced it in half. She then fired more of those oscillating bursts of energy in rapid succession, and Rodolphus was barely able to deflect each blast. All the while, Samus said nothing, but kept leering at him through her visor, filling Rodolphus with a dread he had never experienced.

_Too powerful, too relentless...Bella was not lying about this Muggle! I must get away, come up with a plan of attack!_ Rodolphus thought desperately. With that, he made a desperate gambit. He slashed his wand in an upward motion, causing some of the floorboards to burst into flame and explode upward, disorienting Samus. Rodolphus then aimed blindly through the debris and screamed, "_Impedimenta!_" Judging by the grunt of surprise, his spell had found its target. But he recalled hearing how this Muggle was resistant to some spells, and turned to flee, stepping over the body of the unconscious Death Eater.

Rodolphus ran through the kitchen, which led to the exit; he hoped to face Samus Aran outside, where there was more open space to fight. In the doorway, however, was another Death Eater, his back turned to him. Before Rodolphus could say anything, there was a bright flash of white light, and his comrade toppled. Standing over the fallen Death Eater was a young girl with brown, bushy hair. Rodolphus remembered her from the botched mission in the Department of Mysteries. He figured this was the Mudblood girl Harry Potter was always seen with.

"Rodolphus Lestrange! Just the man we came to see!" said the girl brightly. Enraged and forgetting his terror over Samus Aran, Rodolphus aimed his wand and yelled, "_Crucio!_" Without a word, the Mudblood lazily knocked the curse aside, then sent out a Stunner at him. He ducked aside, then cast a Stunner of his own. The fight went on, the arrogant little Mudblood matching him spell for spell. But Rodolphus remembered the bounty hounter in the other room. Any moment she would recover, and there was no way to fight both women at once...

However, it wasn't the bounty hunter that came at him next. Another kitchen door slammed open, and Rodolphus risked a quick glance. Harry Potter had finally shown himself, but instead of a wand, he wielded some sort of Muggle weapon in both hands...a gun? As soon as their eyes met, Potter fired. At once, Rodolphus was paralyzed, stopped cold as if hit with an exceptionally powerful Impediment Jinx.

Then, Potter thrust his hand over the gun, and part of it angled upwards. Just as feeling was returning to Rodolphus's body, Potter slashed through the air with his weapon, a shimmering orange cord issuing forth from it. It slashed his wand clean in half, leaving only the handle in his grasp. Rodolphus could only stare back at Potter helplessly. Meanwhile, Potter stared back at him with an insufferable smirk, then stepped aside to let someone else enter: a tall boy Potter's age with red hair and freckles.

"Ron, do it now!" cried Potter, and the boy produced a flask filled with some clear liquid. An ugly scowl on his face, the boy lobbed the flask at him, then aimed his wand at it and screamed, "_Nidorosio!_" It shattered, spewing its contents throughout the air. But as the boy slashed and twirled his wand, the liquid was transformed into vapor. The cloud of vapor shot toward Rodolphus, forcing its way into his ears, his eyes, his lungs. He immediately felt drowsy, dropping the remains of his ruined wand and teetering backward. Somehow, a chair had appeared behind him, and he slumped into it, suddenly too exhausted to resist.

The freckled, red-haired boy aimed his wand again and yelled, "_Incarcerous!_" Ropes now bound Rodolphus to the chair, who could only gaze up drowsily as the three teenagers stood triumphantly over him. "Hope you've enjoyed your week away from Azkaban, Lestrange," jeered Potter imperiously. "Because once you're done telling us what we need to know, you're going right back."


	8. Witch Hunt

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 8: Witch Hunt

3-9-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

**June 17, 1997 - 12:26 P.M. Western European Time**

**Riddle House**

Samus Aran glanced at herself in the dusty, wall-mounted mirror, straightening the necktie and adjusting the vest portion of her disguise. She found it odd, being so fussy about these witches' robes, since she could never quite understand the obsession other human women had with clothes. Samus always figured it was simply due to the subconscious need to attract mates, hardly a priority for her. Anything of the sort she had done could be considered 'one-night stands', matters of need and convenience. Samus couldn't imagine any human males desiring to spend their entire lives with her.

_Then again, there was that run-in with George Weasley earlier,_ Samus thought to herself. She glanced down at the new Shield Cape draping her right side, given away for free by someone hopelessly enamored with her. She wasn't certain, but George seemed to not only admire her looks, but her strength and deadly skill as well.

Sighing, Samus turned from the mirror and walked into the kitchen of the Riddle House. Harry, Ron and Hermione were still surrounding the haplessly bound Rodolphus Lestrange. As expected, the Death Eater looked groggier than ever. Samus instinctively knew now was the perfect time.

Harry and Ron had patiently waited for Samus to begin the interrogation, but Hermione, not seeing her enter, had jumped the gun. Hermione jabbed her wand in Rodolphus's chest, who reacted as if an electric shock had coursed through him. "I'll ask you again...WHERE'S MY UNCLE?" she shrieked with unrestrained fury.

Rodolphus lazily turned to look at Hermione. "I-I...will tell you nothing...you worthless Mudblood," he said, slightly slurring his words.

At once, Samus darted across the kitchen and grabbed Rodolphus by his hair. "Show a little respect, Lestrange. From what I hear, this 'worthless Mudblood' easily held her own against you," Samus said acidly, her sapphire eyes boring into his. "Now, let's begin our little chat with you answering Hermione's question: where is J.B. Granger? Where did the Reformers take him?"

Rodolphus's listless gaze lingered on Samus for a moment, before he groggily said. "I do not know the Muggle's whereabouts...but the Reformers...claimed to have taken him days ago, after a Muggle attack."

"Do you know if he's alive, or what the Reformers want with him?" Samus asked evenly.

"The Reformers seemed...interested in him for some reason, but I don't know why. They knew...who he was related to," said Rodolphus. "He seriously hurt one of them. But didn't sound like...they killed him."

Samus get go of Rodolphus's hair and looked up, seeing the breathless look of relief on Hermione's face. "At least we now know your uncle's alive," Samus said reassuringly.

A sardonic chuckle made Samus look back down at their captive. Rodolphus was leering at her with unveiled contempt. "You wear the clothing of our kind over your machinery," he spat. "What was your intention...somehow make me feel at ease, seeing my interrogator dress as a witch would?"

Samus narrowed her eyes. "Something like that, yes."

Rodolphus chuckled again. "It will not work, you monstrous beast. I heard everything about you...from the Dark Lord and my wife. Know that you have the blood and essence of otherworldly creatures within you, that you are just a freakishly transformed Muggle, simply trained to be the ultimate killing machine."

"You're on thin ice, Lestrange," said Harry dangerously. "Keep pushing, and you'll see just how Samus is..."

Samus raised a hand for silence, leaning a little closer to Rodolphus. "I already know that I'm nothing but an inhuman killer, nothing but a hunter, without you reminding me," she said softly.

"SAMUS! Don't say that about yourself!" cried Hermione, sounding astonished.

"Why not, Hermione? It's the truth. To be considered fully human, my entire genome would have to be comparable to another human's, and I would have had to be raised in a human society. At the age of two, I ceased to meet both requirements." Samus said, eyeing Rodolphus. "No, I was raised a Chozo and given their blood. The fact that I'm not entirely human...means less than nothing to me. All that matters is what my Chozo tribe raised me for: to defend innocent life from sleaze that have no respect for its sanctity."

"Yeah, and we already know you were here planning another attack with your Death Eater buddies," Ron cut in. "What was it this time? Take out another bridge, drop some nasty potion in the water supply, blow up a ferry boat?"

Rodolphus laughed to himself again. "Bleeding hearts...worrying themselves over the inferior Muggles that scurry over our world like ants..."

Samus's left hand lashed out and grabbed onto Rodolphus's face, pulling him closer. "I rest my case. And you dared call _me_ a killing machine?" Samus spat as she gripped his face tightly. "Enough games, Rodolphus. Tell us about the Reformers. For one thing, where did they take you before returning you to Voldemort?"

Rodolphus stared at Samus for a moment, his eyes glassy, before he said, "Someplace deep underwater...where I don't know, we were blindfolded after their spaceship, this 'Razor Knight' went under the waves...some fortress they call 'Inferno'."

"Inferno," Samus repeated. "Sounds like it's around a fault or underwater volcano."

"Most likely...the view outside our room...explosions of gas..." said Rodolphus listlessly.

For a moment, Samus wanted to press on about this underwater fortress, especially since that was likely where Hermione's uncle was being held prisoner. But she instinctively knew that the Reformers were clever enough to keep any vital clues from the Death Eaters they liberated. Sighing, she went on. "What about the Reformers' plans? We already knew that they're working with your boss, and they're all searching for something the Chozo left behind on Earth. Tell us everything you know, _NOW_."

Rodolphus started breathing heavily, looking extremely nervous. "The Dark Lord...is willing to work with this uncouth bunch...he believes these aliens once created something with the help of his ancestor..."

"Salazar Slytherin!?" exclaimed Harry, his disbelief palpable. "_HE'S_ the one the Chozo made first contact with a millennia ago!?"

"And the other three founders of Hogwarts," Rodolphus went on, sounding groggier than ever. "According to journal pages recently discovered, the four of them reunited...and worked with these aliens of yours...left their secrets for anyone to find….whoever gets to them first wins..."

Samus and Harry slowly turned to look at each other, able to read the utter shock on each other's face. They had come so close in those few weeks they spent together, finding kindred spirits because they had endured similar fates. Now it looked as if their pasts intertwined as well. The founders of the school Harry thought of as home, and the alien race that made her who she was... Samus had no idea how long she and Harry stared blankly at each other, but Rodolphus's rambling snapped her back. "She came to him days ago...offered her help and the service of her Reformers...told us where to find the key that would take us to this cache of secrets...unlock it..."

Samus turned back to glare at Rodolphus. "The leader of the Reformers! Who is it? Who's helping Voldemort find this Chozo technology!?" she demanded hotly.

"Another wretched Mudblood bitch...growing up, we had no idea what filth she really was..." said Rodolphus, sounding half-asleep.

"No idea she was really Muggle-born?" asked Harry. "Wait a minute, can it really be...it's VALENCIA ASARA who approached Voldemort! She's alive after all!" Samus gasped from shock as well. This Valencia Asara had sounded like a witch she would have admired, but unfortunately, her instincts were right-on as always. Lily Potter's best friend was alive and well, but was now working with the wizards she once ruthlessly hunted.

"Yes, it is she...but now she thinks to make herself sound more important, choosing another name like my master," drawled Rodolphus. "She now calls herself V-V-V...calls herself V-V-Val..."

"It's Valkyrie, isn't it?" said Ron suddenly. All Rodolphus did was nod. "I bet you hate always being right right about now Hermione. Umbridge and Scrimgeour _are_ hiding something from the rest of us," said Ron, looking somberly at Hermione.

"We'll worry about worming answers out of Umbridge and the minister later. Right now, our top priority is beating Voldemort to this cache of Chozo technology," said Samus resolutely. She grabbed Rodolphus's face again. "Did Asara give Voldemort the location of their target? Where are they all headed?"

For a moment, Rodolphus stared blankly into space. Samus had to jostle him around to elicit a response. "She found that the key to their secrets...in the possession of the American Wizarding Union...their equivalent of the Department of Mysteries...a city called Salem..."

"Salem, Massachusetts. Of all the places to house magical secrets. Talk about historical ironies," said Hermione, shaking her head.

"Have they already gotten to this 'key'?" demanded Samus. She felt Rodolphus try to shake his head, and saw him mouth 'no'. "Then when? WHEN do they plan to strike?"

Again, there was a brief pause before Rodolphus replied sleepily. "Today. In the morning, going by the time overseas..."

That was all Samus needed to hear. Samus let go of Rodolphus, letting him slump back into the chair he was bound to. "Our job is clear, people. From what I can recall of Earth's geography, we can use my ship to get across the Atlantic Ocean in a matter of minutes. Looks like it's up to us four to keep Voldemort and this Valkyrie from my people's technology," she told her young friends, a sharp edge to her voice.

"WHAT? Just the four of us!?" cried Harry, sounding astonished. "Samus, I know you typically like to work alone, or in a small group if you can help it. But Voldemort and the Death Eaters, plus Valencia Asara and her Reformers? We'll be outnumbered AND outmatched. Shouldn't we try to get some of the Order involved?" he pleaded.

Samus stared at Harry wearily, remembering the paralyzing terror she felt last time, of losing Harry as she had lost Adam Malkovich and the infant Metroid. But after seeing how well Harry had handled himself in their previous crisis, she was willing to trust in him, as well as his closest friends. Furthermore, right now, time was a luxury they couldn't afford. Samus resented putting them in such a position, knowing another perilous task - finding Voldemort's Horcruxes - had already been thrust upon them. But in times of war, no decision was ever easy.

"We have to try. But we should contact the Order, tell them to round up any supporters they've got in the region. Plus, we'll need information on just where this building that houses the secrets of that continent's wizards is. Is there any way we can quickly contact the Order?" Samus asked, her voice heavy with urgency.

"There's a method the Order has, using Patronuses to communicate over long distances. I'm pretty sure I can pull it off," said Hermione.

Samus nodded. "Do it. Tell the Order where we're headed, that we've got some Death Eaters for the Ministry to round up, and to contact us again while we're en route to Salem."

Hermione nodded, aimed her wand out the window, and cried, "_Expecto Patronum!_" A wispy plume of energy rocketed out of the house.

Samus watched intently as Hermione began to silently mouth words. She then turned back to Rodolphus. "I should kill you now, you know. Make sure you never get another chance to plan any more massacres," she said coldly, ignoring the gasps from Ron and Harry. "But considering how my friends would never let me hear the end of it, I'll let you live." Samus glared at Rodolphus, hoping she was truly frightening him, but her words barely seemed to be registering with him. "By the way, I bet you're wondering how we got you to betray your master so easily."

"V-Veritaserum, no doubt," spluttered Rodolphus. "B-But, how you got it to work..."

Samus laughed. "Please, I knew Voldemort would ensure using that potion on his followers would amount to nothing. So I used something the arrogant fool would never consider." She reached into the folds of her Shield Cape and produced a large bottle, labeled with a sticker used by chemists of the present age. "A little something we picked up so I could synthesize some sodium thiopental...MUGGLE truth serum!"

Rodolphus's eyes widened with disgust and shock, finally realizing how neatly he'd been outwitted. Samus smiled more broadly, then slammed the sole of her armored boot into his face, knocking his chair over and the Death Eater out cold.

Hermione had finished relaying her message in time to see Samus knock out Rodolphus. "OK, I've sent messages to the Burrow and the Tonks' place. If they heard it, we'll find out on the way to Salem," she said, staring at the unconscious Death Eater the whole time.

"Good. Let's move out," said Samus simply, sweeping out of the kitchen with her three young friends following her. She had hoped to sound confident, now that they would finally be meeting the enemy head-on. But it was a facade to mask an unexplainable uncertainty. A nameless fear was tugging at her heart. It wasn't due to fear of the combined forces of Voldemort and this Valencia Asara...rather, it was some intuition telling her something else was horribly, horribly wrong...

xxxxxx

**June 17, 1997 - 8:04 A.M. Eastern Standard Time**

**Salem, Massachusetts U.S.A.**

_"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks."_

Ever since the night Albus Dumbledore died, those words kept popping into Draco Malfoy's head. For all these years, Draco dismissed Potter's spurning of his offer as the whims of a hopeless idealist, but now, like everything else in his life, he was no longer sure.

For weeks Draco agonized over what happened, and was no closer to making sense of it all. There he was, having disarmed the senile old git, and the greatest enemy of the Dark Lord, who he yearned to help for years. But after months of trying to repair the Vanishing cabinet, after finally cornering his quarry, he couldn't perform that one, final act. Was it out of weakness, as the Dark Lord sneeringly insisted, or was it something else?

Draco shook his head, then took a good look around. Very soon, this joint operation of the Dark Lord and this Valkyrie woman would be underway. For now, the Dark Lord and every Death Eater he assigned for the heist was here in this huge, abandoned building, what Muggles called a 'garage' or something. Also here was a Muggle vehicle called a 'van', which was somehow part of their plans. And underneath it was Valkyrie, busily making last-minute adjustments.

Draco scowled as he looked at Valkyrie's armored boots and 'camo' pants. Valkyrie represented another certainty that had been dashed. Of all of Potter's friends, it was Hermione Granger he resented the most. A lowly Mudblood, unworthy of magic, the most intelligent witch in his year? Before, he had dismissed her as a fluke, but Granger paled in comparison to this Mudblood woman. He couldn't help but be intrigued by Valkyrie, especially after learning his parents had known her.

A loud cawing made Draco look up. Perched on the van's hood was Ryx, who was glaring at him curiously, even craning her neck to sniff him.

"Ryx obviously likes you. She can sense those in turmoil, you see," came Valkyrie's voice. Draco looked back down to see Valkyrie sliding out from under the van, smirking at him. She walked over the hood and popped it, and Ryx hopped onto her shoulder. Valkyrie set her wand down next to the hood, and Draco saw deep bitemarks in it, as if she bit into a waxy coating.

"Hey, what's with your wand?" Draco blurted out.

"Oh, that. It's custom made. Eleven inches, Japanese cherry blossom, with heartstring from a Common Welsh Green. I've found it the best combination for speed and precision," said Valkyrie offhandedly.

For some reason, the thought of a Mudblood making her own wands did not bother Draco as much as he thought it would. "Actually, I was talking about those bitemarks. It looks like you bit into some waxy stuff."

"Ah yes, a special wax Severus and I designed in our Hogwarts days, meant to make a wand stand up to any kind of abuse. I've improved the formula since then. Now a wand with this wax coating can withstand Fiendfyre, among worse things," Valkyrie said proudly.

_That's right, wasn't Snape supposed to have known this Mudblood as well? _Draco thought. Out loud, Draco simply asked the next thing that came to mind. "Uh, why do we need this van thing?"

Valkyrie let out a derisive snort. "You'd think if Voldemort threw you into this operation at the last minute, he'd at least brief you first." Draco nervously glanced over his shoulder, seeing his master standing like a statue in a dim, unlit part of the garage. "Don't worry, Draco. I'll go over the plan with everyone one more time before we move out. Wouldn't want Cissy's only son not to have critical intel."

That brought Draco to another thing he was curious about. "Uh, is it true that you and my mother were once friends?" he asked. Draco knew that, at the time, no one knew she was a Mudblood, but still.

"Oh absolutely. Your father as well. Why else would I order the Reformers to free him? You could even say that Cissy took me under her wing for a while," Valkyrie said matter-of-factly. Draco watched as Valkyrie reached into the engine with her bionic arm; she wasn't moving anything, but Draco heard a strange humming. "Yes, your mother certainly helped me adjust to life in our world," Valkyrie went on. "The abrupt change I had to endure was quite a shock to me. Speaking of which...how ironic that our joint operation is here, only a few miles from where I lived before discovering I was a witch."

"Yeah, this is where a gang of Muggles went rabid with anti-magic hysteria centuries ago," spat Draco. He expected Valkyrie to refute his crack, but amazingly, her face seemed to reflect total agreement.

"Actually, I was referring to where I was educated in the Muggle world," said Valkyrie, withdrawing her arm. "Harvard University is about 25 miles away."

"But I thought you became an Auror right after graduating from Hogwarts. When did you have time to go to a Muggle university?" asked Draco. "Wait a minute, you said _before_ discovering...you mean, you got into a Muggle university when you were a _child_?" Even though he had no regard for the ways of Muggles, to think this woman was that smart by Muggle standards at that age...

Valkyrie nodded. "I did. An executive order signed by President Lyndon Johnson, authorizing the granting of scholarships to any university I wanted. Naturally, I set my sights on the top. You see, this is why my friends sometimes called me 'doctor': I genuinely earned the title. I graduated with a doctorate in biochemistry, while minoring in physics and geology, when I was eleven."

Draco now understood how Valkyrie had such success at Hogwarts if, at such a young age, she achieved what other Muggles took a lifetime to do. "OK, I guess I'm officially impressed. But...it's not as if any of that does you any good now..."

Valkyrie let out a barking laugh, not one of disdain or anger, but one of mild amusement. She stepped closer to Draco, looking him straight in the eye. Ryx glared at him as well. "There was more I learned here, you know. I also trained at the feet of an exiled kung fu master, who fled the rise of communism in China. And my old master gave me words of wisdom which I've lived by ever since."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "What's that?" he asked shortly.

Valkyrie grinned broadly. "_There is no knowledge that is not power_," she said coolly. "The pursuit of knowledge has always been my primary goal, both before and after learning what I was. To gain the power to shape the world for the benefit of anyone I deemed a friend. Muggle science, the arcane secrets of magic...one and the same to me. Both are knowledge, both are power."

Draco had no idea how to respond to that. This was quite a paradox. Here was this Mudblood who refused to let go of all she learned from Muggles, yet she sounded just as ambitious as any pure-blooded Dark wizard.

A shrill voice from behind Valkyrie made her turn around. "Valencia, when can we get this operation underway? The sooner I get out of these insipid Muggle clothes, the better!" Bellatrix stood there with Greyback, the Carrows and several other Death Eaters. Only Draco's aunt was dressed in Muggle clothing, clad in overalls with floral designs sewn in, a pink T-shirt, and her hair done up in pigtails. Valkyrie had provided the disguise, and Draco suspected she was having a good laugh at his aunt's expense.

"Don't fret Bella, you look just fine. No one will recognize you while you are on the road. Anyway, as soon as Valkyrie's followers return from their reconnaissance assignments, we will begin," replied Voldemort icily, walking up to them. His impatience was showing in his high, cold voice.

"And lo and behold, we have returned!" came a saccharine voice from above. Everyone looked up to see Ped and Tesla, the latter now wearing a suit of a lighter, teal color, standing upside-down on the metal roof. Together, they jumped off the roof, gracefully dropping down several feet. At that moment, one of the heavy garage doors rose, lifted up by Wildflower, now wearing a broad witches' hat as well as her dress. Faction, Valkyrie's adopted son, followed her inside.

"Everything is set," said Faction. "We've set up devices and booby-traps all over Salem that will keep any witches and wizards within the city occupied and out of our way, until we have what we came for. The ones we planted around the Salem Witches Institute, naturally, were the most pernicious."

"Hopefully, with it being a Monday, all their alumna and staff are sleeping off the effects of a weekend-long boozefest, but best not to take chances," said Valkyrie airily.

"Now we can finally get a move-on," said Wildflower impatiently. "In case any of you haven't noticed, the sun rose over an hour ago, and I have this thing about ultraviolet rays."

"Oh please, Isobel. Contrary to popular belief, a little sunlight isn't going to kill you," snapped Ped.

"Neither will licking a cheese grater dunked in hydrochloric acid, but you won't catch me doing that either," retorted Wildflower.

"Come on, if anyone has reason to complain here, it's me!" shouted Tesla. "Since we're so close to the AWU's Arcana Academy, we can't use any magic or have items with permanent enchantments, or we'll set off their security charms. And that means I've gotta use this containment suit with NO enchantments whatsoever! The capacitor units are too bulky, the cooling system digs into my back, it makes my butt itch and I fucking hate the color!"

"Enough everyone," said Valkyrie calmly. "Everyone wants to grab what the AA is hoarding, so let's get to it." At once, the Reformers stood at attention. Draco was amazed at the air of authority around Valkyrie. Of all the Reformers, only Tesla was shorter than her. Ped and Wildflower both stood a couple inches taller than Valkyrie, and Faction towered over even Greyback. Yet the sense of power radiating from the Reformers' leader was undeniable.

"Like Tesla said, we can't use any magic within five miles of the AA's headquarters, so that's what the van is for. It's constructed with a special metal that will insulate the magical ambience given off by so many Dark Marks clustered in one spot, so this is how the Death Eaters will make the approach around the back," explained Valkyrie. "Meanwhile, my Reformers will be stationed at points around the perimeter of Salem. Apparition into the city is only possible at certain points, so they'll be prepared to cut off any interference from the outside until it's too late."

"It never occurred to me, until now, how paranoid the American Wizarding Union is about protecting their secrets," hissed Voldemort.

"In that respect, the American Muggles and American wizards are no different," said Valkyrie, nodding. "Anyway, you and I will come breaking down the front door, and at the same time the Death Eaters will come at the AA from the back. For this, though, we'll have to do something about my arm..."

"On it, Doctor A," said Tesla brightly, producing a thick roll of bandages from her skirt. She tightly wrapped them around Valkyrie's bionic arm.

"Wait a minute...no one will recognize you, since you've been presumed dead for years. But how will the Dark Lord conceal himself, if using a Disillusionment Charm is not an option?" demanded Bellatrix.

Valkyrie grinned coyly. "I was just getting to that," she said as Tesla finished her task. "We'll use a magic-free means of rendering your boss invisible." With that, Faction walked up, carrying a vest laden with heavy-looking mechanical units and metal tubing; in particular, there was a large cylinder on the back. "This will make Voldemort invisible to anyone on the streets, but the charge will last less than an hour."

"Hold on, I recognize this...it seems to be derived from the technology of Samus Aran's ship!" cried Voldemort.

Valkyrie grinned. "When Samus Aran was here the first time, I did far more than simply observe her," Valkyrie said slyly. She pulled out a sling from her coat and put it on, nestling her bandaged arm in it.

"So that's the plan in a nutshell," said Ped. "We Reformers will keep anyone from getting to the AA's headquarters, while the doctor and the Death Eaters attack in unison."

"Very well, very well," said Voldemort aloofly. "Give me that vest. The sooner we complete this venture, the sooner I can rid myself of this odious device. As for all my followers, get into the Muggle vehicle."

Draco said nothing throughout the entire briefing, and kept silent as the Death Eaters scrambled for the van. That sense of unease was growing. But his trepidation didn't seem to stem from working with these oddballs, or from venturing out into a Muggle city. Rather, he felt that life as a Death Eater was nowhere near as glorious as he once dreamed. _"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks."_ The words exploded in his head.

"Bella, you have the disguise, so you're in the driver's seat," Draco heard Valkyrie command his aunt.

"But...I have no idea how to operate this...thing!" protested Bellatrix. "If we can't enchant it..."

"I've also rigged up the van with onboard computers, operated by a rudimentary artificial intelligence," said Valkyrie dismissively. "It will guide the van to your destination for you. All you must do is keep your hands on the wheel and try to look like you know what you're doing. Oh, but there's one more thing I must give you," said Valkyrie suddenly. Draco had been climbing into the back of the van, but stopped to look over at the driver's seat. Valkyrie pulled out what he knew was a Muggle weapon, a handgun. "In case you run into any drunk rednecks on the road, only this'll get 'em to back off," Valkyrie explained to a perplexed Bellatrix. "Oh, in case you're wondering..." Valkyrie turned, aimed the gun at a tool chest, and fired three rounds. The gunshot sounds echoed throughout the garage, startling everyone. "Yes, it's loaded," Valkyrie finished simply, offering it back to Bellatrix.

"Why...do you carry Muggle weapons with you?" Draco asked, perplexed.

"Why not?" Valkyrie replied innocently. Bellatrix said nothing, staring sourly at Valkyrie, but eventually reached out to accept the weapon. But as she grasped it, her arm trembled all of a sudden. At that instant, Draco felt a searing pain in his own arm. He pulled up his sleeve to see his Dark Mark burning.

"What is...who would be brazen enough to summon us back when we are about to venture outward?" came Voldemort's indignant outburst. "Unless...it's not meant to summon us back, but something else..."

"Possibly a warning, maybe? But what could make the Death Eaters back in England..." Valkyrie began, but then something seemed to dawn on her. "Samus Aran. The bounty hunter must have tracked down some of your minions, found out what we're planning."

"Oh great, that means Harry Potter is already on his way here!" exclaimed Ped.

"What, you're fearful of that one boy?" Bellatrix shrieked, her voice saturated with disdain.

"If you and your fellow Death Eaters aren't also afraid of Harry Potter at this point, you're even more foolish than I thought," Valkyrie said quickly. "Every time he's crossed your paths, he's found a way to thwart all of you. Give him half a chance, he'll do so again." Another thing was now certain: Valkyrie wasn't one to underestimate the enemy.

"It's not Potter I'm worried about. Rather, how he's undoubtedly tipped off the Order of the Phoenix, who will in turn warn the American Wizarding Union," said Voldemort coolly.

"Nevertheless, none but the Death Eaters you assigned here know the exact details of our plan. Samus Aran and Harry Potter won't know how we'll attack, or when," said Valkyrie. "We can't afford to delay any longer. We must move out NOW."

The forcefulness of Valkyrie's words spurred her friends into action. Ped jumped back up to the ceiling and crawled toward an opening, while Tesla flew toward it. Wildflower and Faction left through the garage door they entered from, and Valkyrie went over to Voldemort to adjust his vest. Meanwhile, Draco finally clambered into the van and shut the back doors, now more anxious than ever. Ped seemed fearful of facing Potter, but whatever her reason, he doubted she dreaded such a meeting more than he did...

xxxxxx

"We are now approaching Salem, Massachusetts," Adam announced. "We will enter the city's airspace in less than a minute."

Harry glanced out the cockpit window, anxious to get a glimpse of Salem. He had never been to America before; before Samus took him into space, he had never left England before. And ever since seeing students from the Salem Witches Institute at the Quidditch World Cup, he had been curious about the American school. Of course, with the situation being so dire, Harry knew he'd have no time to indulge his curiosity.

His thoughts kept going back to Valencia Asara, running through everything he had been told about his mother's best friend. None of it made any sense. McGonagall, Moody and Slughorn all said she was consumed by her hate for Voldemort. _But according to Slughorn, Valencia was always fascinated by the Dark Arts_, Harry reminded himself. _And she was almost put into Slytherin…and was all over Snape._ Harry shook his head, repulsed. So much about Valencia Asara was unclear. He hoped against hope that, just like with Sirius Black, there was some convoluted explanation for it all, that not another friend of his parents turned traitor...

"OK, we have the location of this Arcana Academy from Tonks, and we also know there's a whole bunch of charms that span for several blocks, which will detect any magic or enchantments. We'll have to watch out for that," said Samus.

"It appears that the Arcana Acadamy's security is not limited to detecting any unauthorized magic," said Adam suddenly. "We have just flown into the city limits of Salem, and already my systems are having difficulty compensating for some mysterious interference."

"But...this ship never had any trouble with all the magic in the air around Hogwarts," said Ron.

"The ship's safeguards against electromagnetic attack was probably sufficient to protect my systems," said Adam. "However, I suspect this interference is due to enchantments specifically designed to restrict any unauthorized craft, and even this ship is not immune. In time I may able to compensate, but for now I fear I can only get us within a few kilometers of our target."

"Just goes to show the lengths American wizards will go to guard their secrets, I suppose," said Hermione offhandedly.

"But I think we can count on Voldemort to find a way to break through their defenses, especially if Valencia Asara is now on his side," said Samus darkly. "I've spotted a park that looks unoccupied. I'm landing the ship there." Harry had kept silent the whole time, watching the sun rise over the city's skyline as the ship descended. All looked peaceful now, but Harry had a nasty feeling that Salem was about to turn into a warzone.

The four of them dropped down from the ship as soon as it landed, still invisible to the naked eye. They ran across the length of the park, Samus's witch disguise still covering her suit. Harry was afraid she wouldn't blend in as well in Salem. At least the rest of them had some Muggle clothing with them to use.

"Without the luxury of time, we'll have to assume Voldemort's already reached the Arcana Academy," said Samus. "So going the rest of the distance on foot is not an option. We'll have to commandeer...ah!" Samus pointed to an unoccupied taxi cab close to the park.

"SAMUS! We can't, that's stealing!" Hermione protested.

"Don't be ridiculous, we're only borrowing it," Samus said dismissively. "I assume you know how to operate it?"

"I...yeah, sure," Hermione replied weakly. "Wait a minute, oh that's right, in America the driver is on the left side. _Alohomora!_" All the doors unlocked and popped open. After a moment's hesitation, Ron and Harry climbed into the back seat. Hermione sat herself in the driver's seat, her nervousness palpable, while Samus got into the passenger's seat.

"Hermione, just...how much experience do you have driving?" Ron asked delicately.

"Well, last summer I backed Dad's car out of the driveway," Hermione said, flashing a weak smile.

Harry and Ron hastily buckled their seatbelts.

"Oh great, we need a key," Hermione muttered to herself, ignoring the boys. "Maybe, if we can find some material suitable for transfiguration, I can..."

Everyone jumped when Samus's extended fin blade shot across the cab, its tip forcing itself into the keyhole. With a twist of her forearm, Samus started the ignition. "There's our key. Now let's move."

Still shaken, Hermione slowly placed one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the gear shift. A few seconds later, Hermione slammed her foot on the gas, and the cab barreled out onto the road.

xxxxxx

Voldemort, rendered invisible by the stealth technology pilfered from Samus Aran's ship, stuck close behind Valkyrie as she strode through the streets of Salem. Unendurable impatience was welling up in him, and he recalled how Valkyrie said the vest only had so much power.

Valkyrie, on the other hand, seemed perfectly composed as she walked among the Muggles, giving off an air of complete stoicism. Much of Valkyrie was still an enigma for Voldemort. He had killed her best friend and ordered the death of her family, yet she offered her allegiance. And there was what he overheard from her conversation with Draco. She obviously refused to abandon what she learned from Muggles, and hardly anyone on the street spared her a second glance, accepting her as one of their own. Yet, somehow, he got the sense she despised the Muggle world as much as he did.

His suspicions were partly confirmed as they passed by a coffee shop. An old, stooping Muggle woman hobbled up to Valkyrie as she passed, offering a small book which Voldemort saw had the Christian cross on it. "My dear, would you like to hear the good news of..." the old woman began. But she never got to finish. Without even turning her head, Valkyrie lashed out with her right hand, grabbed hold of the old woman's face, and forcefully shoved her into a dining table, knocking over the young couple seated there.

At once, Voldemort heard someone cry out, "Hey you bitch, the fuck is your problem?" Voldemort barely had enough time to sidestep as a tall, burly Muggle approached Valkyrie from behind. Once again, Valkyrie did not even turn her head. Instead she kicked backward and drove the heel of her armored boot into his groin. The Muggle doubled over, and Voldemort quickly stepped over him to rejoin Valkyrie.

"Care to tell me what that was about?" Voldemort hissed into her ear.

"What do you care?" Valkyrie retorted bitterly. "The woman was spreading propaganda for a death-cult that revels in ignorance and superstition, and used its dogma as an excuse to hate and fear our kind for centuries. Don't tell me you wouldn't have done worse, given the chance. Anyway, time to can the chatter. We're nearly there," Valkyrie whispered, pointing to a large skyscraper, which looked hopelessly neglected, less than a block away.

xxxxxx

It was like the tragedy at the Handu Mountain Preserve all over again.

A few minutes ago, nothing was amiss in the expansive main hall of the Arcana Academy in Salem, Massachusetts. The forest-green tiled floor had been sparkling with light reflected from the enchanted ceiling three stories above, which mimicked the rising sun. Witches and wizards came and went through fireplaces off to the left side of the hall. Charlie Weasley himself had passed through moments ago, having pulled some strings and calling in some favors to get security clearance to use the Floo Network from New York. He had gotten the message half an hour ago, that Voldemort's forces were planning to steal something from the Arcana Academy.

Unfortunately, the staff proved quite unreceptive. Until a minute ago, when a lone woman strode into the main hall. Charlie had seen her out the corner of her eye. All he was able to take in was her black hair, done up in several ridiculously long braids, her left arm being in a sling, and her sleeveless brown coat, before the woman whipped out her wand and all hell broke loose.

In only the span of a minute, the entire hall had been thrust into panic and chaos. The first thing the woman did was point her wand at the tiled floor. Immediately, three gigantic, tiled hands rose from the ground, attached to earthen arms as thick as sequoias. They began pummeling and tossing people around, and at the same time, the woman removed her sling and the bandages from her arm, revealing some sort of metal appendage. It shifted about and reformed, and a lariat shot out, ensnaring the nearest witch. The woman then swung her around like a human mace, knocking several others senseless while firing Stunners in all directions.

It was at this point when Charlie himself had been flung into a distant corner by one of those sweeping, groping hands. As Charlie fought off dizziness, something else renewed his terror: the distinctive sound of Avada Kedavra being used. But what he heard the woman say next truly chilled him to the bone.

"Voldemort, you pathetic amateur!" came the woman's shrill retort. "It takes no skill to simply kill the opposition. Here, let me show you how it's done!" Charlie got up just in time to see her point her wand up at the upper walkway, where many wizards had gathered to snipe the intruders from above. "_Fulguritum Militus!_" At once, a bright ball of energy shot out and struck the walkway. From what Charlie could see, a wave of electricity traveled along the walkway, paralyzing everyone standing on it. Then the woman seemed to fly up to one end of the walkway, and with her metal fist outstretched, lurched forward and glided along its length, clobbering every hapless witch and wizard still paralyzed.

_So, THAT'S Valencia Asara,_ Charlie thought bitterly, finally realizing who she was. His anger was enough to overcome his fear. He then spotted Voldemort across the hall, using the Cruciatus Curse on some stragglers. _Maybe, while he's distracted, I can take him out, then worry about this Asara._

But before he could send out a curse, a bright blast of white light enveloped his vision. He was thrown back into the wall, and his wand flew away. "Uh uh uh, I don't think so Weasley," came a shrill, cackling voice. This Valencia Asara was bad enough, but if he was right about who that voice belonged to...

Charlie looked up to see Bellatrix Lestrange standing over him, but... "Lestrange...why the _HELL_ are you dressed like a flower garden?" Bellatrix let out a shriek of indignation before kicking Charlie in the face. Charlie felt his jaw nearly pop out before hitting the floor again.

Charlie steeled himself, certain a Cruciatus Curse was coming. But then, he heard Valencia Asara's voice close by. "Now now, Bella. He's an Order member, after all. He could be of some use down the road." Charlie sat up, seeing Asara calmly stride toward him. At the same time, she pointed her wand behind her, and the giant arms receded into the floor. Only misplaced, broken tiles were left in their place. "Charlie Weasley...talk about always being in the wrong place at the wrong time. First the Handu Mountain Preserve, and now this. You know, believe it or not, this isn't the first time we've met. I had your memory modified the last time, since you weren't interested in my offer. A shame...Inferno could've used a brilliant naturalist like yourself."

Charlie shored up his courage. "Yeah, well, considering the company you keep nowadays, I can see why I didn't take up your offer."

Valkyrie simply smirked at him. "As sharp as ever, just like the rest of your family. I always respected them, you know. A shame we may have to fight in the near future. But like I said, later on you could be of some use. And since Voldemort's done with the stealth vest I let him borrow..."

With a wave of her wand, a large vest laden with a bizarre array of metal parts, sheafs of wires and a bulky cylinder on the back flew across the hall. Valkyrie caught it as she aimed her wand a Charlie, who swallowed hard. The cold look in those indigo eyes, that imperious smirk...she was almost as terrifying as the SA-X.

"Normally, I shun the Unforgivable Curses, for they're the first resort of the weak and unimaginative. But plasticity is what enables one to endure," said Valkyrie. "_Imperio!_" Charlie fought against the curse as hard as he could, but when Valkyrie tossed him the vest, he slowly put it on against his will.

"That's all I needed you to do," said Valkyrie simply, and Charlie felt himself be released from her control. "And now then, until we can have a little chat when I'm not on a clock..._Incarcerous!_" Strong metal bands coiled themselves around Charlie, but Valkyrie was not yet done. Valkyrie reached out and clicked something on the vest. Looking down, Charlie saw that his body was now invisible, as if Disillusioned. Valkyrie waved her wand one last time, and suddenly Charlie's body flew through the air, right out the entrance of the Arcana Academy. He began ascending over the tall Muggle buildings. He cried out in fear, but no sound came out, as if a Silencing Charm had been placed on him.

_Oh please please please please please, don't let this charm give out!_ Charlie thought desperately as he continued to glide over Salem. Despite the crushing fear, however, as he looked down, Charlie took note of a taxi cab that was speeding quite erratically through the streets.

xxxxxx

Samus forced herself to remain calm as Hermione kept on driving, wildly swerving every so often and going well over the mandated speed limit, no doubt feeling the same sense of urgency she did. Samus had navigated treacherous asteroid fields, so it wasn't too hard to bury any fear here. However, it was a different story with Harry and Ron. "For God's sake Hermione, you do realize we won't be able to do much in the way of stopping You-Know-Who if you get us killed out here!" cried Ron fearfully.

"As my uncle would say...BITE ME!" snapped Hermione. "It's so hard to...oooh, why can't Americans drive on the left side of the road like everyone else? Anyway, it's not like anyone will take notice...I've heard American cab drivers are completely mental anyway. Oh yes, and _who _was the one who crashed his father's flying car?"

Ron fell silent, but Samus was certain he was scowling behind Hermione's back. "Make a right turn at the next signal," said Samus. "According to Adam, after another 1.6 kilometers, the Arcana Academy will be on our right."

Hermione said nothing as she suddenly turned into the farthest right lane, prompting many motorists behind them to blast their horns. Then Hermione made a turn so sharp the tires screeched. After that, Hermione simply drove straight ahead. In the distance, Samus could see a tall building, over twenty stories high, that looked horribly neglected in comparison to surrounding buildings, and had no doubt that was their target.

_But here's the question: will we beat Voldemort and Valkyrie there?_ Samus contemplated as the cab sped on. _Either way, in times like this, I'll just do what I always do: hope for the best, but anticipate the worst. Without any other information, we'll have to assume that Voldemort and Valkyrie already made it._

"Samus, what's our game plan? Surely you've got some strategy in case Voldemort beat us there," Harry asked suddenly, as if he could sense Samus's uneasy thoughts. Samus's lips curled into a small smile. The man knew her all too well.

"Very well, Harry, here's my plan: I'm going in first..." Samus began.

"Hold on, Samus! I thought we agreed we'd all work as a team?" shouted Harry indignantly.

"And so I did, but that doesn't mean all four of us will blindly charge in," replied Samus. "In case Voldemort, Valkyrie and their underlings are already there, I intend to get their attention and draw their fire. A minute or two later, I want you three to charge in. If they're there and focusing on me, you can catch them by surprise."

"That...sounds like as good a plan as any," said Hermione tentatively. "And we don't have time to come up with another one anyway. We're here." With that, Hermione slammed on the brakes, drawing grunts of protest from Harry and Ron. Samus withdrew her fin from the ignition and kicked open the door, knocking it off its hinges. She ran up the stairs, three to four at a time, until she reached the front doors and stormed through. Upon entering, she came across a security booth...and the glass had been shattered, with the security guard beyond it slumped in his chair, dried blood under his nose.

_As I feared, we're too late,_ Samus thought as she ran past. _No turning back now. Time to meet the enemy head-on._

It wasn't long before Samus stepped out into an expansive hall, its ceiling enchanted to mimic the sky outside just as the Great Hall did. She took a quick look around, noticing three crater-like areas where the green tiles had been broken away. Next, Samus spotted some figures clad in black-hooded robes on the walkway above…Death Eaters.

One on the upper walkway suddenly spotted her, but it was too late. Samus aimed her arm cannon and fired one ice missile after another, causing the walkway to break apart. Any Death Eaters standing nearby were either knocked unconscious or nearly frozen solid. Shrieks of terror echoed in the hallway along with the explosions, but Samus ignored them as she looked around the ground level. After spotting more Death Eaters about ten meters off to her right, she took aim and fired.

Harry had been fussy after she had killed those two Death Eaters a week ago. Samus didn't really understand why. They were his sworn enemies, dedicated to a life of violence and in the service of a genocidal maniac, so she felt no qualms about killing them in the heat of battle. Still, Samus decided to play by Harry's rules...somewhat. Only the charge, wave and spazer effects were active. Triple bursts of oscillating energy lanced out at her quarry. Not quite lethal, but more than enough to cause them overwhelming agony.

Four more Death Eaters fell, but a sudden cry of "_Avada Kedavra!_" forced her to break off her assault. She backflipped just as several jets of green energy shot past underneath her. Samus gracefully landed a few meters back, her arm cannon at the ready, facing her attackers. A quick glance around revealed it was the same four Death Eaters that survived in Little Whinging.

"Well, what a coincidence! And I almost didn't recognize you in that get-up, Bellatrix!" Samus sardonically jeered. "What luck, now I can finish what I started a week ago!"

"Think so, Sammy!" spat the stooping woman Samus figured was Alecto Carrow. "You won't get lucky this time. We're all wise to yer Muggle tricks!"

"'Muggle tricks'?" repeated Samus delicately. "Considering what you're after here, I hoped either Voldemort or Valkyrie would've told you the truth about who I am."

"Oh great, how'd she know about all that?" groaned Greyback, his wand arm raised stiffly at Samus. "Ah who cares!? All together now, let's rush her!"

"NO!" barked Bellatrix, her eyes livid and alive with malice. "Samus and I...we're going to finish what we started, one-on-one! I vowed I'd bring the Dark Lord her head, and I will!"

"Plenty of others have boasted they'd have my head, but it's still attached to my shoulders," Samus shot back. "You think you can do any better, go right ahead."

"Oh I will, Aran, I will!" cried Bellatrix. "You see, the Dark Lord _DID_ tell me all about you. Namely, your one great weakness! _GLACIUS!_"

A turbid burst of wintry air shot out from Bellatrix's wand. Samus tried to avoid it by jumping up and toward her, but it suddenly curved upward to engulf her. Because she had forgotten she wasn't wearing her helmet, she was temporarily overcome by a rush of paralyzing cold. However, she soon cleared the cloud, and regained her senses in time to fire a few shots at Bellatrix. Bellatrix was able to deflect the first few, then quickly darted aside to evade the rest.

_Obviously, she's got more raw power than the others,_ Samus reasoned. Samus landed a few meters from Bellatrix, and the two began to circle each other, looking for an opening. _Under normal circumstances, I'd relish a chance to fight it out with Bellatrix. But by now, Voldemort could have already gotten this 'key' the Chozo left behind..._

"Get her, Lestrange," came Greyback's growling voice from across the hall. "It's payback time!"

A Stunner shot out from across the hall, striking Greyback square in the face. "It certainly is," came Ron's voice, filled with vindictive fury. Samus spared a glance sideways to see more curses flying at the Carrows from the hall entrance, and the Carrows barely reacted in time to deflect them all. Greyback, apparently too tough as a partially-transformed werewolf to be downed with a single Stunner, got right back up and joined the fight.

Samus looked back to Bellatrix, who had also risked a glance. Samus took advantage of that opening and fired. Bellatrix was able to block it, but the effort hammered her to her knees. Samus then fired ice missiles, but Bellatrix shoved herself sideways with a gust of wind. She managed to stay upright, her sneakers skidding across the tiled floor.

_If Bellatrix wants to play against my weakness...two can play at that game,_ Samus thought as she took aim again. "By the way Bellatrix, know how we found all of you? Your husband was kind enough to spill everything he knew, after we pumped him full of Muggle truth serum! By the way, cute outfit. After seeing you in that, the thought of being one of Fleur's bridesmaids isn't so bad."

Bellatrix's reaction was immediate and predictable. She raised her wand and yelled, "_Flatundo!_" Some sort of explosive shockwave traveled along the floor, cutting a deep swath across the hall, heading right for Samus with deadly speed. Samus managed to dash aside just in time, firing another ice missile at Bellatrix as she did so. This time, Bellatrix was too slow, and it detonated near her feet. Samus saw Bellatrix's wand fly away as she was propelled across the hall, landing right at Samus's feet.

Samus looked down at her fallen foe, the barrel of her arm cannon a few inches away from her head. Bellatrix, likewise, simply stared back at her, her face one of carefully contained rage. But there was something else. Samus could tell from the look in her eye that Bellatrix was about to try something. A second later, she did just that: she pulled some sort of gun out of nowhere.

Before Bellatrix could even aim, Samus's fist smashed into her face, knocking her out cold. "A gun, Lestrange? Whatever happened to all that wizarding pride your type crow about?" Samus asked her unconscious foe. Samus turned around to check how the others were doing. They had already taken out the Carrows, and Greyback was finally downed by levitating tiles smashing into him. "Well, I guess that's all the Death Eaters on this level," said Samus brightly.

"Not quite Samus. Behind you!" Ron warned suddenly.

Samus spun around to see Draco Malfoy, standing a few meters away on wobbly legs, his wand arm trembling. He had clearly been shaken up by Samus's opening volley of ice missiles. "So, it really is you," said Draco tonelessly. "What, are you going to freeze me again?"

"Not unless you force me to," replied Samus evenly. "You see, Harry told me everything about what happened that night, including how you couldn't go through with Dumbledore's murder."

Draco looked even more wary, as if he'd drop from either exhaustion or terror at any moment. "I know you're the one who got the Death Eaters into Hogwarts, but at the last second, you couldn't go through with it. You held back. Believe me, I know what that's like," Samus went on, remembering how she could not bring herself to finish the Metroid hatchling. "As far as I'm concerned, that proves you're different from the other Death Eaters. I can't speak for the others, but I believe that's earned you the option of a quiet surrender. I know you can do Occlumency, so you might get away with lying to Voldemort. Just say Harry Stunned you. Or would you rather risk getting yourself seriously wounded for a master that callously sent you on a suicide mission? Make your choice fast, before I make it for you."

One look into Draco's eyes let Samus know the young man was struggling with some inner turmoil. Perhaps his ordeal with Dumbledore had affected him more than either she or Harry suspected? Agonizing moments passed by, and Samus was prepared to fire and end it. Fortunately, Draco reached back and threw his wand at her, a defiant scowl etched on his face.

Samus caught his wand. "Alright then. Ron, you take care of Draco. Harry, round up the rest of the Death Eaters and bind them up for this country's Auror force. Hermione, let's try to figure out where Voldemort and his new allies scampered off to," ordered Samus.

The three immediately got to work. Ron approached Draco with his wand raised. Draco simply raised his hands innocently, his face unreadable, and Samus was certain Ron was looking for any excuse to curse his old rival. Harry levitated all the unconscious Death Eaters against the wall one-by-one, then bound each one in ropes. "That's disillusioning, you know. Lestrange here is supposed to be the most lethal Death Eater, but you laid her out with one punch," said Harry, having levitated Bellatrix over last. "And what is _**UP**_ with those clothes?"

"A disguise, no doubt," said Samus dismissively. "Now Hermione, any idea where..."

"Samus, your hand! Draco's wand!" shrieked Hermione, pointing at the wand Draco had relinquished. Samus looked down and was stunned by what she saw. What looked like boiling magma was fountaining out from the tip of Draco's wand. It splattered all over the floor, eating it away. Samus dropped the wand out of shock, and it nearly fell into a puddle of magma.

For a few moments, no one said anything. Amazingly, it was Draco who broke the silence. "Whatd'ya know, looks like you're not a Muggle after all," he said delicately.

"H-How did I...I-I c-can't use..." stammered Samus, refusing to believe what she just saw with her own eyes.

"Well, you've never held a wand before, have you?" asked Ron. "Actually, it looks like you kinda focused your plasma beam through a wand, just like Harry did."

"Samus, I'm sorry, but I'm sure you'll agree we don't have time to dwell on this," said Hermione. "And I think I found out where the others have gone," she went on, pointing at something on the right side of the hall. It was some sort of circular platform within a large, bronze cylindrical tube, which instantly reminded Samus of the old elevator systems on Zebes.

"I think I've seen those in a few books. If my guess is right, it's a sort of magical elevator that only allows two people to ride it every half-hour or so," explained Hermione. "You heard what Tonks said, most of the AA's equivalent of Unmentionables actually live on the upper levels. Security here is so tight, it's practically impossible to approach the building from the air, and they made it so only two people could enter or leave the upper levels at a time. There's probably all sorts of horrors waiting above, enough to dissuade any other pair. But if one of them is Voldemort, and if Valencia Asara is half as smart as everyone says..."

Samus needed to hear no more than that. "So that was their plan. Have the Death Eaters secure the ground floor, while Voldemort and Valkyrie tear through the upper levels," said Samus.

"But where to do the Reformers fit into all this?" asked Harry, sounding panicky. Samus did not blame him. From the surveillance footage Adam showed them, she could tell the Reformers were no pushovers.

"They must be around somewhere," said Samus. "Ron, Hermione, I hate to ask this of you, but you've got to secure the ground floor in case the Reformers come back. Harry and I will try and head off Voldemort and Valkyrie."

Ron and Hermione simply nodded, and Harry and Samus ran onto the platform. At first, nothing happened. But Harry anxiously waved his wand, and all off a sudden, the platform began to rise, emitting a steady hum. Samus and Harry caught one last glimpse of Ron and Hermione before blackness enveloped them.


	9. Streets of Rage

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 9: Streets of Rage

3-16-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

Harry had no idea how long ago Voldemort and Valkyrie reached the upper levels of the Arcana Academy, but it could not be plainer that they had already been here. The instant the darkness gave way and the elevator ground to a halt, Harry was greeted with the sight of a wizard's body sprawled across the tiled floor. Harry looked beyond it, seeing a long hallway. Harry could see more bodies, dust and debris from tiled walls and floors blasted apart, and what looked like thick smoke from unseen fires.

While Harry was taking in the carnage, Samus stepped off the elevator to examine the body. "Hmmm, dead. It was the Killing Curse that did this, wasn't it?" Samus asked delicately. Harry wearily walked up to it, instantly recalling how Cedric Diggory looked after being cursed. All he could do was nod dully.

Samus and Harry ran down the hallway that stretched out before them. They soon came across an unconscious witch slumped against the wall, who was weakly stirring. Samus examined her as well. "This one's alive, but has several broken ribs, and probably a concussion," she said quickly. "She's in no danger at the moment. Come on, let's keep moving."

Upon stepping out of the narrow hallway and into an expansive room as spacious as the Great Hall, Harry saw the scope of their enemies' attack. Indeed, fires were roaring all around, their suffocating heat enveloping Harry. The ceiling was not enchanted like the hall below, but several chunks of it had been blasted away. Harry trudged on, his heart sinking as he saw more and more bodies. Some people were stirring, but others were lifelessly still. He was not looking in front of him, and ran into something that felt...organic. Looking ahead, Harry yelped and dropped his wand upon seeing the head of a lifeless basilisk.

"What the...Harry, is that a basilisk!?" Samus cried out in shock. Again, Harry merely nodded. He was about to turn away in case the eyes were intact, but Harry then noticed a series of straps around the head. Upon further inspection, he saw that the eyes were covered with mirrored half-spheres, and some sort of leather harness was fastened atop its head, almost like a saddle.

"It's as if someone was meant to RIDE it!" Harry exclaimed in disbelief. "And those things around its eyes...I bet they're meant to open and close with a flick of a wand. Not that this did any good against Voldemort, with him being a Parselmouth."

"I wouldn't say that. It looks as if its lungs and heart were run right through," said Samus, pointing to gaping, bloodied holes further down its body. "I don't think Voldemort would do this do the species Salazar Slytherin prized." Harry gulped. He had skewered a basilisk's brain in the Chamber of Secrets, but this was something else entirely. "Harry, there's some metal double doors over here that they've plowed right through. Let's go."

Harry nodded, wanting to get away from the dead basilisk as soon as possible. He got beside Samus and they ran for the mangled doorway. But when they were within a few feet, small balls of blueish flame the size of baseballs appeared, arranged in several rings and spinning with dizzying speed. When they shot toward the pair, Harry barely shielded himself in time. Even then, the searing heat seeping through his Shield Charm nearly made him pass out.

"One of Voldemort's enchantments?" Samus wondered as she destroyed a flame ring with her ice beam. "Or more likely one of the many defensive measures implemented to impede intruders. Goes without saying that following them will not be easy."

"If only someone working here could..." Harry began, but a horrible groaning noise made him turn around. Slumped against the tail end of the basilisk was a young, lanky witch with freckles and reddish-blond hair done up in pigtails. Her robes looked like most other witches' robes back in Britain, expect hers was a dark, navy blue, and a star pattern was sewn into the shoulder areas. Harry saw her stirring. Hope swelling within him, Harry ran over, aimed his wand, and cried, "_Ennervate!_"

The witch's eyes flew open. Her bloodshot eyes darted around, fixing upon Samus. "What the...who are..." Then she noticed Harry, and her eyes widened. "H-Harry Potter...HERE? I'll be, those rumors are true! You really are out to get Voldemort if ya chased him halfway across the world!" She tried to sit up, but immediately yelped in pain.

"Don't try to move!" Harry implored. "Tell me, was Voldemort working alone, or did he have an accomplice? An Asian woman in her mid-thirties, missing her left arm?"

The witch's eyes widened even more. "H-How'd you know? Y-Yeah, there was some Oriental broad with him, but...she had a left arm. Looked like it was made of metal or something. The bitch used it to rip out my basilisk's guts!" Harry suddenly had a mental picture of a metal arm, created in the same fashion as Wormtail's silver hand, plunging deep into a basilisk's scaly hide. "We've been shoring up our defenses here for a year, ever since ya exposed him in yer Ministry. That's why I came all the way from Mississippi. Parselmouths were in demand, y'see. The other Arcaners figgered a trained basilisk Voldemort couldn't control was the last thing he'd expect. But that other one, she moved so friggin' fast, didn't have a chance ta strike back..."

"We think we know what they're after," Samus cut in. "Do you have anything stored here that your superiors thought was of extraterrestrial origin? Some sort of artifact with alien writing, or imagery of a highly-evolved avian race?"

The witch's gaze darted over to Samus, eyeing her curiously. After a moment, they softened, as if she realized Samus could be trusted. "I ain't sure about everything we got here, but...somethin' like that would probably be on the top level," she said wearily.

All of a sudden, everything around Harry became a dizzying blur as his scar burned like mad. When vision returned, it was through Voldemort's eyes, seeing his spidery fingers grasp his yew wand, slashing and twirling it, casting a charm on some circular metal barrier. Then, a left hand that glistened as metal would, but stained with blood, was placed upon it. Harry noticed it looked nothing like Wormtail's hand. Rather, it was composed of dozens of moving, mechanical parts, like something out of a science-fiction film. "No good, no good! This time, let's try an Inversion Charm simultaneously," cried out a feminine voice with a distinctly American accent.

It ended as soon as it had begun. The pain in Harry's scar fell to a tolerable level, and he once again saw through his own eyes. He ignored Samus's concerned stare, took a deep breath, and said, "I think they're almost there. Please, tell us how to get past your academy's security!"

For a moment, the young woman seemed hesitant to reveal such sensitive information, but she soon relented. "If they're at the top level, you'll wanna take that stairwell over there!" she said, pointing a trembling finger at a door a few dozen feet behind them. "But you'll have to use the right countercharm at each floor, otherwise you all will be drenched in liquid nitrogen." He heard Samus shudder, and he did not blame her, knowing what liquid nitrogen did. Harry carefully listened as the witch told him what spell to use on each level.

"Thanks! Don't worry, we'll stop Voldemort for you!" Harry called back as he and Samus ran to the door. Samus smashed it to splinters with a single kick, then quickly began ascending the stairs. Harry tailed her closely, raising his wand and casting a noncorporeal Patronus, letting the silvery mist spread over the floor above them. Harry heard some clicking noises, and instantly knew that whatever would have sprayed the liquid nitrogen was now inert. And so it went on, running up the stairs as quickly as possible while Harry disabled the security on each floor. The higher they went, though, the more Harry's scar burned.

At last, they reached the highest floor, and Samus charged through the door, leaving a tiring Harry to catch up. They ran down a hallway, lined with large windows that gave a breathtaking view of Salem as the sun rose above the skyscrapers. And all around were the bodies of the basilisk rider's fellow Arcaners, either unmoving or barely stirring. Harry had a feeling that none of them were dead, but had been taken down physically...

After running down more hallways, they came across a circular opening, the twisted remains of a metal barrier strewn outside it. Harry had no doubt Voldemort was lurking inside, his scar burned worse than ever. His breathing became even more ragged, and his heart hammered in his chest. "I've got no fancy tactics this time, no strategy," whispered Samus regretfully. "Nothing left to do but charge in and take them down HARD."

Harry simply nodded, and the two charged forward and turned into the opened passage. Voldemort idly stood in the dimly lit chamber, as if inspecting what was on display inside, oblivious of them for the moment. Samus raised her arm cannon, and Harry heard the missile barrel snap open. Voldemort turned in time to see an ice missile coming his way. With a wave of his wand it detonated, but it had come too close and the impact disoriented Voldemort. Harry saw the opening and took it, aiming his wand and yelling, "_Carpe Retractum!_"

However, instead of a shimmering golden band of energy, something that looked like Samus's wisp whip snaked out of his wand, ensnaring Voldemort. Shocked and surprised for a moment, Harry stared as Voldemort writhed in the ghastly flames. Samus pelted him with her plasma beam, and when it looked like Voldemort was about to break free, Harry went with his original plan. With a yank of his wand, Voldemort was tossed aside, thrown into a four-armed clay statue of an ancient Chinese soldier. Upon making contact with it, the arms wrapped around Voldemort. With a shriek, Voldemort summoned up raw, magical energy, and the statue was blasted to dust.

Samus and Harry warily watched Voldemort as he stumbled forward, his eyes ablaze with fury. "So, that _was_ why our Dark Marks were burning. You two somehow tracked us here," sneered Voldemort.

_Wait a minute, we made sure those Death Eaters at that house would be out for hours,_ Harry thought. _Who could have tipped Voldemort off?_

"And not only that, you somehow managed to defeat all my Death Eaters downstairs. But in the end, it matters not, because we are practically at our goal," spat Voldemort. "Whatever your reasons for returning, Aran, you efforts will meet in failure! Once I find the artifact left behind by your benefactors, I will not allow you two to stand between me and what it leads to!"

"A Zoomer extending its spikes, trying to ward off predators, looking more dangerous than it really is," retorted Samus calmly. "You can't fight both of us at the same time, and you know it."

"Ah, but as you must already know, Riddle did not come here alone," came a calm, singsong voice from nowhere. There was an archway to Voldemort's left, beyond which there was only darkness. But Harry could make out a pair of glowing eyes, the irises indigo and the sclera a fluorescent pink. Then, slowly, a lone figure stepped out from the shadows.

"Samus Aran and Harry Potter. I've waited a long, long time to meet the both of you face-to-face," said the woman, her eyes alight with interest. Harry instantly knew this was the girl from his mother's photos, long since grown up. She was a little taller than him, had an extremely athletic build, and radiated an aura of determination and purpose. He took note of her sleeveless coat, her long, braided black hair, and the emblem of some flaming bird on her shirt. But what drew Harry's eye was her left arm. From the deltoids down, she had replaced her left arm with some sort of machine.

And clutched in that left hand was, no doubt, the Chozo artifact she and Voldemort had conspired to steal. Made up of a polished, orange-yellow stone, there was something molded into the shape of a Chozo's head, about the size of a basketball, its eyes solemn and knowing, its powerful triangular beak pointed downward. Valkyrie grasped a neck-like region underneath that head, to which there was attached an obelisk pointing downward. Harry could see two sides of the obelisk. There was a relief of a lion's head on one, and a relief of a serpent's head on another.

"So it's true. Whatever the Chozo did here on Earth, they did it with the founders of Hogwarts," said Harry, glaring at the artifact intently, watching for a chance to bewitch it from her.

"So, you already know that as well," said Valkyrie, smiling. "Samus must be every bit the determined detective her legends make her out to be. And no doubt you helped, Harry. Everyone knows of how you resemble your father, but I'll wager you've inherited more of Lily's wit and sharp mind than others care to admit." Harry was taken aback, unused to his enemies complimenting him.

"That's right, you knew Harry's mother. You were supposed to be her best friend," Samus shot back. "You were also in the Order of the Phoenix. What changed you, Asara? How can you possibly work side-by-side with Voldemort?" Samus had asked exactly what was on Harry's mind, and he scowled at Valkyrie, anxiously awaiting her answer.

"I have been curious about that myself," Voldemort interjected delicately.

"A distasteful alliance borne out of necessity, nothing more," said Valkyrie simply. "Coveting the Chozo's secrets is the only thing Voldemort and I have in common, although for different reasons." Her tone was totally unapologetic, as if she viewed teaming up with a psychopath was inconsequential, the ends justifying the means. "Voldemort thinks that by unearthing the wonders of your people, he'll have the means to conquer you two. I'm not worried about that. Let Riddle try, we'll see how he does. As for myself, I intend to put such technology to more...constructive use."

"Constructive use?" repeated Harry. "And what might that be?"

"I once shared your ambitions, Harry, but time has made me wiser. You've slowly begun to realize what I've known all along, there's no such thing as absolute good or absolute evil. The worlds you try to protect, Muggle and Wizard alike, you're realizing they're too rotten at the core to be worth preserving as is." Those words seemed to spark a memory in Harry, making him forget the searing pain of his scar. Valkyrie's rant sounded so disturbingly familiar. "That's why, over fifteen years ago, I founded a safe haven for people like me: Inferno. And with Chozo technology, there'll be no limit to what I can do to improve it."

"Rodolphus Lestrange mentioned this Inferno. Some sort of fortress built around an underwater volcano," said Samus, holding her arm cannon steady, who seemed totally unconcerned. "Sounds to me more like a perfect place to launch offensives than an idealized society."

"Ah, so he's the one who alerted you to our plans," hissed Voldemort coldly. "I must make sure to discipline him for his weakness and treachery. But for now, I'll happily settle _our_ score."

A pulsing in his scar warned Harry a split second before it happened. Voldemort slashed his wand, and some sort of energy wave spread out toward them. Samus jumped in time to avoid it, while Harry rolled aside and cast a Shield Charm. However, he had been too slow, and the backlash knocked him senseless for a moment. Harry could hear Samus cutting loose with a barrage of ice missiles, thus drawing Voldemort and Valkyrie's fire.

Once he could stand up, Harry spotted Samus firing her beam with wild abandon, with all effects but ice active. Voldemort ducked and swept around the chamber, occasionally counterattacking with Glacius, but Samus deftly evaded the freezing mist and kept up her unrelenting assault. Valkyrie, meanwhile, only bothered to deflect any beam shots headed her way, more concerned with protecting the Chozo artifact.

Harry saw that as an opportunity. He raised his wand and yelled, "_Expelliarmus!_" Valkyrie had been too slow to turn, and was blasted back through the archway, her wand flying backwards with her. The artifact, however, landed a few feet beyond the archway, and Harry made a beeline for it. He jumped to avoid a Killing Curse from Voldemort that smashed the tiled floor instead, then scooped up the artifact, holding it close like a football.

A sickening crunch let Harry know that Samus had just landed a crushing blow on Voldemort, so he would keep for the moment. He wildly gazed around the shadowy, adjacent chamber as he slowly backed away, hoping to spot those glowing eyes before it was too late.

Suddenly, Harry felt something metallic and wiry wrap around his neck, and he was yanked into the darkness. He felt Valkyrie's head smash into his midsection. Harry hung onto his wand, but he dropped the artifact. He heard it scrape along the floor as Valkyrie picked it up. Harry frantically looked around, but could spot nothing in the darkness. Desperately, Harry slashed his wand upward and yelled, "_Fumoraestus!_"

Though Harry could not see it, a blinding, boiling cloud of steam, which would only last a few seconds, now surrounded him. At once, he heard Valkyrie squeal in pain. Harry turned in that direction, spotting her glowing eyes. Figuring Valkyrie would anticipate other magic attack, Harry instead delivered an uppercut to her jaw. He heard the artifact drop again. He raised his wand to hex her, to make sure she stayed down long enough to escape with the relic, but Valkyrie's knee smash into his gut, flooring him instantly.

Clutching his midsection and groping for his wand, Harry heard Valkyrie retrieve the Chozo relic. Upon finding his wand, he looked back up to see Valkyrie's glowing eyes staring down at him. "You put up a good fight, better than most of the amateurs down below," said Valkyrie. "Your mother would be proud. Hopefully one day, we'll fight on the same side."

"W-Why would I _ever_ join you?" Harry spat.

"You can't see the whole picture at the moment, but just know this: everything I do, it's for fulfilling Lily's vision, a promise I made long ago," said Valkyrie defiantly. "We'll meet again, Harry. And when you know the whole story..." With that, Harry heard her run for the archway. A moment later, he heard a blasting noise accompanied by a yelp of surprise from Samus. "Voldemort, let's go! We have what we came for! You can settle up with them another time!"

His heart pounding and his mind racing, Harry ran out of the archway in time to see Samus kneeling on the floor, firing a missile that barely missed Voldemort as he swept out of the chamber. "COWARDS!" Samus called out after them, looking beleaguered and worn out. "Come on, Harry! They are _NOT_ getting away that easily," she said furiously after seeing him stumble past the archway.

"No, they're not," said Harry, ignoring the stinging pain in his middle and his scar as he ran after Samus. Upon exiting the chamber, he spotted Voldemort ducking down a corner. Soon, they were chasing Voldemort and Valkyrie down the hallway with huge windows. Samus began firing wildly, forcing the two to turn and defend themselves, and Harry joined in, sending out curse after curse.

"Forget this," Valkyrie snarled, clutching the artifact protectively. "The AA's enchantments keep intruders on the outside from flying in, not the other way around. So..." With a broad slash of her wand, Valkyrie caused all the windows to shatter, sending out a deadly cascade of glass shards. Samus and Harry reflexively raised their arms to shield their faces. A second later, Harry lowered his arm to see Valkyrie hurl herself forward, almost as if flying, grasping Voldemort's torso with her wand arm as she rocketed out of the building.

Harry could only watch them go, completely dumbfounded. "No way, you're not getting away!" shrieked Samus, running up to the nearest shattered window, arm cannon at the ready.

"You want to follow us? Very well!" Voldemort called out as he and Valkyrie were in freefall. He slashed his wand, and a forceful torrent of wind kicked up within the hallway, blasting Harry and Samus outward as if they were scraps of paper. Now they were in freefall as well.

Paralyzed with horror as he felt air rush past him while falling, Harry saw Voldemort leer at him sadistically. Samus, trained warrior that she was, did not give in so easily. She lashed out with her wisp whip, pulling Valkyrie away from Voldemort and toward her. Seeing Samus act so expertly under pressure finally shocked Harry out of his stupor. Harry turned back to Voldemort, who seemed to idly float on the wind, ready to curse him. Harry beat him to the draw, shouting, "_Carpe Retractum!_" Once more, a lasso of ghostly blue flame ensnared Voldemort, paralyzing him.

Harry knew he had only seconds left before both of them became permanent stains on the street, but he had to get Voldemort off his back first. With a forceful yank, he drew Voldemort right toward him. Blocking out the pain in his scar as best he could, as well as the sickening feeling of approaching terminal velocity, Harry cut loose with a few quick punches to Voldemort's face. Then he dispersed the fiery lasso, aimed his wand at Voldemort's chest, and shouted, "_Bombarda Maxima!_" Voldemort was blasted away from him like a flaming meteor, and Harry saw him descend toward an intersection below.

_Only have a few seconds left!_ Harry thought fearfully, wildly looking around for what he needed. At last, he spotted some towels and clothes, left on several apartment balconies to dry. Harry waved his wand and yelled, "_Accio!_" All the cloth flew toward him, and as they closed in, Harry concentrated with all his might. All the Summoned cloth swirled and morphed around him while he muttered incantations, transfiguring them all into a parachute. Finally, Harry pointed upward at the parachute and shouted, "_Torrentus!_" A huge updraft of wind drove him skyward again.

Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, Harry looked down to see the streets now only about a hundred feet beneath him. Harry glanced around as he gently floated downward, but saw no sign of Samus or Valkyrie. _Samus could have just space jumped to safety, so no sense worrying about her,_ Harry thought. _As for Valencia Asara, who knows? Hopefully Samus got the relic off of her._ He found it odd that he would be concerned about Valkyrie. But the fact remained that she had once been his mother's best friend, and it was clear that her motives were quite different from Voldemort's. It was a mystery Harry was determined to solve. But first thing was first. He grabbed hold of the suspension lines, trying to steer his parachute.

xxxxxx

Samus had hoped to reel Valkyrie in with her wisp whip, wrest the Chozo relic away from her, then get to Harry and space jump away. However, those hopes were dashed once Samus found that Valkyrie's bionic arm had raw strength rivaling her own. After wrestling over the artifact for a moment while in freefall, Samus was jostled when they suddenly stopped in midair. Valkyrie smashed her head into hers, and in that split-second, Valkyrie struck her with some sort of blasting hex. Samus rocketed across the city, smashing right through the brick wall of one building. She caught brief glimpses of astonished people as she kept on going, eventually going through the wall on the opposite side.

At least going through a building had slowed her velocity, and she painfully tumbled across the roof of another building. Ignoring the soreness of her muscles and a horrible dizzy spell, Samus slowly stood up, raised her arm cannon and glanced all around. She had no idea what the extent of Valkyrie's power was, and had to be ready for anything.

Samus was, unfortunately, proven right when she heard an ominous whooshing noise behind her. She whirled around to see Valkyrie _FLYING_ straight at her. She held the artifact close to her with her wand arm, and reared back her bionic arm. Samus barely had time to roll with the blow as a metallic fist struck her chest. The impact jarred her insides.

It wasn't long before Samus recovered again, turning and aiming at Valkyrie as she hovered a few feet above the building. _I don't hear her kicking up any wind currents, the way Voldemort sort of flew on his station,_ Samus thought. _It's like she's...actually defying gravity at will, without any magic! How can she do that?_

Samus kept her arm cannon raised as Valkyrie slowly lowered herself onto the roof. "I'm glad this opportunity came sooner rather than later," said Valkyrie calmly. Valkyrie then shoved the relic somewhere into her coat, most likely into a pocket with an Undetectable Extension Charm cast on it. "You've intrigued me for a long time, Samus Aran. I've been anxious to see how my power measures up to yours. At last, it's time to see what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object."

And with that, the battle recommenced. Valkyrie wildly waved her wand, forming huge, deadly shards of ice. The shards sped toward Samus, who deftly dashed aside and fired at them. Whenever she saw an opening, she fired upon Valkyrie as well, but she proved just as agile, dodging her shots with ease.

Valkyrie tried a different tactic, sending out a blast of steam, shrouding the area in opaque vapor that nearly scalded Samus's exposed face. "This was Harry's idea, actually, and a good one too!" she heard Valkyrie call out right before she came at her through the steam, leaping at her. She delivered a flying kick to Samus's head, almost knocking her senseless. Samus was sure that kick would have broken the neck of any normal human.

Luckily, Samus quickly regathered her wits and fired a single charged shot. It ripped through Valkyrie right before she landed back on the roof, but all she did was yelp in surprise. It hardly seemed to slow her down. Just like Voldemort, many more shots would be needed to bring her down. Samus opened fire again, but Valkyrie dashed away, deflecting her shots with contemptuous ease. "How dare you talk about Harry! You were Lily's best friend, and you've dishonored her memory by teaming up with her killer!" Samus shouted as she kept up the barrage.

"Spare me the idealistic banter, Samus. You, a bounty hunter, are hardly one to preach," spat Valkyrie as she darted around. "Case in point: aren't you wondering what happened to Harry after we all went flying out the windows?"

Samus's eyes widened with horror. She had been so wrapped up dealing with Valkyrie that she had completely forgotten about Harry. "Don't worry yourself too much over it. After sending you through that building, I saw him transfigure himself a parachute. As for Voldemort, well, it looked like they're ready to take their fight to the streets."

xxxxxx

"Whoa whoa whoa!" exclaimed Harry as he pulled up his legs, narrowly missing some power lines as he parachuted down. He was nearing the intersection Voldemort had crashed into, and saw a gaping, smoldering crater there. Fortunately, it looked as if no cars had been destroyed, but there was quite a pile-up of fender-benders. Curiously, he also saw many Muggles abandoning their cars, running away from the intersection, as if they knew how dangerous it was to stick around.

At last, his feet touched down on the asphalt, and Harry quickly unfastened his parachute. Wand at the ready, he slowly crept toward the intersection. _Did I get him? Nah, not if he can take over a dozen plasma beam blasts, _Harry reasoned. _Still, it's useless to try and 'kill' him here, since we have yet to hunt down the rest of his Horcruxes. But...this isn't just about killing Voldemort anymore, it's about beating his lot to the Chozo's secrets..._

There was a furious roar from the smoking crater, and suddenly abandoned cars flew in all directions. Harry had to Banish one coming right at him, and it smashed through the window of a shop on the street's corner. Then, finally, Harry saw Voldemort crawl out of the smoking pit just as his scar burned worse than ever. Voldemort's cold, scarlet eyes fell upon him instantly, and it was all Harry could do to not completely lose his nerve.

"Nice try, Potter. But without the benefit of your Metroid form and Aran's weaponry, you have no hope of defeating me again," Voldemort cried out, right before raising his wand and bellowing, "_Glacius!_" At once, Harry cast a Hover Charm on a nearby car, which he used as a barrier against the blast of frosty wind. "Give it up, Potter! That won't protect you for long!" Voldemort shout as Harry struggled to support the car's oppressive weight with his charm. "You truly have delusions of grandeur if you believe you can defeat me alone!"

"Who said he was alone?" came Hermione's voice from nowhere.

"What the...where..." Voldemort began. All of a sudden, Harry saw a fire hydrant shoot into the air like a rocket. Water geysered up from the sidewalk, and a watery fist formed at the top. It plunged down into the spot Harry knew Voldemort was standing, and suddenly the mist vanished.

Harry shoved it aside to see Voldemort pinned down under a magically focused torrent of water. He spotted Hermione nearby, twirling her wand around. Ron was standing beside her. He looked quite apprehensive, staring at Voldemort uneasily, but then he aimed his wand at some power lines. "_Diffindo!_" cried Ron, and the power lines snapped apart. Ron waved his wand around, and the power lines shot toward Voldemort like writhing serpents. Once they made contact, electricity arced all over the intersection. Harry was forced to avert his eyes, but he heard Voldemort's furious screams of pain over the sizzling of electricity.

Eventually, Voldemort drew upon his raw power, diverting the gushing water and blasting away the power lines. With a gust of wind, he shoved himself backward, down the street behind him. Harry kept his wand raised, knowing Voldemort could try anything.

"Harry, we heard those windows shatter and ran out. Got here as soon as we could, mate," said Ron, running up to him with Hermione. "Hermione's set up Muggle-Repelling Charms all over. None of them'll get caught in the crossfire."

"I don't know how long they'll last, with all the magic Voldemort will be throwing at us. At least there's no sign of the Reformers yet," Hermione said weakly. "Harry, where's Samus? Where's the thing the Chozo left on Earth?"

"Valkyrie got hold of it, but Samus should be fighting her right now. Not sure where. We'll have to leave her to Samus. Right now, priority number one is containing Voldemort," Harry said quickly, fingering his burning scar. It was then that he noticed one of the cars Voldemort tossed aside, now engulfed in flames from an ignited fuel tank. Suddenly, an inspiration came to him. "And I think I know just how to do it."

xxxxxx

Samus was faced with a difficult choice: drop down to the streets and help Harry fight Voldemort, or keep battling Valkyrie in the hopes of retrieving the Chozo artifact. Of course, it was not as if Valkyrie was giving her a choice. The Reformers' boss kept up her assault, but to Samus, there was something strange about the way she fought. There was a not-quite-subtle difference between fighting to kill, as Samus was doing, and fighting for the sheer thrill and to test someone's mettle. Samus felt as if Valkyrie was trying to gauge her limits, conjuring up one magical assault after another.

Valkyrie's latest tactic was to cause water and gas pipes to burst from the roof. They took the form of large, human hands, trying to swat at her, and either spewed steam at high pressure or belched out flames. All the while, Valkyrie darted around the edges of the roof, firing curses. It was all Samus could do to dodge her spells and blast apart the pipe-hands. Even worse, she had scored few hits on Valkyrie herself. _How can she cast all these powerful spells at once, so quickly? _she wondered as she froze a flame-spewing pipe-hand solid. _I know she's intelligent, but no one ever said Asara had power like this!_

"I must hand it to you, Samus...haven't had a workout like this in quite some time! You're just as skilled as I imagined, if not more so!" Valkyrie exclaimed jubilantly as she kept darting around.

"Enough Asara, this isn't a game!" cried Samus. "I don't know what you intend to do with my people's technology, but it can't be for the better! When I returned to my present, I'd found everything had changed! As if the Galactic Federation never existed!"

"And why would that be a bad thing?" asked Valkyrie delicately as she transfigured a stray missile into a pigeon. "From what I understand, in your present, the Galactic Federation was about to brand you an outlaw! Used and thrown away, despite all your hard work and service...I've been down that road before, Samus. Trust me, if I'm going to alter history as you say, I'm doing you a favor."

"So, it's true. The Ministry was up to something shady that involved you...something called the Valhalla Agenda," said Samus as she kept dodging those groping pipe-hands.

"As always, the galaxy's greatest detective!" cried Valkyrie. "Yes, it's true. The Muggles denied me a past, Voldemort robbed me of my present...but it was Scrimgeour and Umbridge who stole away my future!"

Samus noticed that Valkyrie's movements seemed a little less focused and graceful, as if chatting with her was diverting her attention. If that was so, Samus intended to exploit it. She rolled along the ground to avoid another burst of pressurized steam. When she righted herself, Samus aimed at Valkyrie as she raised her wand to manipulate the pipe-hands. A tightly focused, charged-up plasma beam blast shot out, striking Valkyrie's wand hand. The hand remained intact, but her wand was blasted away somewhere, out of sight.

At last, the pipe-hands stopped moving, and Samus kept her arm cannon trained on Valkyrie. "Hand over what's mine, Asara. You stole a relic left by my people, and I don't care what the Ministry did to your future, I won't let you ruin the galaxy's," Samus spat vindictively.

"We'll see, Samus," said Valkyrie, showing no worry about being wandless and staring down the barrel of her arm cannon. "It's been interesting, pitting my magic against your weapons. But time to make this more...personal." Suddenly, Valkyrie dropped down onto her butt and slid toward Samus at top speed, one leg bent, the other outstretched. Taking Samus by surprise, Valkyrie's foot smashed into her knee, causing her to stumble forward. As Samus fell, Valkyrie grabbed hold of her wrist with her good hand, but slammed her bionic hand over the barrel of her arm cannon. Samus's eyes widened as she saw Valkyrie's hand glow while some sort of viscous, orange glop seeped out.

With a forceful kick, Valkyrie shoved Samus off of her. Samus stared stupidly at her arm cannon, certain that this strange material had rendered it useless. She looked back up to Valkyrie, who crossed her bionic arm over her chest. All of a sudden, it began to shift and reform, and a long, serrated blade coated with dried basilisk's blood, nearly a meter in length, shot out from where her hand used to be.

"Oh yeah, _THIS_ is how you get the norepinephrine flowin'!" shouted Valkyrie as she came at Samus with blinding speed. Samus barely had time to extend her fins and parry the broad swipe of her blade. "You and I are more alike than you realize, Samus. I, too, received the highest education my world could offer at a young age, and studied the martial arts as well," said Valkyrie as their cybernetic blades were locked. "Let's see which one of us comes out on top."

xxxxxx

It had seemed an elegantly simple strategy: use hit-and-run tactics against Voldemort. Come at him from all sides, keep him off-balance, and try to herd him in the desired direction. Of course, against a wizard like Voldemort, no plan was ever guaranteed to work.

_But we've forced him back quite a distance so far,_ Harry thought hopefully as he Banished a manhole cover toward Voldemort. It flew at Voldemort like a frisbee, and he only Vanished it when it came within an inch of his face. _DAMNIT! But...at least he's afraid of attacking me directly. He knows all about the Priori Incantatum effect now, and won't dare leave himself open to Ron and Hermione,_ he thought as he took cover behind a cab, avoiding flying glass shards._ But...I wonder why so many of my spells are working so strangely against him? Why is my wand working so differently?_

There was a scream from Hermione. A speed limit sign had wrapped itself around her, then she was sent crashing through a restaurant window. "HERMIONE! Harry, go check on her! Right now, he's mine!" shouted Ron, now showing no fear of Voldemort whatsoever. Ron sent out a Blasting Hex, causing a car behind Voldemort to explode. Then Ron fired curses at him while he was disoriented. Unfortunately, Voldemort was still able to fend off all of Ron's attacks.

"No Ron, don't lose your head! You'll play right into his hands!" warned Harry as he pointed his wand behind him. He muttered the incantations, and the traffic lights came off and flew toward Voldemort as they were transfigured into a flurry of arrows. _This'll give him something else to focus on,_ Harry thought as Voldemort bounced the arrows back at him, forcing him to take cover. _There's no time to check on Hermione, none of us can handle Voldemort one-on-one. If only we could catch him off-guard, do something he wouldn't..._

And then, the answer came to him. As Voldemort sent out a Killing Curse that Ron barely avoided, Harry ran right for Voldemort. While Voldemort stared at him with a shocked expression, Harry pulled out Samus's Paralyzer and fired. Voldemort was instantly stunned by the blast. Knowing he would recover in seconds, Harry flipped on the energy whip and thrust the Paralyzer forward, causing the whip to lash out in a spiral fashion, knocking Voldemort back. With a broad swipe of the whip, Voldemort was knocked back further, and in the split-second that Voldemort was helpless, Harry flicked his wand, sending him flying across the street.

Voldemort's back collided with a parked car, leaving a large dent. "You foolish little children, you cannot keep up this pace forever!" Voldemort cried defiantly as he got back up, glaring at Harry and Ron with venomous malice. "If you think the three of you can overwhelm me, you are sorely mistaken!"

"Hate to break it to you, Voldemort, but we weren't trying to overwhelm you, but rather to herd you where we wanted!" yelled Hermione, running up to Harry and Ron, having freed herself.

"What madness is this, Mudblood?" spat Voldemort, livid at the idea.

"Take a look where you are, Riddle. A good, long look," said Harry dangerously as he pocketed the Paralyzer. Keeping his wand raised, Voldemort quickly glanced around him. Slowly, his expression changed from one of smug superiority to sheer panic. He had been thrown into a car parked at a gas station.

The three of them raised their wands and, in unison, cried out, "_Incendio!_"

The ground quaked as the gas station erupted in a ball of billowing flame, with Voldemort standing in the center. The trio quickly backed away while Hermione cast a charm to screen out the intense heat. "D'you...think we got him?" Ron asked timidly.

Harry shook his head. "I seriously doubt it. But he'll be seriously weakened, I hope," he said as he gazed at the huge column of fire. Harry kept his wand at the ready, certain that Voldemort would emerge from the flaming wreckage any moment. He almost didn't hear the approaching footsteps and shocked gasps behind them.

"The hell is going on here? Who are you three?" came a demanding female voice. Harry turned to see several dozen witches surrounding them, all wearing the attire of the Salem Witches Institute he remembered from the Quidditch World Cup.

"Voldemort's going on here," said Hermione evenly. "He and his allies came to steal something from your country's Arcana Academy. But as far as we know, he's still somewhere in there," she finished, pointing at the billowing flames.

"Wait a minute, I recognize this kid now...Harry Potter! I'll be, he's the real deal. England's public enemy number one, outwitted by the so-called 'golden trio'!" said the witch that had yelled at Harry before.

"This explains what happened back at the Academy," said another witch. "Once we got word that the AA was under attack, we found some weird devices had set up forcefields all around the campus, keeping us from getting out until now, and..."

The witch was cut off as a whirl of wintry air surrounded the ruined gas station, smothering the fire. Harry watched with apprehension as a lone figure stumbled through the hazy smoke. As he drew closer, Harry could see his robes were somehow still intact, but parts of his white, snakelike face were as badly burned, as in the aftermath of his last fight with Samus. _He's severely weakened now! Oh, if only we'd found the rest of the Horcruxes! We could finish him here and now! He'd have no chance!_ Harry thought, his heart sinking at the thought of the wasted opportunity.

"Uh, Harry, Hermione...do Muggle cars usually do that?" asked Ron nervously, pointing down the street. Harry turned to see several cars and trucks dropping down on them from high above. He looked back to Voldemort, but he looked just as surprised as he was.

"Everyone, SCATTER!" Hermione cried out fearfully, barely jumping away in time as a police car came crashing down where she had been standing. All around them, the witches from Salem were frantically running away as cars and trucks rained down everywhere, filling the air with dreadful crashing noises and flying parts. To top it all off, Harry spotted a city bus flying down the street, the side facing them, as if to sweep them away. "All of you, at once, a Severing Charm!" commanded Hermione, her voice shaking.

Harry nodded. "_Diffindo!_" shouted the trio, and the bus split down the middle, erupting in a ball of flame. The individual halves crashed into the sides of buildings. Through the flames and smoke, Harry could make out four figures calmly walking down the street.

"Harry, it's them! The Reformers!" shrieked Hermione fearfully, her voice echoing his thoughts. He anxiously watched the four he recognized from Adam's video footage walk toward them, their faces cold and stony. And further behind them, Harry saw the Death Eaters they had left in the Arcana Academy. Voldemort they could barely handle. But now the Reformers and all the Death Eaters as well?

"Tesla, secure Voldemort! Make sure nothing gets to him! Ped, take to the walls, and get to the witches from behind," commanded Wildflower. Her partners silently obeyed. Ped leaped high onto a building and scampered along the walls high above them. Jarred into action, Harry was about to curse her, but then he saw Tesla curl up into a ball and hurl herself like a pinball. She took out several witches, rebounding from one to another, before she barreled toward Voldemort and skidded to a halt at his side.

At once, Harry, Ron, Hermione and much of the SWI staff hurled curses at the pair, but they all faded away once they got within a few feet of them. "Silly witches, your curses cannot harm me!" cried Tesla sneeringly.

"You little fool! Whatever you are doing, it is preventing me from casting curses as well!" snarled Voldemort.

"Oh, keep your robes on, Tommy! We won't need magic to get outta this!" Tesla shot back. Tesla raised one foot and slammed it down. At once, the pavement around them crumbled as pipes shot up all across the street. The witches closest to Tesla were thrown into the air, flailing wildly until crashing back down. Harry and his friends were forced to back away as well, dodging chunks of asphalt. But they were kept from attacking Tesla again by a hail of curses, most of which were directed at whatever Institute witches still stood.

"This is the best this nation can throw at us?" scoffed Wildflower as she and Faction kept flinging curses at the witches. Her gaze then turned to the trio. "No matter. I see we may have some _REAL_ competition after all!"

"J-Just who are you people?" demanded Harry. "You freed those Death Eaters from Azkaban, attacked an Air Force base and kidnapped Hermione's uncle..."

"I see you already know about us, and what we can do. So hopefully this fight won't be _too_ one-sided," said Faction haughtily. "But it's really too bad we must battle, Harry Potter. My mother has watched you for a long time, and still muses over if it was right to leave you with your aunt. If things had turned out differently, we would have grown up as brothers, possibly thinking of Severus Snape as our father!"

"Snape, my...Valkyrie's your _MOTHER?_" Harry cried in disbelief. But Faction did not bother answering him, instead silently sending out Impediment Jinxes at both him and Ron. The two of them blocked the jinxes, but barely in time. Meanwhile, Wildflower aimed her staff at Hermione and cut loose with what looked like Expelliarmus, but Hermione ducked aside and fired a Stunner. The vampiress effortlessly knocked it aside, and the two Reformers slowly advanced, sending out a flurry of curses the trio barely managed to fend off.

xxxxxx

Samus was briefly blinded by the glint of morning sunlight reflected off of Valkyrie's blade as she jumped and brought it down on her again. She blocked the blow with her fin slasher, but Valkyrie spun on one foot and slashed at her again. Once more Samus parried her attack, then landed a punch square between Valkyrie's eyes. She grunted and reeled back, but soon charged again, trying to stab Samus. Samus raised her forearm so that Valkyrie's blade was caught between two of the fins. The two wrestled as their weapons were locked together.

_Please tell me it's just her bionic arm that gives her such strength,_ Samus silently pleaded as they struggled. Valkyrie kept surprising Samus with her resilience. Samus was feeling worn out from a long day and non-stop fighting, but Valkyrie still seemed as fresh and robust as ever. Where did she draw such strength from?

"We're getting nowhere this way. You won't save your future like this!" cried Valkyrie as they wrestled. "But once I've gotten hold of the Chozo technology, ditched Voldemort and put my own plans into action, you can join me, and together, I can help you forge a new future! One with an intergalactic government that doesn't leave fledgling colonies at the mercy of marauding aliens, and won't turn their most dedicated hunters out to pasture when they're forced to disobey orders!"

"No wonder you've found common ground with Voldemort!" Samus shrieked, more determined than ever to take back the relic. "How could Harry's mother have ever befriended people as corrupt as you and Snape?"

Valkyrie said nothing, merely smirking at Samus. Samus then heard a clicking noise from Valkyrie's bionic arm. Looking down, she saw some tube protruding from her elbow, pointed right at her face. Samus shoved Valkyrie away just as a burst of chemical flame shot out at her.

"Slick moves, Samus," said Valkyrie, looking ready to strike once more. "But I can tell I'm wearing you down. Maybe your endurance isn't all I..._AAAAHHHH!_" All of a sudden, Valkyrie's blade retracted and her arm shifted back to normal. She sunk to her knees, clutching her middle with both arms. "Oh no, not now...my p-protective and regenerative w-wards have been down too long...g-got to get Isobel and K-Kago to..." she spluttered incoherently, every strained syllable punctuating a sense of unendurable agony.

Samus had no idea what made Valkyrie collapse like this, but it was an opportunity she could not pass up. She stepped forward, ready to wrest the relic out of her coat...

A horrible cawing noise made Samus look up. A bird with purplish-green feathers and a head like a reptile was flying straight at her, its maw wide open. A beam of blue energy shot forth from it, striking Samus in the chest and knocking her off her feet. When Samus sat up, she saw Valkyrie standing on wobbly legs, holding the bird close with her good arm.

"T-Thank you, R-Ryx," stammered Valkyrie weakly. Then she brought the wrist of her bionic arm to her face. "R-Razor Knight, engage Thunderfoot Mode and approach! Prepare for i-immediate e-e-extraction!" she shouted into her wrist. With one last tremendous effort, Valkyrie whirled around and jumped off the roof, and with her arm cannon out of commission, Samus was powerless to stop her.

Samus ran to the edge and peered over it, but saw no trace of Valkyrie. But whatever this 'Razor Knight' was, it was waiting down below. Samus drew back, ready to jump down, but then noticed something by her feet: Valkyrie's wand. She hesitantly reached for it, remembering what had happened with Draco's wand. But when she grasped it, nothing happened. Sighing, she shoved it into a pocket in her Shield Cape, then jumped off the roof.

xxxxxx

Harry, Ron and Hermione were holding their own, but that was about it. Faction had said nothing more, and merely advanced while dueling both Harry and Ron with his two wands, forcing them further down the street. Wildflower was dueling Hermione, and Harry risked quick glances to see that Hermione's face was one of exhaustion. It was all too obvious that the staff-wielding vampiress was pushing her to her limits.

"Bold, clever and a fast thinker," Wildflower said while blocking another curse from Hermione. "So like the doctor...from out of nowhere, a Muggle-born with unparalleled intellect."

"SHUT UP!" shrieked Hermione, knocking away a Stunner. "I'm nothing like you monsters! And when this is over, you'll tell me what you four have done with my uncle!"

"Do not worry about the captain," Wildflower replied calmly. "We would not dare do any permanent harm to a Granger. Your family is very near and dear to Val's heart."

"What the..." gasped Hermione, taken aback. That afforded Wildflower the opening she needed, blasting Hermione with a hex that slammed her into a mailbox.

"HERMIONE!" Ron cried out, but Faction's incessant barrage of curses kept either of them from helping her.

Wildflower fired another hex at her, and suddenly every single wand Hermione had taken off the Death Eaters flew out of her pant pocket and into the vampiress's waiting hand. She then ran up to the downed Hermione, waving her staff in her face. "Shame, you were doing so well." said Wildflower regretfully as she pocketed the wands. "I was told you were most ruthless and cunning in a duel."

"You heard right," hissed Hermione, who raised a hand to Wildflower's face. Suddenly, a powdery burst of gas shot out of Hermione's sweater sleeve, enveloping Wildflower's head.

"ACK! Aerosolized garlic!" Wildflower wheezed out. She immediately backed away from Hermione, who recovered her wand and blasted Wildflower away with Aguamenti.

"ISOBEL!" screamed Faction, who slashed through the air with both wands. Harry had no time to defend himself, and went sailing down the street, smashing into the windshield of a parked truck.

"Ow ow ow ow ow," Harry muttered dejectedly as he forced himself to get up, the pain making him reflexively shut his eyes. When he could open them, he saw Faction was now dueling both Ron and Hermione. He was about to run back and help, but heard a strange whipping sound from above. Ped was perched on a wall, lashing out with a tongue dozens of feet long at witches down on the streets, and casting Stunners for good measure.

Deciding to deal with the closer threat, Harry aimed his wand up. "_Stupefy!_" he cried out. His spell found its mark, and Ped dropped down from the wall, landing in the bed of the truck with a painful-sounding thud. However, she sprang back up and hopped onto the sidewalk, though she was clearly dazed. Harry rolled off the truck's hood. He noticed a stack of newspapers nearby, bound up in twine, and that Ped's wand was retracted into her gauntlet. "_Diffindo!_" yelled Harry, magically cutting apart the twine. He then Banished the newspapers toward Ped, and before the Reformer realized what was happening, several thick layers of newspaper covered her right forearm like the bandages of a mummy.

Ped stared blankly at Harry, but there was no malevolence in those solid, obsidian eyes. Rather, she seemed taken aback by the sight of Harry. It was as if she had not expected to face him here in Salem. She also seemed fearful, though some instinct told Harry it was not from being deprived of her wand.

Suddenly, Ped lashed out with her tongue. It struck Harry's wand, and it flew out of sight. _So now the odds are even,_ thought Harry as he charged forward, hoping to catch Ped off-guard. But as his fist connected with Ped's jaw, he felt a slimy fist smash into his own. They stumbled away from each other, nursing their jaws.

"Ugh, can't remember the last time anyone laid a punch on me. Bet you enjoyed that," he heard Ped say in a strained, hushed voice. "The doctor's right, you're a born fighter. Of course, I could have told her that. I've always known you're the type who'd fight till his dying breath. Unfortunately, I have a nasty feeling you won't be willing to hear Dr. Asara out. That you're still that headstrong kid who doesn't know what's good for him."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Harry, looking back up at Ped. This woman made it sound like she _KNEW_ him from somewhere. But how? "Just who the hell are you. Why do you..." But as he examined her features closely, something jarred his memory. The eyes, hair color and skin had all changed, as had the shape of her hands and feet, but everything else was dreadfully familiar. That lanky physique, the hairstyle, the thin, angular face, the way she seemed to have almost twice as much neck as a normal woman. Harry couldn't see how it was possible, yet here she was. Now Harry knew why Arthur Weasley felt he recognized Ped from somewhere...

"Ped...that's not your name...it's your initials!" cried Harry, not believing what he was seeing. "YOU'RE AUNT PETUNIA!"


	10. Fight or Flight

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 10: Fight or Flight

3-24-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

**June 17, 1997 - 9:58 A.M. Eastern Standard Time**

**Salem, Massachusetts U.S.A.**

Ped let out a howl of fury as she flung of her head forward, and it only ceased when her tongue lashed out from her open mouth, smashing into Harry. Harry was knocked back, skidding along the sidewalk for over a dozen feet before painfully coming to a halt.

"Thank you SO MUCH, Harry! Just shout that for all to hear, while Voldemort and his most vile Death Eaters are all within earshot!" his aunt bellowed as he struggled to get to his feet. Harry's eyes were hazy from the pain, but as he stood up, he saw his wand lying nearby. Relieved by his good fortune, he scrambled for it and turned back to face Ped. However, Petunia had ripped the newspapers off her arm, and by the time Harry had his wand aimed at her, her own wand sliding out of her gauntlet and into her palm.

_Aunt Petunia. A wand. Using magic. Turned into a frog-woman. Working for Valencia Asara, my mother's old friend_, Harry thought to himself, trying to make sense of it all. But it was pointless...he could not even understand how it was even possible for his aunt to _USE_ magic, let alone this bizarre metamorphosis. Harry noted how warily Petunia was studying him, as if patiently waiting for an opportunity...but to attack or get away? _She's not being brash or impatient, nothing like the Aunt Petunia I've always known...no, she's acting like a cautious duelist._ And yet, Harry could see the stoniness in her features had melted away. Harry was not sure, but he thought he saw regret and even reluctance in his aunt's solid black eyes.

A low rumbling noise was came from the street behind Harry, along with the sound of cars being slowly crushed. Keeping his wand aimed at Petunia, he glanced over his shoulder. Harry's jaw dropped. Some sort of gigantic, purple tank was coming down the street at an impossibly fast speed, flattening any cars in its path. It had a wicked-looking main cannon, with chain guns mounted on either side of the turret, and Harry was sure it had loads of other concealed weapons.

Harry had no idea what this tank was, but Petunia evidently did. He heard Petunia land on an overturned car, then she made a huge leap toward the tank. Finally spurned to action, Harry aimed at her and yelled, "_Stupefy!_" But Petunia turned in midair and bounced his spell back at him before finally landing on the turret. He easily sidestepped the rebounded spell, but still stared in shock at Petunia. _She did a Shield Charm in midair, nonverbally...whatever's going on, she's obviously been trained to fight like a pro,_ Harry realized.

Petunia crawled into the hatch, and Harry saw Faction shoving Bellatrix Lestrange into an opening on the left side. Losing all interest in his aunt, Harry fired curses at the latter, but Faction had shut the hatch. His spells harmlessly bounced off the tank's armored shell. Then, to Harry's utter astonishment, some huge discharge of gas underneath propelled it dozens of feet into the air. And while in midair, the entire tank became a garbled mass of shifting parts and moving machinery. Within seconds, the tank had rearranged itself into some sort of huge transport jet. It hovered above the street a moment longer before it took off, slowly rising above the skyscrapers as it spun around, until it was out of sight.

"They...got away," Harry muttered to himself in disbelief, watching the jet fly away. All that fighting, all this destruction, and yet they failed to keep Voldemort and his new allies from escaping. And what if Valkyrie had been on board that jet, with the stolen artifact?

"Harry! You OK, mate?" came Ron's strained voice, sounding as frustrated as he was. He turned to see Ron, Hermione and Samus running up to him. Samus looked more worn out than before, completely winded and her features betraying a deep sense of shame and failure.

"Valkyrie got away with the relic," Samus finally said. "And after she rendered my arm cannon useless, there was nothing I could do to keep her 'Razor Knight' from taking off," she finished, pulling back her cape. Harry's heart sank as he saw the orange glop covering her arm cannon's barrel.

"At this point, our only hope is to get back to Adam as fast as possible, then pray he can track Valkyrie's jet," said Hermione.

"Or maybe Adam will come to us!" exclaimed Ron jubilantly, pointing down the street. Harry turned to see Samus's ship flying back the way the Razor Knight had fled. As annoying as Adam could be, Samus's friend always managed to come through, this time compensating to resist the charms surrounding Salem in the nick of time.

"Everyone, grab onto me," Samus ordered. Harry, Ron and Hermione nervously grabbed hold of Samus, and when Adam descended low enough, Samus made a huge leap, carrying the trio with her. She gracefully landed on top of the ship, and as Adam turned it around, the four were lowered into the interior.

Samus immediately climbed into the pilot's seat and took the controls. "OK people, I think I can track their heat trail. And whatever technology Valkyrie put into that ship, I'll wager it still can't outrun mine." With that, the ship cut sharply to the right, taking them over the Atlantic Ocean. Harry, Ron and Hermione stood behind Samus's seat, all of them breathlessly watching for any sign of the Razor Knight. A blip from Samus's console alerted them a second before it appeared outside the cockpit window. Slowly but surely, they were catching up with their quarry...

But suddenly, a bright ball of crackling white energy shot out from the back of the Razor Knight, and Samus had no time to avoid it. It smashed into the nose of her ship, and suddenly white energy arced across the cockpit. Worse still, the energy overwhelmed Samus, and she slumped out of the chair, unconscious.

"Samus, NO!" Harry cried, rushing to her side. He frantically shook her around, but Samus's head merely bobbed like a puppet's.

"I'm afraid that our fair Lady's condition is the least of our worries, Harry!" came Adam's cracking voice through the comm. "Whatever sort of weapon or spell that was, it has wreaked havoc on all of my systems, including the programs and hardware that allows me to remote pilot this ship! We are out of control!" Terror clawed at Harry's heart as he looked out the window, and sure enough, the ship was taking a nosedive into the ocean.

Without a word, Hermione jumped into the cockpit and grabbed the control stick with both hands, pulling upward with all her might. They were spared from crashing into the water, and Hermione immediately swung around and took off after the Razor Knight. "Adam, please tell me, how do I arm the weapons? How do I fire?" Hermione demanded hotly.

Harry did not hear Adam's instructions to Hermione, being far too surprised by how quickly she took command of the situation. He did not have too long to dwell upon it, for he felt the ship lurch about. A quick glance let Harry know that more of those energy balls were coming for them, but Hermione was evading each and every one. He then saw Hermione's thumb click something on the control stick, and the plasma cannons sprang to life, blasting away at the Razor Knight. But whoever was piloting it deftly evaded attack as well, sometimes going into a barrel roll that caused the plasma bolts to bounce off.

Eventually, the Razor Knight's pilot evidently grew weary of this game of cat-and-mouse, for there was a blinding burst of light. When the glare cleared, the Razor Knight was gone. Hermione anxiously glanced at the terminals, no doubt hoping to spot some relevant sensor data. "Adam, I can't make any sense of all this. Did their ship..."

"Completely drop off all our sensors?" Adam finished for her. "I'm afraid so. We have failed." Harry knelt by Samus. At the moment, he did not care about Valkyrie getting away, or about his aunt being a Reformer.

His heart leapt when he saw her eyes slowly flutter open. "Adam, what are your scanners telling you about Samus?" demanded Harry as he leaned her against the console.

"From this data, and judging from the chaotic damage done to my systems, I would assume the attack was magical in nature," said Adam. "However, there seems to be no lasting effects regarding Samus. It is as if she suffered no more than a mild electric shock. I suspect her natural resistance to harmful enchantments has once again saved her."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, then Samus finally opened her eyes completely. "Where...w-what h-happened?" she stammered, her eyes not quite focused. Then, it was as if everything came rushing back to her. "Harry, the Razor Knight! Where's..." But her voice trailed off when she saw Hermione piloting the ship.

"Samus, I'm sorry...I tried to fly after them, shoot them down, but they gave us the slip," Hermione said apologetically. "And now, it looks like Adam can't pilot the ship himself anymore."

Samus slammed the back of her head against the console. "Lovely, just lovely. But...at least your quick thinking saved us from a dip in the ocean. I'm impressed by how you were able to quickly get the hang of piloting the ship."

"Well, you can thank my uncle for that," said Hermione. "When I was a little girl, he taught me the basics about being a pilot. Even let me fly his plane a few times."

"Wait a minute...you had no problem flying Muggle planes, but you're afraid of flying on a broomstick?" asked Ron.

"It's just that...growing up, I flew without being able to see the ground below me," Hermione said quickly. "I had to focus what was in front of me instead, and all the instruments."

"Still, I don't get how you can take control of a spaceship, but you nearly got us all killed driving a cab," said Ron.

Hermione shot Ron a withering glare that silenced him instantly, then turned to Samus. "I guess you'll want to pilot the ship yourself again, huh?"

Samus stared at Hermione at moment, then said, "No, go ahead and keep flying. Adam will talk you through getting the ship back to the Burrow. But first, use your Patronus to send them a message, telling the Order that things've gone from bad to worse."

"Wait a minute, Samus. We can't go back to the Burrow just yet. We need to stop by Privet Drive first," said Harry.

"Your aunt and uncle's house? What for?" asked Hermione, shooting him a quizzical look.

"We didn't walk away from this COMPLETELY empty-handed," said Harry. "I found out who one of the Reformers really is. Ped is really Aunt Petunia."

"What the...Harry, that's impossible! She's a MUGGLE, for crying out loud!" exclaimed Ron, not believing what he'd heard.

"That's what we all thought, but she was slinging curses at those Salem witches like there was no tomorrow," said Harry. "I saw her up close. I don't understand how or why, but...when I said her name, she went completely berserk," he finished.

"It doesn't make any sense. She always hated your mother and everything to do with magic," said Hermione. "Even if she was somehow a witch all along, why is she suddenly siding with Valencia Asara, who was your mum's best friend?"

"I have no idea, but I bet her husband knows something," Samus chimed in. "I see what Harry's thinking. His uncle seemed a little too hot under the collar when I asked about Petunia's absence before. We're definitely paying the Dursleys a visit before heading back to headquarters."

xxxxxx

**June 17, 1997 - 3:45 P.M. Western European Time**

**Privet Drive**

This time, Samus did not even bother having her ship land in Little Whinging's park. Instead, she had Hermione hover the ship a few feet above the street with the stealth field active. Then she jumped down onto the lawn of Number 4, Privet Drive, with Harry and Ron clinging to her.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Samus?" asked Ron. "Until we can brew a potion that'll dissolve that goop, your arm cannon's..." Samus did not even bother answering him. She ran right up to the front door and swiftly kicked it down. She ran inside, glancing into the kitchen then ran into the living room, but there was no sign of Vernon or Dudley.

"Samus, I'll go check the top floor," Harry said as he stormed in after her. "Ron, stick with Samus and keep looking around. They may be hiding somewhere, though how they'd do that with their fat arses is beyond me..." Samus watched Harry clamber up the stairs, wand at the ready. She resented the way he told Ron to stay with her, as if she were completely helpless with her arm cannon inoperative.

_I guess he can't help it, he's already lost Dumbledore and his godfather,_ Samus thought as she looked at the viscous goo. All attempts to pry it off or Vanish it failed. _As for Valkyrie...she claimed the two of us are alike in many ways. Not only does her skill with magic rival Voldemort's, but she's a skilled martial artist as well, clearly has a mastery of the sciences, and she moves and fights like no witch I've ever seen._

But there was one thing Samus was certain of. Valkyrie's talk about changing the course of history, of using her people's technology and knowledge...there was no doubt Valkyrie had to be stopped. Checking unscrupulous beings like Valkyrie was partly what the Chozo raised her for.

"Samus, I'm no expert on Muggles, but...it looks like the Dursleys just up and left before we got here," said Ron. Samus turned to see him come back from the kitchen. "Seriously, no Muggle post piled by the door, everything looks like it's been cleaned recently, that fridgy-thing's still stocked with food, and their cars are still in the driveway. Sorry to say it, but it looks like they were tipped off. They could be at this Inferno thing by now."

"I hate to say it, but Ron's right," said Harry as he came down the stairs. "Just checked Uncle Vernon's bedroom. All the clothes are still there and everything."

"D'you reckon the Death Eaters somehow got to them?" suggested Ron.

"No, there'd be a Dark Mark over this house. Besides, the protective charm around this place is still active," said Samus.

"But I bet that wouldn't keep any of Asara's other people out of here," said Harry. "I'm sure she's got more followers than just the Reformers. They could've just Apparated in, grabbed them, and Apparated out. But what I don't get is...if Aunt Petunia's been a Reformer all this time, how come that charm is still working? It's completely dependent on her living here."

"Maybe she only needs to return to this house once a year, just like you do," suggested Samus. "And as long as she intends to return to this house, the charm wouldn't break, correct?"

"I suppose. She was here last summer when Dumbledore came," said Harry, scratching his head. "Maybe Asara made sure she did just that. Back in the Arcana Academy, she seemed obsessed with me, for whatever reason. I suppose she wanted me kept safe all these years. But what I don't get is this: even if Petunia was a witch all along, why recruit her in the first place? Trust me, I lived here for a decade, and I can tell you there's no way she ever left this house for days at a time to run around with a vampire. No, this thing with Petunia could've only happened in the last few years, but why would Asara put such an inexperienced recruit in her elite fighting team?"

"You said Asara was obsessed with your mum, too. Maybe that has something to do with it," offered Ron.

"At any rate, we won't find any answers here," said Samus with a disappointed tone. "If Asara's people grabbed Harry's uncle and cousin, then they wouldn't have left any obvious clues out in the open. Maybe someone from the Order can strip-search the place later, but for now, we're heading back to the Burrow."

With that, the three of them headed out the door, and after Harry and Ron grabbed hold of her again, the ship momentarily became visible so that Samus could jump back on top of it. It became invisible again as the three were lowered into the ship, and only a deafening whooshing noise would let anyone watching know they had departed.

xxxxxx

**June 17, 1997 - 4:10 P.M. Western European Time**

**The Burrow**

Samus was the last one to enter the Burrow as the four of them rushed inside. As soon as Harry and Ron stepped through the doorway, Molly Weasley ran up and embraced the both of them. "Oh Harry, Ron...I can't believe what I've heard, you four going at it alone...thank God you made it back in one piece!" Samus knew what was coming next, a second before it happened. Molly looked up to glare at Samus sourly. "Samus Aran, what were you thinking?" she demanded hotly. "How could you possibly take the three of them to fight your war for you?"

Samus took a deep breath; it was naive to have thought she and Molly would not butt heads again. "We had to make a fast decision, after finding out Voldemort and Valkyrie were about to attack Salem. And with all due respect Mrs. Weasley, these three are not children anymore," Samus said evenly. "Ron and Hermione are of age going by your cultural traditions, and Harry only has a month or so to go. They've all had prior experience fighting the Death Eaters. Besides, it's not only my fight. I'm trying to eliminate your enemies as well, and keep my people's technology out of their hands."

Molly said nothing, but still glowered at Samus maliciously. Samus turned away from her, surveying the Burrow. All the Order members who were here the day she arrived - Arthur and Molly Weasley, Moody, Tonks, Lupin, Kingsley, Hagrid and Fleur - were here, along with McGonagall, Ginny, Fred and George Weasley, and another man with long, red hair and a mangled face, who she assumed was their elder brother, Bill. _It's like they're all assembling for war,_ Samus thought glumly. _Like me, they can conflict in the offing._

As her gaze swept the room, however, Samus noticed one person who didn't belong: Horace Slughorn, quietly standing by himself in a far corner. Before she could ask why he was there, Ron spoke up. "Mum, please listen to us. Samus is right. Believe it or not, the four of us handled You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters just fine. If it was only them attacking Salem, it would've been a different story."

"Ron's right. These new people, Valencia Asara's Reformers...they're unlike anything we've ever seen before. The video footage Adam showed us doesn't do them justice. Luckily, I had a little gimmick ready in case I fought that vampire," said Hermione, pulling down her sleeve to reveal some sort of pouch attached to her wrist. "And I just know this trick with aerosolized garlic won't work twice."

"And next time, we may not face this Wildflower in broad daylight," added Lupin. "As you know, vampires can tolerate sunlight, but their true power and strength is only realized under the cover of darkness and the night."

"And don't forget Hermione, the Order _HAS_ seen the likes of one of them before," said Samus, shaking her head.

"What do you mean by that, Samus? Are you saying we have faced one of the Reformers before?" asked McGonagall.

"In a way, several of you have," said Harry. "The frog-woman, Ped...she's my Aunt Petunia."

As expected, the whole house broke out into astonished gasps, with many looking incredulously at Harry or to each other. It was Arthur Weasley who eventually broke the silence. "_NOW_ I know why that woman looked so familiar! I should've recognized her right then and there!"

"But how can it _POSSIBLY _be Lily's sister?" inquired McGonagall breathlessly. "In all the years we've closely watched their home, we never saw any indication Petunia Dursley was even a witch, or that she had secretly joined the people of this Inferno..."

"You all watched them closely for the decade Harry lived there, but I bet after he started attending Hogwarts it was a different story," said Samus evenly. "Harry thinks that she must've joined Asara in the last few years, and we know for a fact she's really Ped. Harry has no doubt it was her after seeing her close-up, and we just came from the Dursleys' home. It's abandoned."

"Lily's sister, a witch all along," said Hagrid softly. "Still, don't make no diff'rence. Either way, she's still a pathetic excuse fer a human being, so I say that new frog look suits 'er. But I have a confession t' make: I mighta seen one of these Reformers before too."

"You HAVE? How come you never said anything until now?" asked Hermione.

"Didn' piece it together till I mulled over Adam's video thingies a few times, but now I'm sure of it," Hagrid replied. "Remember when I said I had a scuffle with a vampire back in a pub in Minsk? Well, it was _THAT_ vampire. Olympe was waitin' outside, and this bloodsucker gets in me face about how I'd better prove worthy of bein' Olympe's man, or somethin' to that extent..."

"Who cares whether Harry's aunt was ever a witch or not, or about some vampire Hagrid ran into?" came Moody's raspy growl. His usual stoic composure had evaporated, and Samus could easily guess why. "The real mystery here is Valencia Asara! We all butted heads with her on a daily basis, but...she was one of us! How could she betray us like this? Make us think she was dead, then build this secret society under the ocean, only to join forces with You-Know-Who?" Every syllable he uttered was laced with a profound sense of sorrow.

"It was more like Asara is working _with_ Voldemort, not _for_ him. All she wants is the Chozo technology, and the two camps intend to go their separate ways once they divide the plunder," explained Samus, trying to comfort Moody. "Still, I understand how galling it is that she even considered a partnership with Voldemort. And Moody, you weren't kidding about her. Her power easily rivals Voldemort's now, and she's adept at fighting up close and personal. She even managed to do this to my arm cannon," she said, throwing back her cape to show them the viscous, orange glop covering the barrel.

"Oh that, that looks like our Insanity-Glue!" said George immediately. "We just came out with this new gag a few months ago!"

All eyes fell on Fred and George. "First Draco Malfoy buys stuff off of you two, now the Reformers?" Ron spat exasperatedly.

"Hey, let's not get into that again!" George said quickly while Fred shook his head. He then turned back to Samus, smiling brightly. "Don't worry about it, Sammy. In fact, I've got the only potion capable of dissolving it right here! In a few minutes, you'll be blasting away Death Eaters again in no time!" Samus obligingly held out her arm cannon while George took out a small vial, then dipped a brush into it. He began to spread the potion around the goo, taking great care to ensure every bit would be dissolved, meticulously brushing over the deep crevices of her arm cannon. Samus noted how attentive George was being, and recalled their previous meeting in his shop. But before she could say anything, Fred spoke up.

"Once you're done polishing Samus's big gun, perhaps you'll get around to asking what's happened to our brother?" huffed Fred.

"Brother? But, Ron weathered the battle against Voldemort just fine," said Samus.

"Not Ron. Charlie," said Fred. "He was in New York around the time the Order got your message, and we haven't heard from him since."

"Hold on...first my uncle, now Charlie?" asked Hermione. "I'm starting to see a pattern here. During our duel, Wildflower mentioned something about how important my family was to Asara. She must have in interest in the Weasleys, too."

"When we fought back at the Arcana Academy, she talked as if I'd be joining her one day," said Harry.

"And I'd love to know what makes Asara think you would!" came a gruff voice from the door. Samus turned away from George to see a tall, scraggy, grim looking man step into the Burrow as if he owned the place. At first, she had no idea who he was, but when Dolores Umbridge followed him in, she had a pretty good idea.

"Rufus Scrimgeour, the new Minister of Magic," Samus said tonelessly, walking up to him. "I was wondering when I'd run into you."

Scrimgeour was taken aback by how boldly Samus approached him. Umbridge, however, had plenty to say. "Look at her, Minister...just as our correspondents from America described her, just as the survivors from the Handu Mountain Preserve described her! It's clear now that Dumbledore had been harboring a murderer all those months!"

"Your faults are many, Umbridge, but I guess we can add colorblindness to the list," snapped Samus, raising her left arm so that the sleeve fell down. "The monster that attacked your preserve had orange armor. Mine is blue."

"Not now, Dolores! We're not here for your personal vendettas!" barked Scrimgeour.

"Oh, I'm sure that's not it. I mean, she has no idea I planted those bombs under her desk, and her memory was modified so she'd forget about the uppercut I landed on her," said Samus coyly.

Umbridge gaped at Samus, thunderstruck. "Enough toying with us, woman!" growled Scrimgeour, walking up to Samus. They stood nearly eye to eye. "We already know you took these three teenagers to Salem and caused untold destruction. Not to mention the antics of these three will keep Obliviators in America working round-the-clock for weeks..."

"Oh please, Scrimgeour. I know your kind's laws. Using magic openly is authorized in dire circumstances, and a street brawl with Voldemort definitely qualifies," retorted Samus.

It was the use of Voldemort's name that finally made Scrimgeour realize he could not bully Samus easily. "Enough! Just who are you, really? And what were your intentions in Salem?"

"The same as yours. Thwarting Voldemort's plans, which now involve an Auror once under your command," replied Samus. "But why are you and Umbridge so afraid of Valencia Asara and her second-in-command? And why does she hate you two so much?"

Scrimgeour's eyes widened maliciously. "_**I**_ am asking the questions here, young woman!"

"Oh, what a coincidence! So am I!" said Samus brightly, relishing how livid Scrimgeour looked. "But the real question is this: which one of us will be getting answers?" But as she said that, Samus noticed more Aurors barging into the Burrow. _There's not much I can do if things turn ugly, unless..._ She turned to look at George, who winked at her, then obnoxiously imitated her using her arm cannon. _Let's hope you're right about the timing..._

Samus turned back to Scrimgeour, neither flinching from the cold glares they shot at each other. "You listen to me, young woman!" snapped Scrimgeour. "I don't know who you think you are, but..."

"I _know_ who and what I am: the bounty hunter named Samus Aran. And just so we're clear on something, I'm not really a witch," said Samus. _At least, I think I'm not,_ Samus added silently, remembering what happened with Draco Malfoy's wand. "So I'm not subject to the laws of your Ministry. Which means I have no qualms about pulling something like _THIS_!" With that, Samus swiftly reached out, twirled Scrimgeour around, then pinned him up against her body. She raised the barrel of her arm cannon to his head, and to her relief, the missile barrel snapped open. Shards of Insanity-Glue clattered to the floor, but no one heard them over everyone's shocked gasps.

"You Aurors, Umbridge...drop the wands," ordered Samus, pressing the open barrel tightly against Scrimgeour's head. When Umbridge and the Aurors silently refused, Samus aimed at the wall behind them and fired a missile. The explosive burst of frigid air almost knocked them off their feet. "I mean it, drop the wands _NOW_!" she demanded, aiming at Scrimgeour's head again.

At last, Umbridge and her subordinates relented, slowly bending down to drop their wands and then back away. Suddenly, all the relinquished wands flew across the room. Samus was astonished to see them fly into Tonks's outstretched hand.

"Nymphadora Tonks, what is the meaning of this?" roared Scrimgeour as he struggled. "Get this criminal off of me! Do something!"

"No, sir," Tonks said with a sneer.

"She's wondering who the real criminal here is. We all are," growled Moody. "No doubt Samus is going to ask the same questions I would."

"Indeed I am, Moody," said Samus. Then she leaned closer to Scrimgeour, whispering in his ear. "We already know about this thing called the Valhalla Agenda, some secret Ministry project that suddenly hit a wall sixteen years ago. I'm guessing that it had something to do with Valencia Asara, and why she's resurfaced as Valkyrie. Just what was the Valhalla Agenda?"

Scrimgeour continued to struggle, but Samus held him tighter and snapped the missile barrel open again for emphasis. Eventually, Scrimgeour breathlessly said, "The Valhalla Agenda...just as the name implies, it involves fallen warriors. Harry Potter was not the only one to survive a death sentence from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. There were others..."

"Like Valencia Asara," muttered Samus. "Go on."

"Those he left for dead, and other survivors of Death Eater attacks, we took them. Made it seem they perished, so we could work in secret together," said Scrimgeour. "It was an attempt to produce Aurors perfectly adapted to resist and confront Dark wizards."

Samus sighed. "A secret program to produce superior soldiers...I shouldn't be surprised. And you people think you're above non-magical humans?" spat Samus. "But Moody found out the project was scrapped because one Auror went rogue, and I'm betting it was Asara."

"Y-Yes, she was," said Scrimgeour, nodding. "Our results with her far surpassed the others, but the power drove her mad."

"Exactly what power is that?" demanded Samus. "When we fought, she had raw power that could put Voldemort's to shame. What did you do to those in the Valhalla Agenda? Some sort of Dark Magic, maybe?"

Scrimgeour did not answer, but Samus felt him struggle harder than ever. Samus looked up, seeing Umbridge's pale and waxy face staring fearfully at the pair. "You and Umbridge, you knew of Asara's new name _AND_ the name of her vampire sidekick," said Samus, leering at Umbridge. "And during our battle, she hinted at how much she hates you two, that you 'stole away her future'. What exactly did she mean?"

"How can you trust the ramblings of a lunatic like that? How can..." Scrimgeour began. But Samus held him even tighter, silencing him.

"Asara seemed sane enough to plan a successful attack on a magical repository once thought impregnable," hissed Samus. "No, there's something you're still not telling us, and we need to know what it is. Asara and Voldemort have an artifact that'll lead them to a cache of advanced alien technology, which'll change the course of history if I don't stop them. I need all the information on Asara I can get before..."

Samus was cut off by the sound of wizards Apparating behind her. She threw Scrimgeour aside and whirled around. As she suspected, more Aurors had Apparated inside the Burrow, and had wasted no time trying to curse her. But just as she planned, the curses struck her Shield Cape as she spun around, and wound up toppling their casters instead. Scrimgeour, his arms now free, pulled his own wand from his cloak. Samus turned to face him, but it was unnecessary. Just about every Order member present drew their wands and pointed them at the Minister.

"Terrible manners, barging into my home uninvited and making demands of my houseguest," said Arthur coldly, flanked by several of his children. "Minister, I'm afraid I must ask you to leave." Samus looked around the room. Once upon a time, she might have resented the notion that she needed to be protected, but the sight of so many rising to her defense made her heart swell.

Umbridge shot Arthur a nasty look as she and the disarmed Aurors nervously backed out the front door. "Weasley, Tonks...don't think there won't be a price to pay for this," sneered Scrimgeour as he followed them out.

"Why are we letting them get away?" barked Samus as Scrimgeour shut the door. "He may have information we'll need to stop Asara! She broke down in the middle of our battle, and I bet he knows why, and how to exploit that weakness!"

"Believe you me, Aran, I understand what you're saying. But right now, you trying to worm information out of the Minister may be more trouble than it's worth, at least for us," grumbled Moody. "There'll be more Aurors swarming over the Burrow any minute now. For now, you, Potter and his friends should get back in that ship of yours. Try tracking down my old protégé again. We'll keep doing what we can on our end, and we'll keep in touch in our trademark way."

Samus sighed, realizing Moody and the others probably knew best how to deal with the politicians and bureaucrats from his world. "Harry, let's get going. I already know what I want to search for next." Molly hurriedly led them out the back entrance of the Burrow.

Once they slipped behind the Burrow and stealthily made their way to the garage, Samus pressed a button on her arm cannon to reveal her ship. The noise made when they were levitated into the interior drew the attention of Scrimgeour and other Aurors who had just Apparated onto the scene. But the curses they sent out struck the armored exterior with feeble-sounding pings, and Samus could not resist frightening them by flying the ship low over them before ascending.

xxxxxx

"It's a shame. We could've easily taken out those other Aurors and grabbed Scrimgeour," mused Ron. "But Moody was right. That'd cause more trouble for everyone down the road."

"And hopefully, they won't give the rest of the Order too much grief. I doubt Scrimgeour will want to draw any more attention, especially after being forced to reveal what little he spilled," added Hermione.

Harry said nothing, still too overwhelmed with loathing for Rufus Scrimgeour. He thoroughly disliked Scrimgeour for wanting to use him as a prop and what happened to Stan Shunpike, but this took things to a new level. The Valhalla Agenda, some secret Ministry decree to produce super-wizards by some mysterious means, possibly Dark Magic. And it was sounding more and more as if it was Scrimgeour that drove Valencia Asara over the edge, not Voldemort.

And then, there was how he had immediately accosted Samus and demanded answers, instead of asking about Voldemort's plans in Salem, as if that was inconsequential. He turned and walked up to the cockpit, where Samus was staring straight ahead as she flew the ship, her expression unreadable.

"You saw what happened back there, didn't you?" Samus asked him, not turning her head. "Your Minister was more concerned with figuring out what we learned about Asara than about what Voldemort stole." Samus slammed her arm cannon against the console in frustration. "I am _**SO SICK**_ of dealing with short-sighted politicians more concerned with covering their own asses than serving the people they pledged to represent. And this Valhalla Agenda...it just smacks of the same mentality behind the Bottle Ship and trying to capture the SA-X. No wonder Asara thinks the Wizarding world's become corrupted from the inside-out."

Finally finished fuming, Samus simply concentrated on piloting the ship. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Adam beat him to it. "You haven't changed one bit, Lady," came the synthesized voice. "And I agree with the others. It is regrettable that we could not risk capturing this Rufus Scrimgeour to get more information about Valencia Asara. So much of her is still a mystery. At this point, any clues about her may prove vital."

Samus seemed to brighten up, as if remembering something important. "Hold your transceivers, everybody! We can't interrogate Scrimgeour, and the Dursleys got away from us, but maybe this holds some answers!"

Harry saw Samus slowly reach into her cape, as if afraid of touching whatever she hid there. Finally, she fished out a wand which looked eerily familiar. "Wait a minute, Samus. Is that..."

"Asara's wand. I managed to blast it away from her during our fight, and she just left it behind," said Samus.

Harry noticed how she was intently staring at it, no doubt apprehensive after what had happened with Draco's wand. "Samus, about what happened back in the Arcana Academy...if you really are a witch too, maybe we can teach..."

"Not that I wouldn't mind taking lessons from you, but I don't think I'd have time to reach your level of Defense Against the Dark Arts mastery before fighting Voldemort and Valkyrie again," said Samus quickly, staring at the wand. "Too bad I never read any books about wandlore while working at Hogwarts." She then offered the wand to Harry. "What can you tell me about this?"

Harry took Valkyrie's wand while pulling out his own. He held the two side-by-side, comparing them. "Well, they're the same length. Not sure that means anything," Harry said. As Harry handled Valkyrie's wand, he noticed how it looked sleeker and had a lighter shade than his holly wand, yet somehow...felt more forceful and deadly.

"There is nothing useful I can provide either," Adam chimed in. "The wand is covered with a thin, waxy coating that repels my sensors. I cannot say what species of tree the wood is derived from, or anything about the core."

"Yeah, I see what you mean. Looks like Asara even left bitemarks in that wax," said Ron, eyeing the wand closely.

Samus whirled around in the pilot's seat so fast she nearly fell out. "What did you say? She left _bitemarks_ on her wand?" she asked breathlessly, sounding elated.

"Uh...yeah, she sure did," answered Hermione, looking confused. "Why's that important?"

"Bitemarks mean saliva, and saliva could mean DNA!" exclaimed Samus. "Quick, place it on this console! Maybe there's still traces of her DNA!" Harry immediately brought it over to the cockpit, placing it on a flat, glassy panel Samus was pointing at. Light flashed across the panel and Harry heard a steady hum. No doubt the ship's computer was processing billions of bits of information, and would soon have the results for them.

"Hmmm, I am detecting some DNA fragments, but...no, this looks like DNA from lysed prokaryotic cells. An uncommonly high amount of pyrimidine dimers, though. Many strands have been broken apart in a most peculiar way, too." Harry said nothing, not understanding Samus's scientific jargon at all. "Wait, here we are...some of these genes more or less match that of a human's, but..."

"But what?" asked Hermione.

"There's evidence of extensive mutations. Looks like there was a frame-shift mutation right here, for one thing," said Samus, pointing at two long strings of As, Gs, Ts and Cs on one of the computer screens. Harry was still completely lost. "But some of these other genes..." Samus began, but then her eyes widened.

"Uh-oh, what is it?" asked Ron, sensing that Samus had stumbled upon bad news.

"Some of these genes are identical to genes in my genome...and Harry's," Samus replied solemnly. "They're sequences found in the Metroid genome."

"What? You mean Valencia Asara spliced Metroid DNA into herself?" shoutd Hermione incredulously. "That's impossible! For one thing, where would she have gotten Metroid DNA in the first place?"

There was silence for a moment as everyone considered the obvious dilemma. Harry realized that since real Metroids had never been on Earth, the only source of Metroid DNA would have been Samus or himself. But when had anyone taken a sample of Samus's DNA without her knowledge? Was Madam Pomfrey a spy for Inferno? Or could Valkyrie have taken a DNA sample from him?

As that possibility occurred to Harry, everything suddenly clicked into place.

"She got her Metroid DNA from me." Everyone spun to look at Harry, and Harry could practically hear Adam's program moving bits and bytes around. "It happened almost two years ago, right after that whole mess with the X parasites. Asara somehow snuck into Gryffindor Tower at night, then took a blood sample from me."

"How can you be sure?" asked Ron, a dubious look on his face.

"Because she decided to have a pleasant little chat with me, right before plunging a needle into my neck," said Harry bitterly. "She left my memory unaltered, saying she wanted me to remember what she said to me. All this time, I thought it was a dream, but now..."

"Wha...what'd she say to you?" Hermione asked softly.

"Mostly the same sort of thing she said to Samus and I back in Salem. Saying the Muggle and Wizarding worlds are rotten to the core, and that there's no such thing as absolute good and evil," said Harry. "Then said something about having to make a choice one day. And after listening to her today, how it seems she wants me on her side, I've finally connected the dots." Harry suppressed a shiver of shame upon recalling how much Valkyrie's sentiments mirrored his own at times. During the fight against the X parasites, while recuperating in this ship, similar thoughts ran through his mind.

Thankfully, no one said anything. Everyone was too busy digesting this revelation. Eventually, Adam spoke up. "At any rate, it is likely that she spliced these gene sequences into her own genome to utilize the Metroids' power of energy manipulation. Perhaps that is the true secret behind her increased magical power."

"And maybe that's why she broke down in Salem. Maybe she's got a problem with this DNA rearrangement that Harry and Samus didn't have," Ron offered. He was about to say something else, but suddenly his stomach growled. "Oh yeah, we haven't eaten anything since this morning. Don't suppose there's any food on this spaceship?"

Harry thought Adam would chastise Ron for thinking about food right then. But to his amazement, a panel suddenly swung open, revealing stacks of small, metallic, rectangular boxes. "Standard GF Marine ration packs, the perfect meal for human soldiers in the field," explained Adam. "These will stay fresh for centuries. Dried, processed poultry or fish, wheat crackers, a pouch with vitamin-treated water, and dried slices of the p'namtyko fruit native to Grondhliana. Naturally, the hallucinogenic compound used by the Grondheim monks and shamans has been extracted."

Hermione and Harry exchanged quizzical looks, but Ron immediately swiped a box and pried it open. "Hey, not bad," he said after eating a wrinkled slice of some red-orange fruit.

"I want all of you to eat your fill and regain your strength," Samus called out from the cockpit. "We need to be at our fighting best in case the Order contacts us again, or if we find something out here." Harry finally realized he had had no idea where Samus had been flying all this time. Anticipating Harry's next question, Samus said, "Remember how this Inferno is supposed to be on or around an underwater volcano? It's the only lead we have at the moment. Right now, we're hovering over the Atlantic Ocean, where the Eurasian, African, and North American plates meet."

"Can the sensors penetrate that deeply under the water?" inquired Hermione.

"They won't need to," replied Samus with a smirk. She deftly flipped a few levers with her arm cannon while keeping the control stick steady. Harry watched out the cockpit window, seeing the ship descending closer and closer to the water's surface. He heard some strange noises from the rear of the ship, as if the engines were shifting and rearranging. When Harry looked out the window again, he saw the ship was completely submersed under the water.

xxxxxx

**June 17, 1997 - 9:48 P.M. Western European Time**

**Godric's Hollow**

Without warning, a flurry of leaves whirled around the kissing gate that led to the graveyard in Godric's Hollow, heralding the rematerialization of Severus Snape in a long, hooded cloak. Wary from hastily Apparating away from Malfoy Manor, Snape shook his head and quivered, holding the gate for support. Then, once he felt his strength return, he went through. Employing Occlumency against the Dark Lord took more effort than usual, thanks to how tumultuous his heart had become ever since Valencia's return, and he did not want to show weakness in front of those he had arranged to meet.

_Now where was it? It's been so long,_ thought Snape acidly, clutching his cloak as a stiff wind blew. Of all the places to arrange a meeting, this was the worst he could imagine. Being here once was more than enough.

Thankfully, as his cold gaze swept over the rows of headstones, he saw the five of them were already here. Valencia stood right in front of the white marble headstone, having removed her coat in spite of the chill. Her adopted son and Tesla stood at her left, while Wildflower and Lily's sister were at her right. _I still can't believe that's really Petunia. Her heart and mind have completely changed along with her body._

Except that the resentment and distrust Petunia had for Snape since their childhood still lingered. When she turned her head, her gaze was stony and stoic. "Dr. Asara, he's here," was all she said.

The other four turned to see Snape making his way towards them. "Excellent, excellent. You got away from Voldemort quicker than I expected," said Valencia brightly. "I know you'd hardly consider this an ideal meeting place, but soon we'll finally set out to take the last thing we need to fulfill Lily's dream, and I felt I had to visit this place one last time."

"I-I-I...all this time, I never even knew where she was buried," said Petunia softly. Snape was shocked by her sudden shift in mood. Her voice was cracking, as if choking on emotions she had buried for far too long. "Seeing her grave, and that statue back there, I-I just..."

Wildflower placed a hand on Petunia's shoulder. "Take heart, Petunia. Everything is falling into place," said the vampire reassuringly. "If anyone can understand your reasons for wanting to see this through to the end, it is I..."

"She knows, Isobel. We all have our reasons for making Lily's vision a reality," said Faction. He turned to Snape. "So, how are things with Voldemort and his lot?"

"He's angrier than I can ever recall seeing him," said Snape. "He's mortified about how Potter and his lot subdued him in Salem, and how your four had to come to his rescue."

"So very like Tommy, always losing his head when his oversized ego is bruised," quipped Tesla.

"Perhaps, but was it wise to leave the artifact in his possession? What if the Dark Lord tries to escape with it?" asked Snape gravely.

"The idea will cross his mind, but he won't do it," said Valencia confidently. "Not only will it take mastery of Arithmancy and Ancient Runes to unlock its secrets, but a keen mind for advanced calculus and wave mechanics as well. I'm the only one of our kind who can deliver." She drew closer to Snape. "Relax, Sevvy. Everything's going according to plan. By this time tomorrow, we'll have the last piece of the puzzle."

Instead of easing his anxiety, Valencia's soft, seductive gaze made Snape tenser than ever. "You know, it's still quite galling how you come back after nearly sixteen years and expect things to be the way they once were," he said tersely.

Valencia took his hands in hers. Snape suppressed a shiver as cold metal touched his right hand. "I recall saying something similar to you, the day Albus brought you to headquarters with me, Moody and the Potters, saying you turned on Voldemort. And we all know what happened soon after that. Imperturbable Charms be damned...all of Spinner's End must've heard us break that bed six ways till Sunday," Valencia said, smirking wryly.

Snape closed his eyes and sighed. That carefree attitude from their Hogwarts days...it was so unhelpful now, when Harry Potter's safety was made so uncertain.

"No doubt you're still worried about Lily's son. Don't be," said Valencia. "Trust me, I had no idea Voldemort was going to blast Samus and Harry out that window. But the way he transfigured himself a parachute while falling, then suckered Voldemort into that improvised trap, should tell you the man can handle himself just fine. Oh yeah, and he planted his signature move on me as well. Give him some credit. Besides, he has Samus watching his back again."

"Mother, about Samus Aran...the outcome of your duel has me worried," said Faction suddenly. "I mean...we reset the wards around you that we had to temporarily take down. But...you subdued Harry Potter to recover your wand, but then Samus forcefully disarmed you. If she recovered that wand, she could discover that you have Metroid DNA. And if she has some magical potential as you suspect, your wand will recognize Samus as its new mistress."

"I'm aware of that, but there's little chance she'll learn anything else from DNA fragments left on my wand," said Valencia. "Besides, I would be happy to teach Samus to use a wand I once owned, should she eventually join us."

"You truly believe the bounty hunter will join you in time? She and Potter both?" asked Snape.

"I'm still not entirely certain about Samus, but Harry's allegiance I can count on, and she just might follow," said Valencia. She then let go and his hands and embraced him. "Lighten up, Sevvy. I know you're still bitter about me leaving you out in the cold these sixteen years. But what's important is that we're together now. We can put aside how much we hate ourselves and fulfill Lily's final wish."

Snape's heart lifted a little at that. Sighing, Snape wrapped her arms around Valencia as well. For a moment, he let himself savor Valencia's warm embrace, in the womanly side of her she had only ever shared with him. But as his hand brushed against her back, he felt something...familiar under her shirt. He failed to notice it earlier, since her braids only began a few inches below her neck, but now there was no denying it.

"Val, that scar across your shoulders...you left it there?" demanded Snape. "Back in our first year, I showed you the Dark Magic that would eliminate those scars forever. It wasn't a magical affliction, so why not..."

Snape stopped when Valencia's face suddenly became rigid. "We've been through this a thousand times, Sevvy. You know exactly why. Given your own distaste for the Muggle world, I don't get why you still can't understand. It's a grim reminder, as much as when I look down on my left side, and see metal and plastic instead of flesh and blood!" she spat, holding up her bionic arm.

Snape glanced down at that cybernetic appendage before his gaze returned to her fiery, indigo eyes. Her usual jocose demeanor had faded in an instant, and now there was no mistaking the seething animosity in those eyes. And as he stared into Valencia's narrowed, hate-filled eyes, doubt crept up in the back of Snape's mind once more.

xxxxxx

**June 18, 1997 - 6:58 A.M. Greenwich Mean Time**

**somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean**

Harry Potter could not fall back asleep. Many hours ago, Adam provided sleeping bags for him, Hermione and Ron, while Samus kept piloting her spaceship-turned-submersible, searching for this mysterious 'Inferno'. Samus wanted them fresh and rested for when either they stumbled across Valkyrie's underwater hideaway, or if a Patronus cast by an Order member brought them any news.

But for more than half a day, there was nothing. The silence was maddening, and it allowed Harry's mind to wander while he lay awake in his sleeping bag. Harry had thought his life was complicated enough, having the mission to hunt down Voldemort's Horcruxes dumped in his lap. Now Samus Aran returned with a dire new mission, his mother's best friend resurfaced as a power-mad turncoat, his aunt transformed into a freakish witch, Voldemort seeking Chozo technology...

So much was happening at once. And what's worse, so far he and his friends had been powerless to stop any of it. They fought as hard as they could, but Voldemort and Valkyrie still got away with the relic, and could be unearthing the secrets it led to this very moment...

"What's going through that twisted mind of yours, Valencia Asara?" Harry muttered to himself dejectedly. "What were you doing in this 'Inferno' these sixteen years? How can you look yourself in the mirror after teaming up with Voldemort? What're you really planning on doing with that Chozo technology? And how'd you get someone like Aunt Petunia to join you?"

Ever since Samus arrived a week ago, Harry had more new questions than answers. Faction's comment about how Valkyrie wanted to adopt him as a baby still frightened him. And from the way Valkyrie spoke to him in the Arcana Academy, she sounded confident he'd join her one day. Not only that, there was her talk of fulfilling some wish of his mother's. It was enough seeing his father act like a complete arse in Snape's memory. Harry dreaded learning there was a dark, secret side to his mother as well.

As Harry brooded over all this, he was dimly aware of some mechanical humming underneath the ship's floorboards. Occasionally, Harry heard some clanking sounds under the floorboards as well. But he paid it no mind, too lost in his thoughts.

Suddenly, Adam's voice rang out and the ship's lights came on. "Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, please wake up. There is something the three of you must see."

Harry sat up at once, hoping there would finally be something to do. Ron grumbled as he slowly roused, but amazingly, Hermione sounded grumpier. "This had better be good, Adam," growled Hermione, looking at her watch. "I've only gotten a couple hours of sleep."

"Huh? Why so little? What where you doing?" asked Ron innocently, but a sharp glare from Hermione made him quiver.

"Adam's incapable of piloting the ship now, remember? So Samus and I have to take shifts!" snapped Hermione.

"And we still have nothing to show for it. We've scanned several kilometers along the plate boundaries but nothing so far," Samus called out from the cockpit. "But in case we do find something, or if the Order sends us news, you three will be ready."

"What d'you mean by that, Samus?" asked Ron, confusion etched in his tired face.

"Our fair Lady and I have done more over this past week than you three realize," said Adam gruffly. "We anticipated that you three would inevitably be embroiled in our conflict, and prepared accordingly."

Suddenly, three metal plates on the floor slid aside, and something slowly rose out of each of them. Harry gasped when he recognized what they were: three sets of combat armor, which resembled what was worn by Galactic Federation Marines. The helmets were different from what Harry saw in Adam's recorded footage, though. They were basically had glass face masks, similar to the helmets that Adam and his unit wore on his last mission. Other than that, they looked exactly like GF Marine suits.

"These three suits are prototypes...the Galactic Federation's latest attempt to reverse-engineer Samus Aran's Chozo power suit," said Adam. "Several were set to be field tested around the time of the B.S.L. incident, but due to an oversight, these three remained here after the ship was loaned to Samus. They were damaged by chronometric particulates when we first arrived in your time, however. We did not consider repairing them a high priority, not knowing Harry Potter intended to fight alongside our Lady. I had to make do with rigging one of the backup shield generators for him. We now know better. All repairs are complete, along with some special modifications Samus and I made to accommodate your physiology. It's time for you three to suit up and see if our hard work will pay off."


	11. Selective Pressure

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 11: Selective Pressure

4-16-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

Harry struggled to fit his right hand into the gauntlet. For some reason, it would not slide right in, and the metal mesh fabric underneath was quite abrasive. He turned to his right, seeing that Hermione already succeeded in donning her armor, but struggled to get her voluminous, bushy hair tied back so she could put on her helmet. Ron was the only one who was completely outfitted with his new power suit, having just attached the helmet over his head with a noisy click. Harry stared at him for a moment after finally getting his hand to fit, noticing how tall and imposing Ron looked in his suit, despite his confused expression.

"I don't get it, Adam," said Harry. "Hermione and I are both shorter than Ron, and I'm sure most of these GF Marines are pretty big and built-up, so how are we able to..."

"These suits are, in layman terms, one-size-fits-all," said Adam brusquely, cutting him off. "The inner layer of armor is made of a special polymer, which is a blend of malleable plastics and titanium alloy, and will reshape itself to accommodate whoever is to claim it. In fact, once all three of you have finished donning your power suits, the next order of business is to have them adapt to your unique physiologies, so none but you can use them."

Harry turned back to Hermione, who finally had her helmet on. Now fully clad in her power suit, she gave off an air of brutish power as well as sharp intellect. _I hope next time we fight the Death Eaters, we all have that same effect on them. It'd be nice to play on their fear for a change,_ Harry thought hopefully as he slid on his own helmet and firmly locked it in place.

At that moment, Harry saw Samus turn from the cockpit to look at them. She smiled approvingly. It was still hard to believe she planned on using them when she was so overprotective of them last time. Or maybe she was giving them these suits to ease her worries, to ensure they'd be that much harder to kill? At any rate, Samus said nothing, merely turning back to her console and hitting a button. Parts of the flooring slid away again, and cables rose from them like serpents. "Do not be alarmed," said Adam, anticipating the trio's nervousness. "These will supply your new suits with power, as well as initialize the startup sequence."

Harry just let out a nervous sigh as a cable attached itself to an open port in his chest plate. He saw two more reach around behind him, and heard them attach as well. On the inside of his helmet, which had been clear glass, a heads-up display abruptly began to flicker into existence. He had trouble making everything out at first, since he had removed his glasses. But Adam had promised the helmet's glass would act as corrective lenses for him, and that he would have no trouble using the HUD. After a while, he was able to clearly interpret what he was seeing. It was similar to the HUD from the visor, and from what he saw, it looked like his suit already came with the equivalent of two of Samus's energy tanks. Suddenly, a soft, feminine voice from inside his helmet gently asked, "Please state your name for voice print."

"No doubt you three have been prompted to give your names by now. Please do so," said Adam.

Harry sighed, then clearly said, "Harry Potter". He heard his two friends shakily say their own names as well.

"Voice print inputted," said the feminine voice. Suddenly, Harry was aware of a slight warmth in the palms of his hands. At first, he thought something was wrong, but the voice suddenly said, "Handprints and fingerprints inputted. DNA sequence inputted. Now preparing for retinal scan." It clicked in his mind what that meant a second before it happened. Two long, thin rods sprang out from inside his helmet, then emitted a laser stream directly into his eyes. Harry fought the instinct to flinch, and eventually, the rods receded and the voice said, "Retinal patterns inputted. Now initializing primary startup sequence."

"From the looks of it, everything is going well," said Adam approvingly. "Move around a little, get a feel for the armor."

Harry did so, taking a few timid steps forward, then tried moving his arms. He found the range of motion for his arms a bit limited, and walking and running in the suit would take a little getting used to. But so far, there seemed to be no problems.

Samus swung the pilot's seat around to face them, her expression still one of satisfaction. "From these schematics I've poured over, it looks like these suits have some extra features mine doesn't. The soles can be magnetized for one thing, and there are several actuator units to augment your physical strength. I never needed the latter, of course, but for you three it will no doubt be extremely useful. And it looks like there are separate units that can be attached, such as flight packs for deep space assignments, but for now, there are limitations due to inadequate power."

"There's also a feature that's most important for you, Harry: these suits are designed to block telepathic assaults. Hopefully, this means Voldemort will have trouble penetrating your mind, so the suit could make up for your difficulty with this Occlumency. And of course, there's the additions you and I made, Lady," said Adam.

"What additions? You still haven't explained what you meant by that," said Ron.

"Oh, once the primary startup is complete, you'll see," said Adam aloofly.

Shortly after Adam said that, the suit's onboard computer chimed in. "Primary startup sequence complete." A long stream of data and schematics that was unintelligible to Harry scrolled across his HUD. He examined them closely, hoping to figure out what it all meant, but the voice spoke up again. "Ready to begin secondary startup applications. Please insert your wand into the right gauntlet after castin Undetectable Extension Charm." Harry heard several clicking noises, and when he looked at his right arm, he saw a long groove had opened up.

"Adam, what's this about inserting wands?" asked Hermione breathlessly. "How could this be part of something for the Marines?"

"As I said, these are new additions Samus and I added, after closely studying your kind and your ways with magic. Valencia Asara is not the only one capable of combining magic and science," said Adam proudly.

The three of them asked no more questions as they walked over to the biobed where they had laid down their wands. After casting an Undetectable Extension Charm, Harry jammed in into the groove. Several clamps bore down on the handle, and suddenly the groove snapped shut. "Now, there's a small button on the very edge of your palm, which can be depressed with your pinky finger. Do so now," instructed Adam. Harry did just that, and his wand sprang out from his wrist, attached to a clamplike device that extended into the palm of his hand. Harry grasped his wand, and found he was able to do all the normal swishing and flicking motions with no trouble. the clamp was attached to a thick cable, just flexible enough to allow easy wand movement.

"Samus, Adam, this is bloody brilliant!" exclaimed Ron, flicking his own wand around. "At the very least, we'll be impossible to Disarm!"

"But these devices you rigged up...it's exactly like what Asara made for Aunt Petunia's gauntlet," Harry noted.

There was a short pause. "What can I say? Exceptional minds think alike," Adam eventually said.

"And your suits don't just allow easy access to your wands," said Samus. "Adam and I tried to devise ways for the suits to increase the overall power of your spells, so that might give you an edge as well. And we tried to implement a boost system, so hopefully, you three can jump as high as I normally can without any upgrades."

"Regrettably, we did not have enough resources available to create substitutes for all of Samus's suit upgrades," said Adam. "The most we could do is make what we hope will mimic Samus's power and charge beams. Just like before, Harry, you can focus that weapon effect through your wand. With the suit augmenting your stamina, you should experience no ill effects like before."

Harry recalled how copying Samus's greatest powers through the X parasites nearly killed him, to the point where his own body had involuntary purged them. He knew having any of that power again would be handy, but was not anxious to try it out anytime soon.

"At any rate, you and Samus have outdone yourselves this time!" cried Hermione, looking down at herself gleefully. Somehow, Harry had figured she would be hesitant to don something made purely for combat, but she seemed quite excited. "We were barely able to get the better of Voldemort before, but with _these_, who knows! It just might be enough!"

"And Samus, didn't you say that in your time, the Muggle governments know all about us? D'you think these were designed to let Muggle soldiers stand up to Dark wizards in the first place?" asked Ron.

"An excellent question, and from the original schematics, I can confirm that these suits should be able to resist Dark Magic as well as mine can," said Samus. "But keep in mind that these suits are prototypes, and meant for fully-trained Marines. They'll give you an edge in battle, but won't make you invincible."

"We understand, Samus. So maybe, while we have time, we should test these suits out as much as possible," suggested Hermione.

"Granger, I'm afraid that the time for playing with your new toys has run out," came a familiar, silky voice from the rear of the ship. Harry's blood ran cold, right before it began to boil. He glanced over his shoulder to see that, lurking in the shadows in the rear, was Severus Snape, looking as batlike as ever, his cold, black eyes glistening.

"What the...SNAPE? How'd you find us? What're YOU doing here?" demanded Ron hotly.

"It doesn't matter, because he won't get the chance to do it!" roared Harry. All qualms about using the charge beam forgotten, his wand began to throb with stored energy. In one blinding motion, he released his charged shot at Snape, who made no effort to defend himself. From what Harry could see, the shot went right through him and struck the back wall. Sparks erupted from the wall as metal groaned in protest.

Harry stared blankly, while Snape's cold, emotionless face gazed right back at the four of them. Eventually, Hermione got up the nerve to run toward him, stopping right at his feet. Snape stayed motionless, his eyes narrowing at Hermione. Suddenly, Hermione waved her hand at Snape's head, and it passed right through him as if he weren't even there. Hermione sighed. "Just as I thought, some sort of projected image. He's not really here."

"She's right. According to these scans, some sort of holographic image is being transmitted right into the ship," said Samus, glancing at her console.

"What the...where'd he learn to do something like that?" demanded Ron.

"By now, no doubt you know of how I once taught Val about the Dark Arts. I learned a few things from her as well," Snape replied coldly.

"Samus, scan the area! This may be a distraction, a prelude to an attack!" cried Hermione.

"Already done. There's nothing out of the ordinary for several dozen kilometers. He's alone," said Samus, though her tone sounded doubtful.

"Fine then. What's your game, Snape? What sort of message did Voldemort want you to deliver?" asked Harry, his voice shaking his rage.

"Nothing of the sort. No one knows of what I'm doing," said Snape. "I am here to deliver information. I am, after all, a double agent for the Order."

Harry's eyes widened, struck speechless by Snape's audacious comeback. "After what y-you did...YOU DARE TALK LIKE YOU'RE STILL ON OUR SIDE?"

Snape's holographic image swept through Hermione and approached Harry. "Val has great respect for you, you know. And after hearing of your recent duel with the Dark Lord, even I must admit you're more resourceful than I ever gave you credit for," he said, his voice steady and toneless. "But I hoped you would have some glimmer of the truth about the headmaster and I by now. You, of all people, should know better than to take everything at face value," he finished bitterly, now standing before Harry, staring him down.

"Enough with talking in riddles, Snape. If you've got something to say, then say it," spat Samus.

"Very well, Aran," said Snape, turning to her. "No doubt you've all heard of Val's time in the Order. Namely, how deep her hatred for the Dark Lord goes. You must have suspected that she has no intention of sharing the Chozo's marvels with him. If so, you were right."

"She told you all this? She still trusts you, after everything you've done?" asked Ron dubiously.

"Unlike Potter over here, she knows things aren't always as they seem. And except for Lily and the headmaster, I was the only one she ever confided in," said Snape. "She came to me shortly after revealing herself to the Dark Lord, believing I would help her seize the Chozo's secrets for herself. She believed I shared her zeal for using that power to honor Lily's memory..."

"She couldn't have been more wrong about you," sneered Hermione.

"On the contrary, Granger, I'm here because I know Lily would never want Val to go through with her master plan," snapped Snape. "It was perhaps the biggest difference between them: Val tends to think the ends justifies the means, while Lily was much more idealistic."

"Don't you, don't you _**DARE**_ act as if you actually care about my mother!" screamed Harry. "I heard what you called her in that memory, don't forget! And I know _**YOU'RE **_the one who told Voldemort about that prophecy in the first place!"

Snape whirled to glare at Harry. His face was filled with that same savage, inhuman fury from when they last faced each other. For a moment, Harry was taken aback. However, Snape said nothing, turning back to Samus. "I see I'll get nowhere trying to reason with these three. Perhaps you'll understand, though, once I tell you what that Chozo relic really unlocks."

Samus's eyes narrowed. "Very well, spill it," she snapped icily.

Snape's lip curled. "Kor-Zor."

Harry saw the color drain from Samus's face. He thought only Ridley could evoke such a reaction in her, but the fear showing in her face was infectious, unnerving him as well.

"Ah, so you know the name. Val guessed that for your people, a most frightful legend would have arisen from his antics," Snape went on. "But unfortunately, as with the Chamber of Secrets, there is more truth than fiction to that legend. Kor-Zor's raging spirit made its way to Earth a millennia ago, and when he started wreaking havoc in our world, your people rushed here. But alone they could not succeed. That is where the founders of Hogwarts came in. Working with the Chozo, the four of them found a way to subdue Kor-Zor's spirit and seal it away. Val's kept all this from the Dark Lord, only showing him journal pages from our Houses' founders that speak of tantalizing magical discoveries. Her true intent is to unleash Kor-Zor's spirit."

"What the...WHY would she want to do that!?" Samus demanded, every syllable tainted with terror.

"She covets Kor-Zor's secrets of dark energy and dark matter," said Snape coolly. "She believes with that, she'd have an inexhaustible source of energy."

"And you're telling us this...why?" shrieked Hermione. "Why not tell your boss about this? I can't imagine why he wouldn't want that sort of power for himself!"

Snape glowered at Hermione, then turned back to Samus. "I know not what kind of horror stories about Kor-Zor you were told as a child, but I can tell they were most unpleasant. No doubt with good reason. No man or woman should unleash such dreadful power..." All of a sudden, Snape's image began to flicker. It only lasted a few seconds, but judging from Snape's concerned look, it was not good news for him.

"I have no time left. If I linger much longer, I run the risk of a Death Eater discovering what I'm up to," said Snape quickly. He then turned to Harry. "This may well be my last spy report for the Order. If you will ever trust me, Potter, you must trust me now. Val and the Dark Lord learned the location of Kor-Zor's prison by studying that stolen artifact, and are headed there now. I'll give it in a method even Aran's computer friend can understand: roughly 41.6 degrees North, 108.5 degrees West."

"But that's...back in America, in the desert mountains of Wyoming!" cried Hermione.

"Ah, an expert in Muggle geography as well. You three were always full of little surprises," said Snape sourly. "I suggest you three put your myriad talents, and your new toys, to some good use. Go after Val and the Dark Lord with the entire Order. I was ordered to stay behind, and with so many Death Eaters standing watch, there is nothing more I can do."

And with that, Snape's image faded away, leaving a cold silence in the ship's interior. All Harry could hear was blood pounding in his ears, still enraged beyond belief. But the part of him still able to think rationally knew that they had no other leads besides Snape's. And if he was telling the truth, they had no choice but to rush to those coordinates...before it was too late.

xxxxxx

**June 18, 1997 - 1:51 A.M. Mountain Standard Time**

**Red Desert, Wyoming U.S.A.**

Voldemort sauntered onward through the desert sands, several of his Death Eaters tailing him. The moon was nearly full, so they were not forced to resort to their wands for light. But even with the sun down, it was unbearably warm, and the dry air only added to everyone's discomfort. And Voldemort noticed, with no small degree of spiteful delight, those conditions were most wearing on Ped, who he now knew was Harry Potter's Muggle aunt. She limped alongside Wildflower, who, in stark contrast, looked completely rejuvenated.

"Ah, the subtle embrace of the darkest night, the lovely caress of the gentle moonlight," said Wildflower lustily. "Just what I needed after a daytime mission...and that run-in with Hermione Granger."

"A thrashing from her you richly deserved," came Valkyrie's bitter, dangerous voice from several feet away. "If you thought that incarcerating Chuck's boy would somehow please me, you were gravely mistaken."

"I'm glad you're feeling up to snuff, because this heat and dry air is murder for us amphibious types," wheezed Ped. She extended her wand from her gauntlet, pointed it at herself, and cried, "_Aguamenti!_" A gentle stream of water washed over her and rehydrated her, and before long she was able to continue on. However, Ped stopped in her tracks when Bellatrix Lestrange walked up beside her, glaring at her with thinly-veiled contempt. "Oh, what's _YOUR_ problem?" Ped demanded irritably.

"Just the irresistible urge to hurl whenever I see trash like you using magic," Bellatrix sneered. "The Dark Lord overheard Potter back in Salem. Are you his Muggle aunt?"

The debilitating, arid heat forgotten, Ped righted herself and glared back at Bellatrix. "So what if I am?"

"Oh, you better knock it off, Bella!" came Tesla's high-pitched voice. A second later, she swooped down, landing between Ped and Bellatrix. "Lemme lay down some ground rules here: NO ONE gives Tunes a hard time except _ME_!"

Ped placed a hand on Tesla's shoulder, gently pushing her aside. "I appreciate your concern, Tesla, but you need not bother. After all, one of the reasons I joined Dr. Asara was so my family and I wouldn't have to live in fear of murderers like her."

"Ah, so you admit it!" cackled Bellatrix. "You admit you're a Muggle, that you've stolen your magic from us!" Ped's mood shifted instantly, and she gave in to a raucous peal of laughter. "What's so bloody funny?" demanded Bellatrix angrily.

"How even _I_ can tell how ridiculously stupid that idea is," said Ped smugly. "Anyone idiot can see that magic is inherited, therefore it's genetic. You evolved that way, somehow. And no one knows more about genetics than Dr. Asara. Stolen? Hardly. It was hers to give freely."

Voldemort calmed himself and listened closely, hoping Ped would accidently let slip some of Valkyrie's closest secrets. The power to transform Muggles into wizards? Disgustingly preposterous, but if it was true, he had to learn how it was done. Hoping to prod Petunia, he said, "So, you believe your master has the answers behind magic's origin?"

"You can't blame me for trying. Since the day I discovered what I was, I sought to unlock the mystery of our kind's genetic roots," said Valkyrie, walking up to them. Ryx was on her shoulder, glaring at Bellatrix haughtily. "I've gone further in investigating our evolutionary roots than any other. Some things I can still only explain with nebulous theories, like why all the genes necessary for magic suddenly pop up in us Mudbloods. But all my hard work has paid off in so many ways. Just look at Ped here. In many ways, Petunia Evans Dursley is my greatest triumph."

Ped said nothing. She simply folded her arms and stared at Voldemort. Voldemort briefly wondered if Ped felt any hatred for him over Lily's murder. He had always heard she could have cared less about her sister, but perhaps that was all a facade. He was about to try Legilimancy, but as before in Malfoy Manor, Valkyrie interrupted him.

"Oh, what a marvelous specimen!" cried Valkyrie, reaching into a desert shrub. Seconds later, she pulled out a rattlesnake, a little over a foot long. "Just as I thought, it's a _Crotalus viridis_...a prairie rattlesnake. Possesses one of the most toxic non-magical venom known." The snake squirmed in her grasp as its rattles loudly clattered. Ryx was staring at it quite intently. "Oh, and she's pregnant too," Valkyrie suddenly added stiffly.

"PREGNANT!?" cried Bellatrix incredulously.

"It's common knowledge that rattlesnakes bear live young," said Valkyrie airily. She then turned to Voldemort and shoved the rattlesnake in his face. "Well, go on," she said impatiently.

"Go on with what?" asked Voldemort.

Valkyrie rolled her eyes. "In every culture, men are always the same! _**NEVER**_ ask for directions!" she spat acerbically. "You're the Parselmouth, so ask her if she knows of anything unusual around here. The sooner we find the cache and get out of the open, the better."

Voldemort glowered at Valkyrie a moment longer before relaying her question to the rattlesnake. She tasted the air with her forked tongue one more time before hissing, "_The rocks over there, strange ambience we rattlesnakes sense. Never approach unless we have to._" The rattlesnake angled her head over to a large, wall-like range of sandy rock a few hundred feet to their left.

"Over there," said Voldemort, pointing to the rock formation. Valkyrie nodded, then set the rattlesnake gently down in the sand, which hastily slithered away. Valkyrie briskly walked ahead of him, flanked by Ped and Wildflower. Faction was further up ahead, while Tesla levitated herself again.

_Just what is the secret of her power?_ Voldemort wondered as he watched Tesla ascend. He shuddered as he recalled how weak and helpless he felt when the girl stood watch over him, canceling out all magic around her. She utterly sapped what strength he had left. _She seems so familiar, yet she's unlike anything I've ever encountered. The ability to siphon away magic...in many ways, she's more of an abomination than Potter's Muggle aunt. And I don't know what's more galling: being indebted to this band of freaks, or how it was because Potter outwitted me!_

Voldemort glanced behind him. Bellatrix was at his side again, and the remainder of the Death Eaters he brought - Greyback, Yaxley, Rookwood and the Carrows - were close behind. "Make sure they all stay alert," he whispered to Bellatrix. "No doubt Asara is being watchful of treachery. We must take the first opportunity we see to get the Founders' secrets for ourselves." Bellatrix nodded approvingly, walking in stride with her master.

Soon enough, all of them made it to the rocky range. Faction had already begun searching for anything unusual, both wands in use. After a while, he turned to them and said, "There is definitely something here, some powerful web of enchantments concealing an entrance. But I see nothing where the relic could be used as the key to reveal it."

"From what we know of the Chozo, they're the types who'll make you search high and low just for the keyhole," said Wildflower. "We'll have to comb every square millimeter of that rock."

"Ped, Tesla, I think this is a job for you two," said Valkyrie. Her two lieutenants said nothing, immediately springing to action. Ped made a tremendous leap toward the rocky wall and bean scurrying all around it, while Tesla slowly flew over it.

"The rest of you, make yourselves useful and begin searching as well!" snapped Voldemort. Greyback grumbled as he walked up to the sandy rock, tapping it with his wand while running his grimy fingers over it. The rest dared not show any displeasure and silently examined the stones. A stiff, penetrating wind began to blow through the desert. Voldemort had a brief, foolish notion that the desert itself was reacting to them, to ward away any searching for the treasures buried here...

After several long, torturous minutes, Voldemort heard Ped call out, "I think I found something!" All heads looked up the rocky wall, where Ped jabbed her wand into a crack. The incantation Ped shouted was swallowed up by the stiff winds, but whatever it was, it had an immediate effect. A huge column of sand rose a few feet from where Voldemort stood, as if something explosive was set off. When the sand settled, a lone stalagmite could be seen rising from the desert floor.

Valkyrie reached it before Voldemort, running her bionic hand over it. "Riddle, I think this is it! Hurry, the relic!" she cried excitedly.

Voldemort suppressed the urge to grin evilly. She sounded so blissfully unaware of how he intended to slaughter her and her freakshow at the first chance. He reached into the pocket he had cast an Undetectable Extension Charm on and pulled out the Chozo artifact. As he approached the stalagmite, the artifact's eyes began to glow with a vibrant intensity. The stalagmite seemed to be glowing as well.

"They're both reacting, no doubt because they recognize you as a Founder's descendent!" cried Valkyrie gleefully. "Hurry, use it! Find out how to open the Chozo cache!"

Voldemort ignored her prattling as he stepped up to the stalagmite, holding the artifact over it. The moment he did so, the obelisk on the bottom suddenly separated into four equal parts, splitting open like an upside-down flower. The quarter which bore the relief of a serpent head suddenly transfigured into the upper body of a snake, its jaw snapping menacingly. The one with an eagle head became a bird's leg, it talons raking the air. The final two quarters became furry paws, grasping for something to latch onto.

Breathing heavily, Voldemort slowly lowered the artifact to the stalagmite's tip. Once it was low enough, the obelisk's transfigured quarters latched on, and the Chozo head's eyes glowed more fiercely than ever. Voldemort backed away, but before long, something else drew his attention: a low rumbling from the rocky wall. Everyone's gaze turned to the sandy stone, and they all gasped when they saw a pair of venomous, slitlike yellow eyes snap open. Then something began to slowly push its way out from the wall: a gigantic bird's head, its shape and beak strongly resembling a Chozo's. The head then began to tilt upward as the beak opened wide, as if making a gateway just large enough for a person to pass through.

"After all these years of searching, we've finally found it," muttered Faction, a hint of smugness in his deep voice. "No doubt this leads to just what Inferno needs."

"The combined knowledge of the greatest quartet of wizards and the most noble, knowledgeable alien race. There's no telling what wonders lie within. But of course, that's part of what makes this so enthralling," said Wildflower. Something about her words immediately struck Voldemort. He could sense a small hint of deception. Did Valkyrie's lot know more about what was hidden in there than they let on?

Before he could ponder about the matter further, Valkyrie stepped past them, closer to the passageway. She pressed a button on her bionic arm, then spoke into her wrist. "Attention all forces on standby, we've found the entrance. Converge on my position immediately."

_So bold as to betray us so soon, so openly!_ Voldemort thought furiously as he raised his wand. But a loud popping noise distracted him, and a second later, a small, black blur rushed past him.

"What in the..._house-elves!_" groaned Greyback. Sure enough, a quick glance around him showed at least a score of house-elves had Apparated into the desert, forming a perimeter. But these were freed house-elves. They all wore black robes, and on their backs was the symbol of Inferno. But that was not what Voldemort found most grating. In addition, they all carried wands.

"Get those defensive wards set up as quickly as possible!" Valkyrie commanded her house-elves as they skittered and jumped all over, their wands showering magical energy everywhere. "This perimeter must be impregnable. Anyone who lets so much as a tumbleweed get through will answer to me personally!"

"What's going on here? What's with these house-elves?" inquired Rookwood nervously.

"If you had listened, Rookwood, you'd know they're setting up a defensive perimeter," spat Valkyrie haughtily. "Samus Aran and Harry Potter tracked us to Salem. We can't run the risk of them finding this repository and tackling us before we're done cannibalizing all its secrets. If they can outfox Voldemort like that, what will happen if they bring the entire Order next time?"

"But...why use garbage like these house-elves?" demanded Bellatrix arrogantly.

Valkyrie shook her head. "Once again, your ethnocentrist beliefs and foolish pride stand in the way of progress and power. House-elves can Apparate over longer distances, and in and out of places humans can't. When properly trained and armed, as these elves have been, they can prove quicker, more agile, and perhaps even deadlier than their human counterparts. With just these house-elves standing guard, we can rest assured we won't be disturbed. But I like to double up on everything, and...ah, the rest of our backup is arriving now!" Valkyrie finished, pointing toward the horizon.

Voldemort whirled around. After squinting, he could make out what he thought were a dozen or so horses. But as they drew nearer, he realized that they were actually centaurs. _This is unbelievable. Granting gutter-trash like house-elves the right to wield wands is insane enough. But how could Asara get prideful beings like centaurs to take orders from a human, whose second-in-command is a vampire?_

The centaurs finally made it to their position, passing harmlessly through the house-elves' barriers. Voldemort recognized the lead centaur at once: Bane, the leader of the Forbidden Forest's herd. He strode past Voldemort as if he were of no concern, stopping in front of Valkyrie. "So, you have found it at last. What was left behind by a wise, noble race whose knowledge of the stars surpasses even our own," he said evenly, staring at the entrance.

"Yes, and it's up to your herd and our house-elf unit to make sure we can do what we have to," replied Valkyrie. "You may have to face Samus Aran in battle. Will that be a problem?"

Bane's stony face hardened even more. "It will not," he said simply, reaching for his side to pull out not a crossbow, but some sort of large rifle. All of his herd followed suit, leaving Voldemort to wonder how Valkyrie convinced centaurs to use Muggle weapons.

"Good, good," said Valkyrie airily. "Remember, I want no fatalities should anyone show up. Samus Aran and her young charges are to walk away relatively unharmed. As for the rest of the Order...anything short of killing is fine with me." The centaurs simply nodded. "Now then, we also decided this was a perfect time to test my prototype. Did you find a suitable volunteer?"

"Right here, Dr. Asara," came a girl's voice from within the herd. Voldemort turned to see a young, red-haired girl jump down from a centaur and walk up to Valkyrie. He thought she looked familiar, and when Valkyrie spoke next, everything clicked.

"Susan Bones? Are you sure you want to go through with this?" asked Valkyrie, sounding more shocked than Voldemort could ever recall. Voldemort stared at the girl, but she never even turned to look at him once. She acted as if he wasn't even there, despite how it was he who had personally murdered her aunt. He could accept Petunia Dursley showing no hostility toward him, but Susan Bones was another matter. Something was not right. "Bones, I know you're anxious to earn a spot in our forces, but consider what this will involve. All our simulations indicate that if someone is incompatible, there'll be severe trauma to the frontal lobe, pons and cerebellum. Are you sure it's worth the risk?"

Susan's resolve seemed to falter for a brief moment, but then she said, "I'm sure. You need a volunteer, and no one else had the guts."

Valkyrie sighed and finally relented. "Very well. Ronan, Magorian, suit her up. Bane, I trust you brought the seeder pod?"

Bane looked offended. "Of course," he said gruffly.

"They deploy it," ordered Valkyrie. Bane said nothing more as he reached for another weapon, this one a small pistol with a bottle-shaped metal pod attached. He aimed it straight up and fired. The pod rose several thousand feet into the air before it exploded with a dizzying flash. When the blinding light cleared, it looked as if some sort of spiraling vortex was forming in the clear, night sky. After a while, dark clouds began to be pulled in from miles away, blotting out the moon and stars. A bolt of lightning lanced across the horizon. When the clap of thunder followed, a downpour accompanied it, drenching them all.

"Why couldn't we have deployed that pod _BEFORE_ we found the entrance?" spat Ped as heavy rain cascaded all around them.

"Enough complaining. Everything is set out here. Our task now lies within," said Faction.

"What's with causing this rain? What good will it do?" asked Bellatrix.

"Do not concern yourselves. It involves what Bones has volunteered to test for me," said Valkyrie dismissively as Ryx craned her neck upward, opening her mouth to swallow rainwater. Voldemort glanced back over to the herd, but whatever Susan Bones was being 'suited up' with, he could not see, his view blocked by several centaurs. "We've wasted enough time out here. The house-elves and centaurs will be more than enough to keep the Order out of our faces. It's time to go in."

With that, Valkyrie turned on her heel and walked toward the gaping maw of the Chozo's head, Wildflower and Faction flanking her. Seeing no other option, Voldemort sighed and followed her, signaling for his Death Eaters to follow. But a quick glance behind him showed that Ped and Tesla were bringing up the rear. They were sandwiched between Valkyrie and her Reformers. For the first time that day, Voldemort felt uneasy. With Valkyrie's personal army of creatures guarding the exit, it would be harder to escape with his ancestor's secrets than he thought.

_Still, those creatures outside will have no way of knowing if their mistress has been felled. I can easily surprise them all, _Voldemort thought evilly. _Surely, if we put our minds to it, my Death Eaters and I can overcome these freaks. Relying on Muggle technology, stealing away our gifts for a Muggle who once despised our kind, and entrusting our safety to centaurs and house-elves? How such things fly in the face of true Wizarding pride! There is no way they can completely overcome my followers and I!_

But as Voldemort followed Valkyrie into the Chozo head's maw, he could not see Valkyrie's face. The sclera of her eyes glowed pink again, and her indigo irises radiated more fiercely than ever. Her lips curved into a wicked smile, patiently yet expectantly waiting for the moment she would show Voldemort what an unmitigated fool he truly was.

xxxxxx

Samus forced her hand to remain steady as she piloted her ship. They had just reentered American airspace, but with the stealth field up, hopefully America's Air Force would be none the wiser. Not that Samus was particularly worried about that. A far worse fear was clawing at her heart.

Kor-Zor. The most frightening legend among all the Chozo tribes. A petrifying symbol of evil and perversion among the entire race. Samus clearly recalled hearing about the horrors Kor-Zor nearly unleashed on Zebes, how such tales made her sleep less soundly as a child...

And now, the woman who callously regarded the tapestry of history hers to manipulate as she pleased sought to set Kor-Zor's raging spirit free.

So much about Valencia Asara was still an enigma for them all. Even for those among the Order of the Phoenix who knew her best, much of her past was a mystery. But one thing was certain: she was unscrupulous in her grab for power, and how she would use it. Whatever the cost, Valkyrie had to be stopped. Even if it meant going about things quite differently.

Samus looked behind her. Right behind the cockpit stood her three young friends, still clad in their new power suits. But crowded throughout the ship behind them was every member of the Order who had assembled at the Burrow yesterday. And again, for some reason, Horace Slughorn was among them. Once Snape's image had vanished, Samus ordered Hermione to send a Patronus explaining the situation, then flew back to Great Britain to await their arrival. One by one, the Order members Apparated into the ship, fully prepared for a fight. And now, several minutes after flying across the Atlantic Ocean, most of them were still deathly silent, as if Samus's own anxieties were permeating the entire ship.

Lupin looked more anxious than all of them put together, his face pale and clammy. "Ugh, so close to the full moon," he groaned, glaring out the window. "I can only imagine what Greyback will be like when we face him next."

"OWW!" growled Hagrid from the back of the ship, making many of them jump. "Damn shrapnel juttin' out from the wall," he muttered.

"Oh, sorry Hagrid. That's where...the charged shot went right through Snape," said Harry sheepishly.

"I simply can't believe we're trusting Severus again, after what he did!" cried McGonagall. "What if he's leading us on a wild goose chase, or we're somehow playing right into You-Know-Who's hands?"

"By telling Samus to bring the entire Order of the Phoenix? I doubt it," said Hermione.

"And back in Salem, Voldemort didn't really sound like he knew what the Chozo buried," said Samus. "Hard as it may be to believe, perhaps Snape really did keep the truth from Voldemort, and doesn't want either one of them to get Kor-Zor's secrets."

"You make it sound like Snape might actually have a conscience," spat Harry. "Don't forget, I saw him kill Dumbledore, the look on his face...he was playing us for suckers all these years!"

"I'm forced to agree with Mr. Potter. I find it a tad foolish...so quick to trust the information of a double agent who was clearly serving the enemy all along!" shouted McGonagall.

"Actually, ever since Harry told me about Snape and Dumbledore, something didn't sit right with me. And no matter how many times I go over it, one thing still doesn't fit...sticks out like a flaring pulsar," said Samus.

"What's that, Samus?" asked Arthur.

"How the only reason the Order knew Harry and his friends were in the Department of Mysteries was because Snape tipped you all off," said Samus stiffly. "If he'd truly been loyal to Voldemort, why would he do that?"

An awkward silence lingered for a moment. "Well...I suppose he had to give the impression he was on our side, so he'd still be able to act as a spy," suggested Ron.

"At the expense of Voldemort possibly losing the prophecy he'd been obsessing over for years? I don't think so," replied Samus sternly. "I don't claim to have it all figured out, but I know for certain there's more to Snape than meets the eye."

"Maybe you're right," said Hermione. "Maybe Snape was getting close to some of Voldemort's biggest plans, and Dumbledore ordered Snape to maintain his cover no matter what, even if it meant killing him."

"Hermione, you're STILL trying to defend him?" snapped Harry. "No, he made that Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa Malfoy, remember?"

"Right now, all this speculation is useless," said Samus quickly. "Like it or not, Snape's lead is all we've got. We'll track Snape down and force the truth out of him later. For now, let's focus on Voldemort and Valkyrie."

"It won't be much longer now," said Hermione, peering over her shoulder. "If I'm reading your console right, we just passed over Illinois. We'll reach the Red Desert in a few more minutes."

"And when we do, I hope you three don't expect to be on the front lines of this fight!" snapped Molly suddenly. "Samus, what were you thinking, giving these kids these armored suits, as if they're supposed to be soldiers in your personal little army?"

"Mum, we're not children anymore, and there's no way we can stay out of this fight!" retorted Ron. "Harry's fight with You-Know-Who is inevitable, and when he's ready, Hermione and I will be there."

"And Mrs. Weasley, don't forget we practically had Voldemort beaten back in Salem," interjected Hermione. "If these battle suits are even half as powerful as Samus's original, it may even be enough to let us take him down for good."

_Only if we destroy all those Horcruxes first, and we've run out of time for that,_ Samus added silently.

"It's not just a matter of You-Know-Who anymore. Now we've got my crazy ex-partner and her band of psychotic misfits to deal with, too. _THEY'RE_ the ones trying to unleash this Chozo bogeyman, don't forget," growled Moody vehemently.

"In light of that, are you sure it was wise to give Harry and his friends the power suits?" asked Lupin. "I'm sure you meant well, wanting your friends to have an edge. But perhaps it would have been wiser to let older, more experienced wizards use them."

Samus looked back at Lupin, then at Harry, who simply shrugged his shoulders. Did Lupin have a point? Was she so emotionally attached to these three and worried about their safety, she made a huge tactical blunder? Samus then considered Molly's accusation. Was she really trying to assemble these three into her personal fighting force? She had learned to trust them in combat situations, but was she taking it too far? She then remembered the last trio she was supposed to lead: Rundas, Ghor and Gandrayda. Was she setting these three up for an even worse fate? Valkyrie seemed keen on recruiting Harry along with his aunt.

Slughorn suddenly spoke up, sparing Samus from having to reply. "Urhm, well, I for one wouldn't want to question Ms. Aran's judgment," he said. "But anyway, there's...something I must confess."

"Go ahead. We've been wondering why you're tagging along anyway," quipped Tonks.

"I know you're all wondering about how Val turned out like this. After all, no one really knows about her life before Hogwarts," said Slughorn. "Except me."

Samus could hear everyone quickly turn to Slughorn. "What the...YOU know? HOW?" demanded Moody.

"Her mother, Belinda Asara...she was distant family," explained Slughorn. "After teaching Val a few years, I pressed Belinda to tell me the truth about her. And, well, perhaps I should show you all."

Samus turned around again. Slughorn was pulling what looked like a newspaper out of his cloak. But when he presented it, it was clearly a non-magical newspaper. The picture of a little black-haired girl, of what people of this time called Asian descent, was on the front page and quite stationary. Above the picture of the smiling girl wearing some school uniform was a bold headline: _**AMERICA'S CHILD PRODIGY CONTINUES TO ASTOUND**_

"Her name was originally Valerie Prime, and she lived in America. Even at such a young age, her intelligence defied description, and went to a Muggle university. But something terrible happened that made her turn her back on her country. Belinda never told me what, but after her power manifested, Dumbledore helped relocate her to England, and the Asaras took her in," Slughorn told them. "Belinda made me swear I'd never reveal this to anyone, and I never even let Val know she told me. All these years, I've kept my word. But now...my three prized pupils of that year...one dead, and the other two…. I-I must come along...learn the truth!" Slughorn finished, looking about ready to cry.

Samus said nothing, simply staring at the smiling little girl in the photograph. She looked so sprightly and full of promise. What caused her to turn into such a power-hungry madwoman? Then something Slughorn said clicked in her head: her old name. A woman once called Valerie _**PRIME**_, who now possessed _**METROID**_ DNA. _No, it can't be,_ Samus thought fearfully. _It HAS to be a coincidence..._

"Lady, I'm encountering some unusual meteorological activity, completely out of place for these desert conditions," said Adam suddenly. "A dense region of storm clouds is over the coordinates Snape gave us. I'm also picking up multiple life signs several kilometers ahead, but only one registers as human."

Samus returned her attention to piloting the ship. She slowly made the ship descend into a raging downpour, flying toward the life signs Adam had pinpointed. Soon enough, she descended low enough to make out several figures standing around a long mountainous wall of sandy stone. But there seemed to be region of sparkling, glistening energy, which shone ever more brightly through the cascading raindrops, surrounding the figures.

"Adam, give me some magnification," ordered Samus. At once, a magnified image displayed on her console, and immediately drew astonished outbursts from everyone.

"Those little hooded figures, are those..._house-elves_?" cried Hermione indignantly. "Asara uses HOUSE-ELVES in her personal fighting force?"

"Freed house-elves, judging by those robes. And they're carrying wands, and they all got that symbol Harry said was on Asara's chest," said Ron. "But I'm more curious about how Asara got CENTAURS to fight for her!"

"Those aren't just ANY centaurs!" shouted Harry, pointing at the console. "Look at that lead centaur...it's _**BANE**_!"

"BANE? That brash, ruddy bully!" cried Hagrid from the back. "First Lily's sister, now Bane! Is there anyone Valencia CAN'T recruit?"

"Yeah, us," said Samus simply.

On the console screen, several house-elves pointed their wands upward, jumping around and shouting. "Thanks to all this rain, they can see us!" shouted Samus, her grip on the control stick tightening. She watched warily as several centaurs stepped aside, letting one lone girl step through. On her forearms, she wore strange gauntlets made up of some resplendent, polished, dark green crystal, and had an armored chest plate made of the same material. They were all connected with an array of cables, and several were attached to a headpiece that looked like a crystal headband.

"Wait a minute, who is that?" asked Hermione, but it sounded like she already recognized her. "Red hair, that face...it's SUSAN BONES!"

"Huh? I don't believe it! We saw her before, right outside Fred and George's joke shop!" cried Harry. "What's she..." Harry's voice trailed off when Susan's cold gaze stared back at them through the console screen. Susan raised an outstretched hand...

Samus saw something rise from down below. A gigantic hand, formed from the drenched desert sands, lashed upward. It was about to grab hold of the ship, and only Samus's quick-thinking let her swerve out of the way. "Adam, set plasma cannon intensity to stun ground targets only!" Samus hastily ordered as she readied her thumb.

"Do it," said Adam. Samus depressed the trigger, and weapons fire rained down on the group below. But all her shots were absorbed by some glistening barrier around the enemy group. Samus could also see the house-elves waving their wands, as if to reinforce the barrier. A lightning bolt then came down, narrowly missing the ship. To Samus's horror, it struck what she thought was Susan Bones. But once the light cleared, Susan looked completely unfazed, and her armor seemed to glow a venomous, greenish shade. Susan raised her arms again, and two gigantic hands of sand sprang from the desert floor, mimicking her every move. One hand lashed upward, and its counterpart did the same, in addition to firing a wide blast of electricity.

"Lemme guess, that armor lets her control the wet sand, sending electric impulses across it much the same way action potentials travel across nerves!" shouted Hermione as Samus swerved to evade the bolt, sending many Order members careening all over the ship.

"As good a guess as any," said Samus as she evaded another lightning bolt from below. A giant fist then came for the ship, but a quick burst from the plasma cannons blew it to chunks well before it could make contact. "Whatever the case, with that barrier up and Susan Bones standing guard, we'll get nowhere fast. And look, there's some sort of bird's head sticking out from the rock...a Chozo's head, its mouth open! They're blocking the entrance to Kor-Zor's prison!"

"Then we have no choice. We of the Order must go down there and fight them on land. It's the only way to disperse the house-elves' barrier," said McGonagall resolutely.

"But...with Susan controlling the sand, you'll just line yourselves up to be swatted down!" cried Ron fearfully.

"If only there were some other way to get past that barrier," said Samus, tilting the control stick hard to the left to avoid another lightning bolt. She stared at it for a moment, at her armored left hand. Then she glanced back at Harry, Ron and Hermione, all wearing suits that were supposed to resist any magic. "Everyone, I've got an idea. I think I can get Harry, Ron, Hermione and myself in. But someone will have to pilot the ship. Adam can't control it himself anymore."

"I can do it!" came George's eager reply. Samus could hear him hastily shoving people aside to get to the cockpit. "I had a feel for Dad's flying car on the way to Privet Drive, and I was Beater for six years! I think I can handle piloting Adam," said George, sounding overly eager to please.

Samus could sense all the dubious stares George was getting. Perhaps they all suspected what part of his motivation really was. For some reason, though, Samus found his eagerness touching. At any rate, she doubted she would find a better stand-in on such short notice. "Then by all means, George, it's all yours. Adam will walk you through the basics," said Samus as she stood up, offering George her seat. As he took the controls, Samus loosened her robes. They dropped to the floor around her feet, and she fished for her helmet. _Either I'm fully-clad in armor...and now I'm wearing these robes. Sometimes, it feels like I'm always hiding something about myself,_ she thought as she fastened her helmet.

With great care, George followed Adam's directions and dove toward the enemy's position. Susan sent out another wet, sandy fist, but George was able to evade it. Once the ship was directly over them, Samus dropped out from the bottom. A moment later, Harry, Ron and Hermione followed, using magic to propel themselves toward Samus. Samus immediately curled up, going into a screw attack. When her rapidly spinning body reached the barrier, it bore right through it with a sickening ripping noise. Samus uncurled and landed in a crouching position a few feet from the giant Chozo's head. A moment later, Harry dropped through the weakened barrier, and with great effort landed on his feet. Ron and Hermione, however, clumsily bellyflopped onto the wet sand.

Samus looked up and immediately got to work. Susan turned to examine the strange noise, but she was far too slow. Samus's sensors locked onto Harry's old classmate. She raised her arm cannon, the missile barrel open. Susan had no chance to defend herself. The explosive force battered her mercilessly, and she collapsed to the ground, covered in frost.

Harry, meanwhile, busied himself with the centaurs. Several raised what looked like rifles and fired. "_Protego!_" bellowed Harry, forming a barrier to deflect all their shots, then shouted, "_Incarcerous!_" Three centaurs were ensnared by a web of thick, strong rope. Luckily, Ron and Hermione had been quick to recover, and were fending off house-elves.

"Oh, please forgive me," whispered Hermione guiltily as one of her Stunners struck down a house-elf.

It looked as if the centaurs and house-elves would soon overwhelm them. Fortunately, with Susan Bones neutralized, there was nothing to keep the Order from joining the fight. One by one, they began to Apparate down into the desert, though the howling winds and driving rain drowned out the cracking sounds. At one point, George flew the ship low enough for Hagrid to jump out. Now the house-elves and centaurs had to contend with the Order, who send a deluge of curses to pummel the house-elves' barrier.

"Aran, Potter...all of you, GO!" yelled McGonagall, her pleading voice somehow audible over the curses and weapons fire.

Samus knew she had no choice. The four of them had to go on ahead and hope the Order could break through soon. "You three, get inside! Let me cover you a while longer! I'll be right behind you!" Samus commanded as she fired her beam at two more advancing centaurs. They dropped instantly, but more house-elves jumped over their unconscious bodies, sending out more curses. She ducked aside to avoid them, then swung her wisp whip to knock them away. She kept firing her beam wildly as she steadily walked backward, and once she felt she could risk it, she turned around and dashed into the open maw of the Chozo head.


	12. Descent With Modification

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 12: Descent With Modification

4-27-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

Voldemort impatiently jogged down the long, circular hallway, which more or less looked like the inside of a pipe. Eventually, he came across a reflective, blue barrier that could only be described as a 'bubble door'. He wiped some grime and sweat off his face, then raised his wand. But a hex fired from behind him struck the door first, and it promptly opened up. Voldemort looked back to see Valkyrie lingering behind him, her own wand raised. Tucked under her bionic arm was a large, glass sphere, within which an opaque, blood-red gas churned and swirled. For a fleeting moment, Voldemort thought he saw the mist take the shape of a lion's head.

"Let's be patient, Voldemort. Rushing things almost cost us back there, what with those hidden turrets and breakaway floors that would've dunked us into boiling acid," chided Valkyrie.

Voldemort scowled at Valkyrie as she walked past him. His eyes fell on her wand, which was completely free of bitemarks. "I overheard that you lost your previous wand when dueling Samus Aran," he sneered. "I see you had no trouble getting a new one."

"Yup, and it's exactly like my old one. Compatibility is never an issue when you make your own wands," said Valkyrie proudly as the two strode through hallways composed of polished, yellowish stone and metallic heads of Chozo protruding out of the walls, as if watching their every move. Occasionally, they had to jump from one platform to another, with more acid below, and Valkyrie did it with enviable grace. "Still, I can't help but wonder if Samus now has my old wand...and if it considers her its new mistress."

Voldemort let out a barking laugh. "How could that be possible? The bounty huntress has no magical talent whatsoever!"

Valkyrie turned to him and smirked wryly. "I wouldn't be too sure about that," was all she said before opening another bubble door. Voldemort has no idea why she would say that, but he quickly followed Valkyrie through the door and out into a broad, spacious chamber.

If they had needed any more proof they were in the right place, they got it the instant they stepped into this chamber. To their left was a giant statue of Rowena Ravenclaw that stood nearly thirty feet tall, made up of a basalt-like rock that had a polished, resplendent sheen. To their right was a statue representing Helga Hufflepuff. Naturally, it was a bit shorter and squatter. A hundred feet or so across from them was another bubble door. To its left was the most imposing statue of all, representing Godric Gryffindor, and to the right was the one erected in honor of his noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin. All four statues had their right hands outstretched, palms up, as if expecting an offering.

Valkyrie had guessed they were meant to search for something to place in their hands, and the four other bubble doors in the chamber would lead to what was required. So they split into four teams to cover more ground. As it was, he and Valkyrie were the first to return. _A shame it's too soon to do away with this delusional Mudblood. This would be the perfect opportunity,_ Voldemort thought acidly. Some instinct told him Valkyrie would still be needed for some time.

Even if that was not the case, the opportunity was soon lost. A bubble door mounted into the floor slid open. The Carrows came sailing up out of it, either thrown or propelled by some charm. Their robes were completely soaked, and they looked utterly exhausted. A moment later, Ped came bounding out of the open doorway, her skin wet and slimy, and carrying a large sphere with turbid, lime-green mist trapped inside.

Ped spotted Valkyrie and Voldemort right away, eyeing them with a distasteful look. "Why did I have to be paired up with such useless goons?" she spat exasperatedly. "The whole time, I heard nothing except how their noble, pure-blood put them on top of the magical food chain...then it turns out these two clowns can't even swim!"

Wasting no more time on words, Ped jumped toward the statue of Salazar Slytherin, obviously knowing exactly where her item was supposed to go, which irked Voldemort. How dare she be so knowledgeable of Hogwarts? She slammed it down into the statue's open palm like a basketball. At once, its fingers closed around the sphere, and its eyes gave off a bright, green glow.

Not too long after that, the door between Slytherin and Gryffindor's statues opened. Out rolled Tesla, balancing herself on a sphere filled with a dark, blue gas. Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback chased after her, both of them wearing livid expressions. "You infantile little wanker! How dare you use such a crucial item like that! And after taking your sweet time to do...whatever it is you did!" screeched Bellatrix.

"Well, you were boasting that no Mudblood could measure up to you, so I figured I'd let you prove it and handle that Torizo," Tesla called back innocently. "Besides, you were doing fine...until its backups kicked in and ol' Tessie had to save the day." Tesla rolled right up to Ravenclaw's statue, and promptly flew up to drop the sphere into its waiting hand. The fingers clamped down, and its eyes glowed blue.

The last bubble door opened. Everyone looked up to a ledge about ten feet above the floor, which was a little to the right of Ravenclaw's statue. Wildflower and Faction gracefully dropped down from it, while Yaxley and Rookwood had to levitate themselves down with charms. Faction snugly held a sphere containing an opaque, yellow mist under one arm. "I take it the other three spheres have been found already?" asked Faction in an even voice.

"Take a look for yourself, son," said Valkyrie, holding up her own gas-containing sphere. "Your four run into any trouble?"

"Not as much as the other teams, I'll wager. As you can guess, there were some obstacles I could slip right through," said Wildflower. As she said this, Faction used a wand to levitate his sphere up to the nearby statue of Hufflepuff. At once, the outstretched hand clamped down on it, and its eyes emitted a golden glow.

"One more, and then we should really see something!" cried Valkyrie. She offered the final sphere to her second-in-command. "Isobel, do the honors."

"With pleasure, Val," said Wildflower as she took the sphere under her free arm. She briskly ran across the length of the chamber before leaping as Ped had. She planted the final sphere in the waiting palm of Gryffindor's statue.

As with the others, the statue's fingers clasped the sphere tightly, but when its eyes began to glow red, they glowed with a fiercer intensity than the other three statues. Voldemort quickly glanced around, and found that the other statues' eyes were glowing more brightly as well. Then, to everyone's astonishment, the glass spheres sank and merged into the statues' palms, and a wave of colored mist seemed to wash over all four of them.

A few moments passed, in which nothing happened. Many of the Death Eaters shifted about anxiously, their apprehension palpable. However, gasps soon filled the chamber when they saw the statues' right arms lower, and their massive forms slowly lifted a foot to step forward. The entire chamber quaked as the mammoth likenesses of the founders lumbered through the chamber, making their way to their left. Some of the Death Eaters timidly scrambled to get out of the way of the statues' crushing feet, but the Reformers looked totally unperturbed.

Eventually, the four statues were standing right in front of the chamber's far wall. From left to right, the statues of Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor stood there. The wall was blank at the moment. But suddenly, the pair of holes magically opened up before each statue. Right away, the statues planted their hands into the holes. All four began to push, filling the chamber with a terrible, deafening rumbling and an irksome scraping noise. The chamber quaked more violently than ever. Large plumes of dirt and gravel cascaded down from the ceiling as the statues pushed the wall forward.

"Wha...what are they doing!?" screamed Bellatrix. "What's this about!?"

"Clearly, this was meant to happen. It must be to reveal something," said Faction, his calm voice somehow audible over the rumbling.

Thankfully, the rumbling eventually stopped. The statues pulled their hands out from the wall, then turned around and stood at attention. And in between the statues of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, a stairway leading deeper into the Chozo's hideaway had been uncovered.

"There we go," said Valkyrie breathlessly, her expression one of elation. "Finding those four spheres was clearly a test, to see if we were worthy of..." A soft beeping noise from her bionic arm interrupted her. Valkyrie glanced down at it. Voldemort watched as her expression slowly shifted from glee to irritation. "I don't believe it...our defenses have been breached."

"Breached? By who!?" demanded Greyback.

"Who do you think?" snapped Valkyrie. "The rest of the Order is being held at bay, but Samus and her intern hunters broke through. It won't be long before they find this chamber."

"So, your precious house-elves and centaurs couldn't stop them?" sneered Voldemort. "No matter, I will."

"I don't think so," said Wildflower dangerously.

"Undead scum! Do not dare impugn the Dark Lord!" cried Bellatrix.

Wildflower leered at Bellatrix menacingly. "Have you forgotten? Your boss will probably be needed to further advance into this sanctuary, with him being a direct descendent of a Hogwarts founder. No, someone else must go intercept Samus Aran and her young charges."

"I'll have at them," growled Greyback. "They won't take me by surprise this time, and I'm sure some of the other Death Eaters want a piece of their hides as well."

"It shouldn't be too hard, if there's only four of them," said Rookwood.

A sharp peal of laughter from Valkyrie made them all turn their heads. "The arrogance of you Death Eaters never ceases to amaze me! Have you already forgotten what those four did back in Salem? And don't forget, I myself dueled Samus Aran. She's all I expected her to be, a woman after my own heart...a ruthless warrior who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. And now she's teaching her three young friends to be the same. Together, they're quickly proving to be your worst nightmare."

Voldemort felt ready to explode from fury, but kept silent. Valkyrie looked from one Death Eater to another, taking in their reactions; some looked indignant, some looked nonplussed. "Fortunately, you won't have to worry about that today," she said suddenly, turning to Wildflower. "Isobel, take the other Reformers and intercept them. I'll go with Voldemort's lot and finish the job. Keep those four from following us at all costs."

"It will be done, Val," said Wildflower. But the vampiress peered past Valkyrie to glare at Voldemort. For a moment, both pairs of scarlet eyes locked, and Voldemort felt he could sense a hint of deception from her again. But deception about what? Why would Wildflower lie about keeping Aran and Potter away? "Are you sure you'll be fine on your own?" Wildflower finally asked.

Valkyrie quickly glanced back at Voldemort. "Don't worry about it, Isobel. I'll be fine," said Valkyrie insouciantly, turning back to her. "Just remember, absolutely no killing, and try not to do any permanent damage."

"Why this obsession with not killing anyone today?" demanded Bellatrix.

"Because, unlike you, I'm not a raging, foaming-at-the-mouth sociopath," was Valkyrie's quick, dismissive reply. "Besides, your boss wants Samus Aran and Harry Potter alive as well, so I don't see why you're complaining." Valkyrie walked past a fuming Bellatrix, stopping in front of Ped. "But Petunia, you sure you're OK with facing your nephew again?"

Ped sighed and hung her head. "I knew it'd come to this one day. No sense delaying it any longer. But Dr. Asara...promise me again, that you can really get through his thick head..."

"I don't make promises I can't keep. I mean, it took decades to fulfill my promise to Lily, but here, at last, we have the end results," said Valkyrie reassuringly, gently placing her bionic hand on Ped's shoulder. "But please, I wish you'd call me 'Val' like your sister did. You've long since earned the right."

"Petunia need not worry herself. We'll keep her nephew away from her if we must," offered Faction. "At any rate, they will find this chamber soon if we don't move quickly, and some of the Order might make it through the barricades as well. Time to go."

And with that, the Reformers turned and ran for the opposite side of the chamber, opening the bubble door there and going through it. Everyone watched them go, then Valkyrie said, "Well, what are we waiting for? We're just on the cusp of gaining knowledge and power beyond the wildest dreams of mortal man is all." Valkyrie began to trod down the exposed stairs.

Voldemort followed her with a renewed sense of satisfaction. Valkyrie was now on her own, while Samus's group and her Reformers would be fighting elsewhere, and the Order was busy fighting house-elves and centaurs outside. Backstabbing this Mudblood upstart and escaping with his birthright was looking to be easier with each passing moment. His conceited, vainglorious attitude was even enough to drown out that sense of doubt that crept up every time he sensed deception from Wildflower...doubts that otherwise would lead him to suspect a trap.

xxxxxx

Further and further the quartet descended into the Chozo structure. It was with a sickening epiphany, what the garbled message from his future self meant. He had been too quick to assume it was a warning about Voldemort gaining more power. Now it was all too obvious it was about Valkyrie, this 'one-armed fallen angel'. And just like Kor-Zor himself, she proved herself to be a vile, unscrupulous traitor, betraying America, the Ministry, the Order of the Phoenix, and even working with Voldemort only to backstab him. All to bring about this 'Day of Reckoning'.

_But why?_ Harry silently wondered. _What's so important that she feels the need to set Kor-Zor loose? How could it possibly have anything to do with my mother?_ He didn't want to believe Snape's warning about Valkyrie perverting an innocent dream of his mother's, but everything seemed to point to that.

Samus led the charge, shooting and opening another one of those 'bubble doors'. The four of them ran through, stepping out into another large chamber lined with golden, rocky walls and masonry constructed with a similar material. Thick cables attached to the walls supported several stone platforms, which created a path so they could reach another bubble door near the top of the chamber by jumping. Platforms supported by stone pillars completed the path. But near the ground level, there were several reliefs that seemed to ripple and shimmer, bearing strange writing Harry had never seen before.

Samus stopped to look around, and Harry could see a haunted, horrified look in her eyes. He could understand why. This place looked straight out of the tales Samus told all of them; the crumbling Chozo ruins on Tallon IV and SR388. Parts of the proud civilization that raised her, now giving off nothing but ghosts of a distant past. And now, her newest enemies sought to unleash her people's most shameful secret.

"Samus, those shimmering reliefs...d'you think you can read those? It might give us clues about Kor-Zor," suggested Ron.

Samus shook her head. "It's an ancient dialect I can't decipher, and I'm not wasting time letting my scan visor translate them all. We've got to move fast to catch up to Voldemort and Valkyrie."

"We're definitely going in the right direction," said Hermione, who was standing by what looked like dismembered security robots that once flew. "According to my scan visor, these things were only destroyed a few minutes ago, but seem to be regenerating."

"I remember seeing these on SR388, the Gunzoo class drones," said Samus, walking up to Hermione. "Wait a minute, there's some sort of handprint on it...a slimy one. Looks like your aunt took this one out, Harry."

Harry walked up to it and, sure enough, there was a slimy handprint that matched the shape of Petunia's transmutated, froglike hand. "I still can't believe it...she always cringed at the slightest mention of magic, now she's _USING_ it and going after killer robots!" Harry thought aloud. "And I still don't know if I should be worried about eventually fighting her or looking forward to it."

"I hope it's not the latter," came a high, saccharine voice. "Because after working with her for a year, I can honestly say she's NOT looking forward to it."

Harry and the others spun around to see Tesla walking through the stony pillars, an innocent, carefree look on her face. "We all know she's invulnerable to magic, so leave her to me!" ordered Samus, raising her arm cannon to fire a barrage of missiles. Tesla cartwheeled aside, and for some reason the missiles could not track her. As Tesla cartwheeled, several stone tiles rose off the floor and spun toward the quartet, forcing them to go on the defensive and block them.

"You'll have to do better than that if you wanna get to Doctor A, kiddies!" squealed Tesla with delight. "She's practically on top of what this Chozo bachelor pad is housing by now. Us four are just here to keep you busy!"

_Oh great, then where are the other Reformers? _Harry thought fearfully. It was then that he heard two odd noises: something like wind blowing and a drill burrowing through stone. Sharp cries of surprise from Ron and Hermione made him turn around. Wildflower had grabbed Ron from behind, and Faction had done the same to Hermione.

"These new battle suits will only get you so far," sneered Faction. "You three have talent, but are still quite inexperienced, while we four have trained day and night to work as a team!" Wildflower and Faction lifted their captives over their heads and hurled them across the chamber. Harry raised his wand, but a spinning tile struck him in the back, jolting him and draining some energy. Then he heard that same bounding noise from the battle in Salem. Turning to his left, he saw his aunt soaring right for him, her face impassive and unreadable. She kicked off his armored chest, driving him back into a pillar. Petunia rebounded toward Samus, tackling her to the ground.

Groggy from the impact, Harry shook his head and looked up. Faction had both wands aimed right at him. He jumped away just in time to avoid a double barrage of Blasting Curses, which took a huge chunk out of the pillar. Meanwhile, Ron was wrestling with Wildflower, both of them gripping her staff. Hermione was slowly getting up, but Tesla was approaching her. Hermione looked rattled, unsure of what to do, while Tesla was relishing her reaction.

"So, the big, bossy brainiac has no idea what to do?" jeered Tesla. "I've got news for you, little lady: now that Doctor A has returned, you're not the smartest witch in the world anymore. As for me, believe it or not, I'm much older than you...and wiser for it. I won't negate your magic. No, I want the satisfaction of smacking you down the old-fashioned way!" With that, Tesla's wand popped into her hand, and she and Hermione began to duel.

Harry wondered why Tesla made it sound like she knew Hermione, but with Faction unleashing a double barrage of curses at him, he couldn't dwell on it. Thankfully, his prior experiences on Voldemort's rebuilt station let him easily hop around and avoid Faction's spells. As he did so, he caught glimpses of Samus fighting his aunt. Samus leaped up to fire a charged shot straight down at Petunia, but she deftly rolled aside, then fired a hex up at the bounty hunter. Samus swerved in midair to avoid it, but when she landed, Petunia struck her with a flying kick that knocked her flat on her back. But Samus immediately swept Petunia's legs, flooring her instantly.

Samus stood over Petunia, her arm cannon aimed right at her face. "You were vile enough already, neglecting and mistreating Harry all these years. You called his entire kind freaks, but now you've let a maniac like Asara experiment on you and transform you into this..._thing_. I sure hope Lily Potter's spirit isn't around to see what her best friend and sister..."

Those last few words sparked something in Petunia. In one lightning-fast move, she raised her wand arm to cast Levicorpus on Samus, slamming her into the underside of a platform. Samus landed at Petunia's feet with a painful thud. "Shut up, Aran, SHUT UP!" shrieked Petunia, her obsidian eyes blazing with pent-up fury. "You keep my sister out of this! You, my nephew...you think you people understand me? You know nothing about me...**NOTHING**!"

"Yer workin' with yer sister's murderer and a traitor like Asara. That's all we need ter know, Dursley!" came a furious, growling voice. As Samus got up, she saw a huge, meaty fist grab Petunia's head from behind, while a second grasped her wand arm. Samus sighed in relief as she saw Hagrid lift a struggling, panicky Petunia off the ground, then chuck her aside. Petunia roughly collided with Tesla, flooring them both.

All this had distracted Faction, and that afforded Harry the opportunity to charge up a blast and fire it. Faction couldn't block it in time, and he sailed across the chamber, stunned but otherwise unharmed. Meanwhile, Wildflower was beating Ron senseless with her staff, but with Tesla down, Hermione was free to blast her in the back. As with Faction, she looked only slightly fazed, and immediately turned to face Hermione. But Tonks, Lupin and McGonagall dashed in between the two of them. "Granger, get Weasley out of here, go on ahead! We'll hold them here!" cried McGonagall as she and her partners unleashed a volley of curses at the vampiress, who blocked them all with her staff.

Hermione levitated Ron over to her as Wildflower dueled all three Order members at once, while Hagrid was helping Samus get up. Fleur and Fred were with him as well. Harry walked up to them. "Hagrid, those house-elves and centaurs...how did you..." he began.

"A few of us managed ter break through, an' jus' in time from the look of it," said Hagrid. Hagrid then looked up at the platforms overhead. "I dun' think any o' us in the Order can make it all the way ter You-Know-Who and Ms. Prime, if the rest o' this prison's like that. Mebbe you four wit' yer suits can get there faster," suggested Hagrid.

"You're right. If you can hold the Reformers here, we should be able to fight our way through," said Samus, nodding. Hermione and Ron had made their way over to them, the latter starting to regain his senses. Samus turned to them and said, "We can't waste any more time here. There's no telling how close Asara's gotten."

The three of them said nothing more as they began making their way upwards, jumping from platform to platform while the battle raged below. As they neared the bubble door at the top, Harry caught a glimpse of Wildflower and Ped below, rebounding off pillars and walls in an attempt to reach them. But Harry heard Lupin shout, "_Lumosolis!_" A blinding pillar of light engulfed Wildflower, who shrieked in agony and plummeted. Then Fleur yelled out, "_Carpe Retractum!_" A glistening, golden band lassoed Ped's waist, and his aunt was pulled off her perch.

Harry sighed in relief as Samus opened the bubble door. As they ran through, however, Harry couldn't help but feel they had gotten away too easily, and how it was awfully lucky that some of the Order showed up when they did. But Harry pushed those doubts back. All that mattered was getting to Valkyrie before she tricked Voldemort into releasing an even greater evil.

xxxxxx

Voldemort, along with all his Death Eaters sans the Carrows, paced impatiently on a platform atop a long flight of semicircular stairs in the latest chamber they found themselves in. Large stone pillars all around the chamber supported a domed ceiling, which bore murals of a lion, a badger, an eagle and a snake. They all circled a lone Chozo, which shone with an ebony-black veneer. At either end of the platform were two short pillars with silvery globes fastened on top. And beyond it was the gigantic statue relief of a Chozo elder, complete with ornate headress. Its huge, talons tightly clasped what looked like an egg-shaped doorway.

All attempts to pry the talons loose or crack open the doorway failed. And the longer Voldemort stood on that platform, the more he thought he could feel some irresistible, dark force emanating from beyond that passageway. Something more subtle and dangerous than anything he had ever sensed before.

He was starting to think that, from what he had gleamed from those journals, the founders and the Chozo must have stumbled upon something dangerous, some dark force they could not control. And here they sealed it away. Voldemort smiled to himself. If that was so, he would learn how to use it once he disposed of Valkyrie.

Of course, that would have to wait until the imperious little Mudblood figured out how to breach that doorway. He glared down at Valkyrie, who was running her robotic fingers over the length of a pillar. At length, she finally spoke. "From what I can tell, it's just as I suspected. These orbs appear to be DNA scanners. Here's why I made sure you came along, Riddle. No doubt it'll only respond if a direct descendent of a founder touches it."

"What good will that do us? There are TWO of those orbs!" snarled Voldemort.

Valkyrie slowly rose, her metal fingers lightly tapping the orb. Just when Voldemort thought his patience would be exhausted, Valkyrie spoke again. "Bella, position yourself in front of the other scanner. Voldemort, get in front of this one."

Bellatrix looked completely dumbstruck. "ME? How could I possibly open this thing if the founders' descendents are the only ones these stupid machines recognize?"

Valkyrie smirked at her. "Remember how I said I'd gone farther in investigating the genetic roots of our kind than any other? Well, tracking lineages through ribosomal RNA and mitochondrial DNA yielded some interesting results. The bloodline of the Blacks may be more noble than you realize. Ezeliana Blorgiassa, who married Constarno Black in 1084, was actually the illegitimate daughter of one Bruno Gryffindor, the grandson of Godric Gryffindor!"

Bellatrix's eyes widened even more, along with everyone else's. "T-The Black family line...directly descended from Godric Gryffindor!?" cried Bellatrix incredulously.

Valkyrie smirked again. "Fate has quite a delicious sense of irony, doesn't it?" she quipped. "Now get into position." Bellatrix did as she was bid, too shocked to protest any more. Voldemort grumbled as he got into position himself. They both placed a hand a few inches above the orbs. "OK then, on the count of three," said Valkyrie. "One, two...THREE!"

Bellatrix and Voldemort slammed their palms onto the orbs. Voldemort's orb immediately glowedwith a brilliant, lime-green light. Voldemort glanced behind him, seeing that Bellatrix's orb gave off a blood-red glow; there was obviously more truth than fiction to Valkyrie's claim. A moment later, several glowing, runic symbols Voldemort recognized from the stolen artifact appeared around Bellatrix's pillar. Voldemort looked back to his own, seeing the same was happening with his. They moved in erratic zigzag patterns across the pillars, and for a fleeting moment, he thought the way forward would be opened. But as soon as it had begun, the runic symbols vanished and glow of the orbs faded.

"What the...I don't understand! If these are supposed to respond to their descendants, the two of two should've opened it up!" Valkyrie shouted in disbelief. "That's it, time for a more direct approach." With that, she shoved Bellatrix aside and planted her bionic hand over the orb. At once, the orb glowed with blinding white light. But it wasn't long before electricity arced across the orb and engulfed Valkyrie. She let out an ear-piercing, painful scream, while her bionic arm began to smoke and sputter. There was a loud bang, and Valkyrie was thrown backwards against the other pillar. She slumped to the floor, nearly unconscious.

"Uhh, shouldn't we do something?" suggested Greyback weakly as they all stared at Valkyrie's still form.

"Normally, I'd say we let a Mudblood suffer. But we still may need her, unfortunately," said Bellatrix.

Suddenly, Valkyrie stirred, slowly propping herself up. "Urrgh, a whole network of firewalls...surrounding all the sensitive systems...unlike anything I've encountered before. The C-Chozo...were not fooling around h-here," she spluttered as she tried to stand up. Unsurprisingly, no one helped her to get up, and Voldemort watched her struggle with thinly-veiled, vindictive delight. But his glee was short-lived. His keen ears caught the sound of the bubble door leading into the chamber opening. He then heard a charged-up power beam shot being released, along with the sound of a fist smashing into someone's face.

Voldemort whirled around to look back at the door. The Carrows, who he ordered to stand guard at the door, lay in crumpled heaps beside it. And stepping through was not only Samus Aran, but three other figures clad in durable-looking grey armor. Voldemort squinted to get a better look. The bounty hunter had given Potter and his friends armored suits of their own, and had fought past all of Valkyrie's forces using them. Now they thought they could conquer him and his followers as well.

"What did I tell you?" asked Valkyrie wanly as she stood up. "As a team, those four are far more powerful than you realized!" Voldemort tuned her out, watching as Samus Aran approached the stairs, her young charges bringing up the rear with wands at the ready.

xxxxxx

Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he looked beyond the Death Eaters. When Samus deduced that those four statues of the Hogwarts founders recently moved an entire wall to reveal a stairway, Harry feared the worst. But from the looks of it, whatever that relief of a Chozo elder was clutching held fast, so they weren't too late to stop Valkyrie from setting Kor-Zor free. Still, some nagging instinct told him something was about to go very, very wrong.

"We've got all of you cornered now!" shouted Samus. "Some of the Order's broken through and are keeping the Reformers under wraps! The four of us can finish the job here! You'll all pay dearly for defiling the ruins of my people!"

"Impertinent fools! You think we can be conquered so easily?" cackled Bellatrix.

"These days, it's not too hard to imagine, Lestrange," Hermione shot back. "The four of us took all of you apart back in Salem! Only Valkyrie and her Reformers saved you. And right now, the Order's keeping the Reformers busy, and Valkyrie isn't looking too good!"

"She's right. Trying to hack into that thing wreaked havoc on my entire nervous system. I'm in no shape for a four-on-one fight," muttered Valkyrie. "It's up to all of you."

"So, you need me for something else," said Voldemort dangerously. Harry had no doubt Voldemort was now thinking of when it would be best to turn on Valkyrie himself. "No matter, you just simply concentrate on opening that pathway. We can handle these four."

"Voldemort, you bloody wanker! Can't you see you're playing right into her hands?" Ron shouted, showing no hint of fear. "Asara's been playing you for a fool this entire time! She knows exactly what's been locked away in here, and plans to take it for herself! If you're smart, you'll step aside and let us take Asara. She's the one we're really after. Otherwise...WE GO THROUGH ALL OF YOU!"

Voldemort turned to glare at Valkyrie. "Don't tell me you're so thick that you can let_ Ron Weasley _play you," said Valkyrie defiantly. "We've worked together for days, and you read the same journal pages I did. And you're the master Legilimens here. Don't you think you'd have realized if I was deceiving you by now?" Voldemort slowly turned back to stare down the four of them. As he stared into his scarlet eyes, Harry finally realized that his scar hardly prickled at all. The suit's ability to block telepathic penetration was working. Still, his hopes of turning Voldemort against Valkyrie faded fast. Valkyrie had appealed to his pride just enough so that his suspicions were assuaged.

"Nevertheless, once these annoyances are dealt with, I will get the truth out of you, Valencia Asara," Voldemort said icily.

"Yeah yeah yeah, whatever," said Valkyrie dismissively. "Just hurry up and get them."

Voldemort turned back to Valkyrie, his face livid. "Don't you dare presume to order me about!" bellowed Voldemort. "You conniving, filthy little..."

Valkyrie then shocked everyone by grabbing Voldemort by the collar and pulling his face up to hers. "I've had enough of you constantly having to pump up your already inflated ego, Tom Marvolo Riddle!" roared Valkyrie as she stared directly into his eyes. "Face it, Hermione Granger is right! Back in Salem, those four utterly destroyed the aura of invincibly you and your Death Eaters once enjoyed! They'll hold nothing back now, so I strongly suggest you don't either! I'm your only hope of getting that door open, so hold them off while I do just that!" she finished through gritted teeth.

Valkyrie nudged Voldemort down the stairs, as if to herd him into battle. Voldemort shot one last withering glance back at her, then turned to stare down their challengers. "In time, you will answer for your arrogance, Asara, but for now we'll play it your way," he called back. "My loyal Death Eaters, you know what to do...leave Potter alive for me, but feel free to slaughter the rest!"

And with that, the battle began. Voldemort rushed down the stairs, once again gliding on air. His Death Eaters ran down the stairs after him. Harry felt a sudden pang of apprehension as he raised his wand, watching his nemesis approach so quickly. But Samus was already on it. She barreled forward using the screw roll, then as Voldemort tried to glide over the chamber toward him, she bounded up with the space jump and screw attack. She caught Voldemort unawares, and her blazing, spinning body crashed into his, filling the chamber with a horrible ripping noise.

"Samus has Voldemort covered!" shouted Hermione as she charged forward. "Let's mop up the rest!"

Hermione was forced to jump aside as a Blasting Curse from Bellatrix rent the ground asunder. "You odious little Mudblood flea!" shrieked Bellatrix as she sent out more curses. Hermione, however, blocked each one without a word, staring intently at Bellatrix through her visor's HUD. "How DARE you speak the Dark Lord's name so casually? I'll teach you some manners yet, Little Miss Mudblood! That new armored suit will be your coffin, you little..."

But Bellatrix had gotten careless, allowing Hermione to land an Impediment Jinx on her, slowing her down long enough for Hermione to charge a blast. Her armor glowed with a ferocious intensity. Hermione placed her left hand over her arm to steady her aim, then released the charged blast, which instantly toppled Bellatrix. "Here's an idea, Lestrange: just shut up and fight!" Hermione called out defiantly.

Meanwhile, Greyback had pounced on Ron and floored him, furiously trying to pry open his suit. As Lupin had feared, with the full moon so near, Greyback looked more feral than ever. Ron's deflector shields sprang into existence, protecting him from the werewolf's onslaught. "You think this tin can will protect you from me? Really think you can use it to take me head-on?" snarled Greyback as he slashed away.

Ron said nothing as he finally freed his arms and grabbed Greyback's head. He smashed his helmet's rock-hard glass into the werewolf's head, dazing him. Ron took that opportunity to grab hold of Greyback's torso and toss him several yards across the chamber. "Seems to be working fine so far!" cried Ron angrily.

Rookwood and Yaxley slowly descended the stairs, eyeing Harry anxiously. His armored suit had the effect Harry hoped it would. Smirking, Harry bounded to the side while casting Stunners. This spurred the two Death Eaters into action, as they deflected his spells and quickly counterattacked. Yaxley tried the Cruciatus Curse, but Harry jumped away, avoiding it with ridiculous ease. Rookwood then went on the offensive, sending out a flurry of quicker spells meant for pinpoint accuracy. Harry easily blocked these, but he was so focused on Rookwood, it gave Yaxley an opening.

"Time for a taste of your own medicine, boy!" shouted Yaxley, who then nonverbally cast Expelliarmus. The spell knocked Harry off his feet, but he immediately sprang back up, his wand still firmly fastened in its clamp. Yaxley and Rookwood's eyes widened as Harry waved his wand around. He smirked at them before unleashing another volley of hexes. But as he did so, Harry reached behind him and pulled something out of a concealed holster: Samus's Paralyzer. He fired it at Yaxley while trading spells with Rookwood. Yaxley was taken completely by surprise and toppled, while Rookwood fell victim to an Impediment Jinx.

With both Death Eaters down, Harry looked up the stairs at Valkyrie. She stood atop the platform, simply watching the battle unfold, making no attempt to unlock Kor-Zor's cell. Her indigo eyes soon met his. _OK, Asara's the real target here. We stop her, we stop Kor-Zor and this Day of Reckoning,_ Harry thought hopefully. He began to climb the stairs, his wand and Paralyzer aimed at Valkyrie, but she made no move to defend herself.

"You're not done with us yet, Potter!" came Rookwood's strained voice. Obviously the jinx had not lasted long enough. With a sharp cry of "_Relashio!_", Harry tumbled down the stairs.

Harry immediately got back on his feet and fired both curses and the Paralyzer at Rookwood. But he occasionally spared glanced back up at Valkyrie, who continued to watch them all, studiously observing everything. _What's she waiting for?_ thought Harry. _How come she's not trying to bypass all the lockouts? Why's she just letting us and the Death Eaters have at it?_

xxxxxx

Voldemort glared at Samus hatefully, his face scratched up and bloody, the front of his robes ripped and torn. "_Avada Kedavra!_" cried Voldemort. Samus easily jumped aside to avoid the jet of deadly green light, then released her charged blast. Voldemort waved his wand to ward off the destructive energy, but Samus picked up on telltale signs that defending himself that way took a toll. Still, Voldemort didn't show it in his voice. "Give it up, Aran! You already know you cannot last forever against me! Both times we fought before, Potter had to save you!"

"True, very true," said Samus calmly as the two of them circled each other. "But you see, unlike you, I can learn from my mistakes..."

"And don't forget, I'm still hanging around," came Harry's singsong voice. Samus heard the distinctive sound of the energy whip from her Paralyzer. A second later, Yaxley's battered body was forcefully thrown into Voldemort, flooring them both. Samus was about to take advantage of that opening and blast Voldemort, but an anguished scream from behind drew her attention. Bellatrix had long since recovered, and had downed Hermione with an exceptionally powerful Blasting Curse. Hermione wasn't getting up, and Bellatrix was slowly making her way toward her, cackling maniacally.

Almost without thinking, Samus turned and fired on Bellatrix, forcing her to duck aside. She then bounded toward her with the space jump, taking Bellatrix by surprise. In that split-second, Samus went into morph ball mode. She rolled past Bellatrix, dropping four bombs around her. The explosions knocked her off her feet. Samus quickly unrolled and grabbed Bellatrix by the throat, hoisting the sociopathic witch up to her face. "I went easy on you back in Salem," Samus spat as she glared at Bellatrix. Bellatrix looked unnerved as she stared into Samus's visor. "If it wasn't for how Harry has a problem with me killing, and that there's a long line for people who want a crack at you, I'd..."

But her words trailed off when she noticed Bellatrix's gaze slid down to the hand around her throat. It was then that Samus felt a strange warmth from her hand. A second later, there was an iridescent, orange-red glow enveloping her hand. Sparks flew from her hand as well.

"What the...what are you..." Samus began, but Bellatrix looked even more shocked than she was. She writhed and twisted in Samus's grip, a blood-curdling scream escaping her. Her hair was standing on end, and Samus swore she saw her skeleton more than once. Samus remained motionless, not knowing what was going on or how to stop it. She only let go of Bellatrix when she felt a horrible rush of nausea sweep over her. No, it was something else. It felt as if her entire spirit was being ripped asunder.

For a moment, Samus just stood there, staring at her steaming, sparking hand, then at Bellatrix's still form. What had she just done to her? Was it something like what Harry did in his Metroid form, manipulating energy somehow? Or had she somehow performed magic again?

"_Avada Kedavra!_" came Voldemort's furious voice again. Still in a state of shock, Samus couldn't react in time, and the curse struck her, momentarily paralyzing her and draining three energy tanks. Samus slowly turned to face the Dark wizard again. She could dope out what happened between her and Bellatrix later. "So, Asara guessed right. Somehow, you possess some level of magic!" Voldemort spat furiously. "As if an alien-blooded freak such as yourself wasn't enough of an abomination already! No matter, I'll expunge the universe of your blight here and now!"

"Hey, you still have to deal with me!" cried Harry, sounding insulted. Voldemort whirled around, but was too late to block a charged power shot. He was hammered to his knees, and while he was down, Harry leaped through the air, meaning to stomp on Voldemort. Voldemort rolled aside, and Harry missed him by a few feet. He then jumped over to Samus, landing beside her. The three of them now stood as the very base of the semicircular stairs. "Enough Voldemort, you've got to listen to reason for once. Asara didn't tell you the whole story about what's hidden here! She's been playing you for a sucker all along!" Harry shouted, his wand and Paralyzer aimed at Voldemort.

"He's right, Riddle. What Slytherin and the other founders concealed here was the soul of Kor-Zor. He was an unscrupulous Chozo physicist, who once endangered all of Zebes and then an entire galactic sector with his experiments," explained Samus. "Asara wants his secrets for herself, and you helped lead her to it! The whole reason I've come back was because Harry's future self sent a message, warning of some 'Day of Reckoning'. When I returned to my time, all of history had been altered!"

Voldemort stared blankly at the duo for a moment, but then his face twisted into one of maniacal glee. "Thank you for the warning, Samus," he jeered. " At least now I have some clue as to what is entombed here. And if this power can alter the course of history as you say, rest assured I'll put it to good..."

But Voldemort was cut off by a distinctive sound that should not have been heard: the blooping noise from Samus's bombs. Voldemort's eyes widened as he stared at Samus, clearly as mystified as she was.

"Hey you three, looking for these?" came Valkyrie's calm, composed voice. The three of them glanced up the stairs, and they all gasped. Valkyrie was holding a handful of what looked like Samus's own bombs.

She smirked at them wickedly right before she hurled the bombs down. There were enough to send them all sailing when they detonated at their feet. When Samus touched down again, she aimed at up Valkyrie, but now she clutched a power bomb in her hand.

_How's this possible? How can she have my weapons? _Samus thought fearfully, flummoxed by this turn of events. Valkyrie chucked the power bomb across the chamber. It sailed over Samus and landed near where Hermione and Rookwood were now dueling. As thermonuclear fire spread out, they were forced to break off their duel and dash away.

Samus looked back toward the stairs. Valkyrie was slowly walking down, looking as cool and composed as ever. As she did so, her bionic arm seemed to shift and reform. Eventually, it morphed into what could only be described as an arm cannon of her own, though it looked more skeletal and far less advanced than hers.

Valkyrie's new arm cannon snapped open even wider, and missiles rocketed out. She fired indiscriminately, sending missiles out at anyone and everyone, forcing them all to scatter. Now focusing on the more immediate threat, Hermione, Ron, Greyback and Voldemort sent out curses at Valkyrie. But Valkyrie flicked away their spells with contemptuous ease while continuing to fire missiles.

Eventually, she finished descending the stairs. A few yards away, Bellatrix had gotten up, apparently having recovered from whatever strange spell Samus accidently cast. As she saw Valkyrie approach, arm cannon raised, she instinctively knew she had finally turned on her master. But as Bellatrix raised her wand, Valkyrie's arm cannon snapped shut and fired an ice beam shot. At once, Bellatrix was frozen in place, encased in branching ice crystals. She then proceeded to target other Death Eaters, flooring a groggy Yaxley with a wave beam shot while simultaneously Stunning Rookwood.

"Enough! I don't know you're using my weapons, but your madness end here!" cried Samus indignantly. She cut loose with a barrage of beam fire, and Harry likewise unleashed a double barrage with his wand and Paralyzer. But once again, Valkyrie proved to be too quick, dashing around at blinding speed while firing back with curses and her new arm cannon.

It wasn't long before Voldemort joined them, sending out a Killing Curse that barely missed Valkyrie. "You backstabbing little gnat, you think you can turn on all of us and get away with it? You won't get the better of all of us a second time...not by yourself!"

"Is that so, Riddle? Well, it's a good thing I'm not alone!" Valkyrie called back confidently. It was then that Samus noticed something out of the corner of her eye. It looked like Wildflower's staff, spinning as it flew through the air, seemingly of its own accord. The spinning staff struck Ron, then rebounded and hit Hermione, toppling them both instantly. Then, what looked like a billowing ball of opaque, white mist shot across the chamber, heading right for Greyback. The staff's path curved and followed the mist, and as it neared the werewolf, it converged and reformed into Wildflower. The vampiress caught her staff as she drop kicked Greyback, and promptly began to clobber him with her staff.

Fearing the worst, Samus turned around. The Carrows had recovered, but Faction was levitating them. Valkyrie's adopted son made a thrashing motion with his arms, and the two of them collided painfully in midair, knocking them out again. Then, Samus saw Tesla running out from the open hatch. She aimed her arm cannon at her, but it was too late. Tesla made a single gesture, and the tiles beneath her, Harry and Voldemort were rent asunder, knocking them all in opposite directions.

Lastly, the final Reformer entered the fray. Ped dropped down into the chamber, landing near Voldemort, who was still downed. With a wave of her wand, Ped cast what was probably Levicorpus, for Voldemort was hoisted into the air, as if an invisible hand had him by the ankle. Ped then bounded up toward her captive. They grappled with each other for a moment in midair before Ped knocked him away with a forceful kick. As soon as she had, she aimed her wand again, and Voldemort was propelled back up to the platform. His backside collided with one of the short pillars, and for the moment, he looked incapacitated.

"Dr. Asara, Voldemort is in position!" Ped cried out fervently, her obsidian eyes alight with a yearning, expectant look. "Hurry, do it now! THIS IS IT!"

Samus heard a missile lance out across the chamber. She turned to aim at it, but it was too late. However, it rocketed past her and struck Harry in his armored chest, blasting him off his feet. She then heard Valkyrie scream, "_Glacius!_" Before Samus could do anything, a frigid mist engulfed her, sapping away vital energy, rooting her to the spot. On top of that, Valkyrie was firing her ice beam at her as well, making sure she remained paralyzed. After a few seconds, Valkyrie knifed her way through the mist and grabbed Samus's wrist with her bionic hand. She span in place for several seconds, whirling Samus around with her. Once she built up enough momentum, Valkyrie let her go and threw Samus up toward the platform with Voldemort.

Both Samus and Voldemort struggled to get up, but they only got to their knees when they spotted Valkyrie running up the stairs with dizzying speed. Before they could react, Valkyrie sent out a Stunner at Voldemort while shooting Samus with her ice beam again. This disoriented them again, and before they knew it, Valkyrie stood on the platform with them, grasping Voldemort's wrist with her good hand while holding onto Samus's left wrist with her bionic hand. Samus groggily looked at Valkyrie through her foggy visor. Her wand was clamped between her teeth, and her glowing, indigo eyes blazed with the passionate fury akin to that of a predator who, at long last, had cornered her prey.

"AT LAST!" she cried out, right before slamming Voldemort's open hand onto one of the orbs, and Samus's armored hand onto the other. The orb Voldemort's hand touched glowed a bright lime-green, while the orb Samus touched gave off a blinding, white aura. The fog on her visor had faded at this point, and Samus could see glowing Chozo runes spinning and zigzagging across both pillars. Then, a low rumbling sound from beyond the platform snapped Samus to attention. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the talons from the Chozo elder's relief slowly relinquish their grip. Then, the segments of the doorway slid apart, and soon, there was an opening large enough for a person to slip through.

Confusion, terror and a crushing sense of failure rooted Samus to the spot. She only moved when Valkyrie tossed her down the stairs like a discarded toy. She tumbled painfully down the stairs, only stopping when she reached the very bottom. At this point, though, Harry, Ron and Hermione had all recovered, and immediately rushed to her side. "Oh my God, Samus, are you OK! Wha-what did Asara do!" Hermione asked breathlessly.

Samus said nothing, still not sure of what had just happened herself. She looked back up to the platform just in time to see Valkyrie land a vicious left cross on Voldemort. He tumbled down the stairs just as she had, eventually landing at the bottom, where the other Death Eaters crowded around him, asking him what they should do next. Ped dropped down a few feet from them, but she completely ignored them and bounded up toward Valkyrie. Wildflower followed her, while Tesla and Faction levitated themselves up toward the platform.

Valkyrie stood triumphantly atop the platform, her Reformers standing behind her. The five of them stared down at them all, an air of triumph surrounding them. "Samus Aran, Voldemort, all of you...thank you so much!" Valkyrie shouted down to them. "Especially you, Samus, for letting me copy of all of your weapon systems back in Salem. To borrow a quote: all your beams, missiles and bombs are belong to us! And of course, without ALL of your help, I'd never have gotten access to Kor-Zor's secrets of dark matter and dark energy!"

"What the...just what the HELL are you talking about, Asara?" demanded Harry.

"Why don't you ask our mutual friend?" suggested Valkyrie. "Voldemort, what were these two pillars supposed to do?"

Samus looked over to the crowd of Death Eaters. They then parted to reveal Voldemort standing on wobbly legs, eyeing Valkyrie and her Reformers hatefully. "You...you said they were supposed to recognize anyone descended from the founders of Hogwarts," Voldemort said hoarsely. "You said Bella was a descendent of Gryffindor, and that the two of us could open the way, but obviously that was a lie."

"Voldie, _NEVER_ second-guess me when it comes to genetics," said Valkyrie slyly, waving a finger. "Our dear Bella is most certainly a descendent of Godric Gryffindor. But here's the thing: two descendents of the founders can't open up the maintenance hatch that leads to Kor-Zor's cell. Here's what it takes: one who is a direct descendent of a Hogwarts founder, while the other must be a Chozo...or someone who bears their legacy. And that someone was Samus Aran!"

"You mean you lured all of us here just to get Voldemort and I to open the cell for you!?" cried Samus in disbelief. "But, wait a minute, that doesn't make any sense...how would you know I'd be here in this time again?"

"Oh no...I-I think I know," said Harry, his voice shaking with horror. "It has to do with that night almost two years ago, when she took a blood sample from me."

Valkyrie nodded approvingly. "Ah, as sharp as ever. You've figured it out, haven't you? I didn't just pop into Hogwarts that night for a friendly chat and some DNA samples. It was difficult, given how you're almost completely resistant to the Imperius Curse, but with the right mix of carefully-brewed potions, I soon had you recording that message for me and planting your fingerprints on that tape player. And I sat on it for nearly two years, while I continued to build my power and marshal up my forces, waiting until everything I needed was in place..."

"This is impossible! You're saying you tricked me into returning to this time?" demanded Samus, still not believing a word of it. "Then...what about how SR388 looked totally different when I returned? How it seemed like the Galactic Federation no longer existed?"

Valkyrie let out a passionate, mirthful laugh. "A few surreptitiously cast charms on your computer's systems, as well as your cockpit window, before you departed after your first adventure here," she explained. "It was enough to ensure you'd come rushing back to this time period, once I decided everything was right. Unfortunately, I waited too long. Albus felt the need to go over the edge and get himself killed. I so wanted him to see how I would make his fondest wishes, and Lily's, a reality. But I'll press on, in their memory. The next few centuries were never in any danger of being altered, until you came back. But now, the Day of Reckoning will be upon us, Samus Aran, thanks to you!"


	13. Restless Spirits

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 13: Restless Spirits

5-5-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

"Unbelievable!" bellowed Bellatrix. "You mean to tell us you manipulated the Dark Lord, all of us loyal followers, the bounty hunter, Potter and his lot, the entire lot of blood traitors in the Order...you expect us to believe you engineered everything, just to free this alien ghost!?"

"Please, Bella, don't sound so shocked," said Valkyrie calmly, shaking her head. "Didn't you and your boss pull the same stunt with Harry just a year ago, luring him into the Department of Mysteries? Of course, it's fair to say I had it tougher, manipulating two opposing sides at once."

Harry swallowed hard as icy dread clawed at his heart. Valkyrie was right. She had pulled the exact same scheme Voldemort had, only she played both his friends and enemies for fools. Now Harry understood why McGonagall said the Sorting Hat claimed Valkyrie was 'too sneaky for her own good'. Harry looked up to Samus, cringing when he saw the frightened, defeated look in her eyes.

"Well, call me crazy for suggesting this, but maybe if we all put our heads together, we can keep this broad from busting this 'Kor-Zor' thing loose and get some payback," Greyback offered, cracking his knuckles. "I mean, there's eleven of us and only five of them." Harry swore he could see all the Reformers force down laughter.

"I hate to admit it, but for once, a Death Eater is talking sense," said Ron. "And some of the Order should be here soon enough, too."

"Oh, you mean them?" asked Ped delicately, pointing at something behind them. Harry turned around to see the bubble door opening. Hagrid, McGonagall, Fleur, Lupin, Tonks, and Fred all walked into the chamber, single-file, but their wands weren't even drawn. In fact, they all had listless looks in their eyes, devoid of any emotion and awareness.

"W-What is this? Have they all been Imperiused?" demanded Voldemort.

"Waaaay off, Tommy," cackled Tesla. Harry heard Tesla clap her hands, and suddenly all six Order members were consumed by explosions. Mind-numbing horror overwhelmed Harry as he watched what looked like body parts fly across the chamber. What looked like Hagrid's arm landed near his feet, while Tonks's head rolled to a stop near Bellatrix. Bellatrix yelped and hopped backwards, but as Harry looked at the head, he realized it wasn't out of anguish of losing her niece. Tonks's neck had several pipes protruding from it, housing sheaves of severed wires, all sparking and sputtering.

All of them stared blankly at the body parts for a moment. "They're j-just a-android duplicates?" Hermione asked breathlessly.

"Crude, but nonetheless effective," said Valkyrie. "Over the last week, I went to great lengths to maintain appearances. Couldn't make it look too easy. As for the house-elves outside, I knew all your armored suits could breach their barrier, but the rest of the Order would be stymied. Then there was the Azkaban breakout. Wildflower and Faction got themselves caught on purpose, just so we'd look desperate enough to dig into Augustus Rookwood's head for clues. Clues we _PLANTED_ there, just like your empty cab outside the park in Salem, and that rattlesnake Voldemort talked to outside!"

"Impossible! If Rookwood's memory was modified, I would have learned of it!" cried Voldemort.

"Memory Charms tend to be more effective when you know exactly how the brain works, Riddle. A few enchantments on the vestibulocochlear and vagus nerves here, a bit of potion injected into the parietal lobes there, and a modified memory is indistinguishable from the real thing, unless you know what to look for," brayed Valkyrie. "All that time the Reformers spent with Rookwood was to modify his memory, not interrogate him. And the artifact? My agents in the American Wizarding Union planted it in this country months in advance. You see, I discovered this place years ago, and reverse-engineered almost all the technology here. You thought I needed it to expand Inferno, but I've been doing that for years! That's how it's grown so much, so fast. Only the heart of this place, Kor-Zor's cell, was inaccessible...until today."

""I don't believe this," muttered Hermione. "Snape told us we had to stop Asara from opening Kor-Zor's prison, but we ended up helping her do just that!"

"SNAPE!? What are you talking about!?" demanded Voldemort acidly.

"Snape sent us a message, giving us the location of this place. He said he wanted us to make sure Kor-Zor stayed sealed away, but now it's obvious he's sided with Valkyrie and betrayed all of you too!" spat Harry. His rage overshadowed his terror. "The triple-crossing wanker...he actually convinced us that he wanted to keep both Valkyrie and you away from Kor-Zor's research. He said that in Valkyrie's hands, she'd betray everything my mother shared with her..."

"Don't be so hard on Sevvy, Harry. Believe it or not, that's not too far from what he felt," said Valkyrie. "He was worried about the steps we'd have to take to reach Albus and Lily's ultimate goal, but in the end, he saw it my way. Good thing, too. This wouldn't have been possible without him. Not only did he lead you four here, but he's the one who set off all the Dark Marks right before the operation in Salem. Let me know exactly when you'd be coming, while lighting a fire under all the Death Eater's asses. He would've let you in on the Salem operation, too. But when Samus set out like the determined hunter she was, I had to send Susan Bones instead. A quick-thinker, that one is. Imperiusing George Weasley for a brief moment so he'd direct you to Knockturn Alley. But don't feel too bad...our favorite hunter forced the truth out of Rodolphus Lestrange on her own. Bravo, Samus."

Harry saw Samus's eyes narrow behind her visor. But Voldemort was far more incensed. "You lying little Mudblood! Snape has always been one of my most loyal servants! He killed Albus Dumbledore in Draco's stead! And my skill as a Legilimens..."

"Is nothing compared to the skill of the world's greatest Occlumens, who Albus wanted to keep in your inner circle no matter the cost," Valkyrie cut in. "That's how I kept my true intentions from you as well. I learned the finer points of Occlumency from him, just like the Dark Arts."

"What...what could possibly make Snape turn on me for you!?" demanded Voldemort.

Valkyrie struck a provocative pose. "We all know you're incapable of understanding love, Voldie. So it's no surprise you never considered I can do things for Sev that you can't," she jeered. "And tonight, we'll be partying hard!"

Harry shuddered with revulsion, but Samus regained her stoic composure. "I've got to hand it to you, Asara. You've certainly gone through a lot of trouble, probably more trouble than necessary," said Samus sternly, her eyes radiating a quiet, cold fury. "I mean, why bother with planting that artifact in the Arcana Academy at all?"

"I knew I had to engineer an initial conflict between the Death Eaters and yourselves. I understand you very well, Samus. We're two of a kind: determined hunters. To ensure you'd follow me here, you needed to smell blood," explained Valkyrie, her expression still smug and flippant. "As for Voldemort, I couldn't run the risk of him trying to backstab me too soon and unraveling everything. The danger of you four and the Order valiantly chasing after us kept him from doing just that. And lemme say this...your three young friends did a spectacular job back in Salem, force-feeding ol' Snake-Eyes one tall, cold can of whup-ass!"

"I HAVE HEARD ENOUGH!" roared Voldemort, raising his wand. What could only be described as black lightning shot out of his wand. Valkyrie merely held up her own wand, which seemed to absorb and dissipate the strange energy. The Reformers merely watched. Harry got the feeling Tesla wasn't even throwing up her anti-magic dead zone.

Voldemort briskly ran up the stairs while keeping up his assault with Dark Magic, hoping to blast Valkyrie at point-blank range. Harry could only watch, not sure which of his enemies he should attack, or if he should attack at all. "You've finally pushed me too far, Valencia Asara! Now I'll finish the job I started sixteen years ago! You dare think me and my Death Eaters as puppets to be manipulated!? You wretched fool! If you think your power is equal to mine, you're gravely..."

But Voldemort was silenced when Valkyrie's bionic arm shifted about, and her lariat ensnared him from head to toe. She spun around, slamming him against the Chozo elder's relief, then against the stairs. The lariat then writhed in the air like a serpent, carrying Voldemort's bound body up to her.

"Yes, Tom Marvolo Riddle, I dare," Valkyrie said icily, fixing him with a steely gaze. Tesla stood beside her, no doubt nullifying his magic. "And d'you know why? It's not because I think I'm your equal. It's because I am, without question, your superior. I always have been. I'm smarter, faster, tougher...and thanks to Scrimgeour's Valhalla Agenda, I have reserves of energy you can't possibly imagine. I'm the fool? Spare me. You honestly thought I'd be willing to share the Holy Grail of all physicists with the one who murdered the witch closer to me than a sister, who ordered the death of my family, who was too cowardly to face Albus Dumbledore, the closest thing I ever had to a father!?"

"Enough, you backstabbing Mudblood! Release him!" commanded Bellatrix hysterically, sending a Cruciatus Curse up at the platform. Many Death Eaters followed suit. Harry and his friends just watched everything unfold. Who should they go after? His sworn enemies, or their new antagonists who had an agenda of their own...one of which was his aunt?

Faction sprang into action, running to his mother's side and deflecting curses with his two wands. His stoicism melted away; he was grinning broadly, as if the Death Eaters' efforts amused him to no end. "Thanks for the assist, son. But if they want their boss back so bad, they can have him! For the moment, he's of no interest to me!" With that, Valkyrie swung Voldemort around and released him, once again sending him tumbling down the stairs, where he collided with several Death Eaters. Bellatrix, however, was still standing, her wand pointed at Valkyrie, but she did not attack.

Valkyrie stared right back at her. "To think, I once looked up to you, Bella. Thought you were the type of witch I wanted to become," beamed Valkyrie as Bellatrix leered at her. "What a fool I was. I've long since learned only one witch was ever worth emulating: Lily Potter! The gentlest of souls, who freely gave without thought of reward. Well, once Kor-Zor's research is mine, I'll do just that, on a scale Lily never imagined…."

"I refuse to believe Lily would want anyone to use Kor-Zor's work!" shouted Samus, her arm cannon raised, but like Bellatrix she held her fire. "Kor-Zor was an amoral, power-mad traitor who didn't care about the damage his experiments would cause! How could using his work possibly honor the memory of Harry's mother!?"

Harry wasn't sure, but he thought he saw Valkyrie's gaze soften. "Within the next few weeks, Samus, you'll see. I know, considering what I just put you through, you probably don't believe me. Just like you won't believe me when I say that, in your own way, you've been as much of an inspiration to me as Lily was. Opening this maintenance hatch wasn't the sole reason I brought you back here. We have much to discuss later. But for now, I must prep Kor-Zor for transport." Samus said nothing, her arm cannon still trained on her. Valkyrie turned to Wildflower. "You four know your orders. Keep them from interfering, but absolutely no killing whatsoever. Go easy on Samus and her friends, but you can rough up Voldemort and his lot as much as you like. They'll have time to recover before our next planned meeting."

"Understood, Val," said Wildflower coldly. "Rest assured, no one will die here today."

"I hope so. I don't want to punish anyone for disobedience or slipping up. Not today, after we worked toward this moment for so long," said Valkyrie evenly. Then she walked toward the open hatch.

"NO!" shrilled Samus, finally jarred into attacking. She unleashed a missile barrage up at the platform. Ped lurched forward and cast Banishing Charms. All her missiles veered around and rocketed back down at everyone, scattering them as their explosions rocked the chamber. Harry was thrown to the ground, but slowly propped himself up, staring up at his mutated aunt. It was still hard to believe this was Aunt Petunia; she not only had magic, but wielded it like a pro.

"You worthless speck of scum!" cried Voldemort as his scarlet eyes fixed on Ped. "I've tolerated your blight long enough! I don't know what Asara was thinking, letting someone like you use magic, but I intend to rectify this travesty here and now!"

"No one's going to stop you from trying, so have at it Voldemort!" Ped called back defiantly. "Like I said before, I accepted Dr. Asara's offer so my family wouldn't have to live in fear of maniacs like you, so I could turn your own power against you! And if you think I'll just roll over and die like my sister did, you've got another thing coming!"

"We'll see about that, Muggle!" shouted Voldemort furiously. He aimed his wand up. Acting purely on instinct, Harry raised his own wand to protect his aunt, but he was too late. "_Avada Kedavra!_"

Ped crouched down, ready to spring, but Tesla shoved her aside. However, instead of nullifying the curse, Tesla took it in the face. Waves of lime-green energy washed over Tesla, but she did not crumple. She stood taller and grinned evilly at all of them, completely unharmed.

"What the...how's that possible!? That was a direct hit!" cried Ron incredulously. Tesla smiled as she slowly walked down the stairs. "D-Did her suit protect her, like Samus's does?"

"No, I don't think so. It hit her square in the face. Something else is going on," replied Hermione.

"Right as usual, Granger," said Tesla. She was halfway down the stairs now. Harry saw Voldemort and his Death Eaters shift about anxiously. "It's quite simple, really. The Killing Curse won't affect a body that has no attached soul to rip asunder. He won't be able to kill me so easily a second time."

"Kill you a second time?" repeated Voldemort, his voice a bit shaky. "What nonsense is this?"

Tesla made a pouty face. "You really don't remember who I am, do you? I'm hurt," she said in a singsong voice. "And here I always thought I held a special place in whatever you have for a heart. After all..."

With that, Tesla pulled off her goggles, at once drawing astonished cries and gasps from everyone. Harry would have dropped his wand in shock had it not been clamped into its harness. His eyes went wide, staring at Tesla's face, confusion and horror surging up through him. Aunt Petunia becoming a witch was mind-blowing enough, but _THIS_? Her hairstyle was different, and her face was no longer translucent, but with those goggles off, there was no mistaking who Tesla really was.

"I was the first one you ever murdered," Tesla finished icily, her piercing gaze sweeping across all of them. The other three Reformers were making their way down the stairs to back Tesla up.

"No...this is impossible...alive, it can't be..._**MOANING MYRTLE!**_" Hermione blurted out in shock.

"**NO!**" Tesla shrieked, and at once the flooring underneath all of them shook as if an earthquake struck. "Myrtle Maxwell died in that bathroom 55 years ago, thanks to Pink-Eye over there! But thanks to Doctor A, I've been given a new lease on life! Now and forever, it's _**TESLA**_!"

"No, this can't be for real," muttered Harry, his voice almost drowned out by the Death Eaters shouting amongst themselves, asking Voldemort for an explanation and orders. "There's no way...not even Asara's smart enough to bring back the dead."

"She didn't. At least, not in the way you're thinking," said Samus, who was eyeing Myrtle carefully. Myrtle just flashed a teasing smile back at her. "You heard what she said, about that body not having a fixed spirit. My best guess is that Asara exhumed Myrtle's remains, took a DNA sample, and cloned a new body for her ghost to possess."

Tesla pointed at Samus and made a clicking noise with her tongue. "Dead on, Sammy. And Harry, in hindsight, doesn't it all make sense? Don't you think the doc wanted to make sure you survived the Triwizard Tournament? That she'd want me to get Draco to spill the beans about his assassination plan? Didn't you and Samus ever wonder why I was hanging around the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets? I followed you in, too. If you two hadn't finished off that basilisk, I would've done it for you."

"How!? You had no body at the time!" yelled Harry, still not believing his eyes. Moaning Myrtle, as good as resurrected! And how long had she been Valkyrie's loyal soldier, a perfect spy planted in Hogwarts!?

"I think I can answer that too, thanks to the scans I just made," answered Samus gravely. "I'm detecting erratic EM spikes from that suit of hers. Spectral entities like ghosts are made up of a sort of electromagnetic energy. My guess is that, somehow, Asara enhanced Myrtle's own electromagnetic field to an astronomical degree, and gave her total command over it. I should've realized it sooner...the tesla and the maxwell are units for measuring magnetic force! Think about it...everything we've seen her manipulate without magic had ferrous material!"

Harry thought back to the cars that rained down on them in Salem, and the pipes that sprang up from the streets. "T-that still doesn't explain how Myrtle cancels out magic," he said breathlessly.

"Maybe it does," said Samus. "Maybe a localized electromagnetic field of super-high intensity scatters the energy from spells and enchantments, making them useless."

Faction clapped his hands. "Well done, Samus. How else could my mother have slipped into Hogwarts that night she sampled Harry's DNA? You're truly as intuitive and intelligent as my mother always hoped!" he said, grinning at her. "No one but you has ever figured all of that out."

"Uhhh, this is all very fascinating, but aren't we all focusing on the wrong ghost here?" asked Greyback delicately. "Shouldn't we be trying to keep that robo-armed psycho-bitch from freeing the other one?"

"Ugh, when the rabid werewolf is the only one talking sense, we're_ REALLY _in trouble," grumbled Ron. "Greyback's right. We'll all have to work together and rush past them."

Wildflower threw her head back and laughed. "Spare me, all of you. All of you have been sworn enemies for years! There's no way either side would trust the other long enough to get the job done, while our team has trained long and hard to be the ultimate fighting unit!" howled Wildflower. She placed a hand on Tesla's shoulder. "My dear, if you'll be so kind..."

"You got it, Iz!" cried Tesla brightly, raising her arms. At once, bolts of electricity lanced out from her fingers, upturning the tiled floor and knocking back friend and enemy alike. Harry was blasted backwards several yards, landing hard on his chest plate.

Confused screams and shrieks of pain filled the air, but they were almost drowned out by the crackling of electricity and Tesla's insane laughter. Then, Wildflower's commanding voice could be heard over the din. "Everyone, I'll handle Samus Aran. Tesla, the Death Eaters are all yours. Faction, take the golden trio. Ped...go make your sister proud!"

At this point, Harry was back on his feet. Through the cloud of dust and smoke Tesla kicked up, he saw his aunt dash through it, running on all fours. Harry saw she was running directly at Voldemort. Before Voldemort could raise his wand, Ped pounced, hitting him with a drop kick that sent them both sailing across the chamber. As he watched them, he saw Wildflower transform into mist out the corner of his eye, and barreled toward Samus. She tried to space jump away, but Wildflower's spinning staff struck her down. The billowing mist then plowed into Samus, pinning her against a pillar. Tesla was slowly approaching the Death Eaters, who all fired curses, but predictably, none made contact.

"So, here we go again," came Faction's sonorous voice behind Harry. Harry whirled around, and Ron and Hermione stood at either side, wands at the ready. Faction stared them all down, a determined yet remorseful look in his eyes. "Believe it or not, I would rather not do this," he said, even as his two wands sparked dangerously. "We should not be fighting each other. You and my mother share many of goals, not the least of which is wiping out Voldemort."

"Well, that's certainly a worthy goal, but forgive us for questioning your methods," snapped Hermione, right before sending out a Stunner. Ron had been charging a shot and unleashed it at the same time. Faction knocked both attacks away. Then, with one quick jerk of his left wand, Ron and Hermione went sailing through the air. He pointed at a wall with his right wand, and it seemed to glow white-hot and begin to melt. Ron and Hermione's backs slammed into that portion of the wall. Not only that, their wands had retracted. Their right palms were planted against the melted stone, making it impossible to use them.

"Harry, our suits absorbed the heat! The wall's resolidified...we're stuck!" Hermione shouted back, her voice panicky.

Harry looked over in horror at his trapped friends, then back at Faction, who stared himdown with both wands raised. How was he supposed to fight someone with TWO wands alone? "I say it again: it's truly a shame we didn't grow up as brothers…."

Harry could tolerate no more, and pelted Faction with quick power shots. He hoped they would get through, due to their speed and miniscule size, but Faction blocked them all. Faction then lashed out with what looked like Augamenti, but the water was a noxious, putrid color. As soon as the water blast struck him, his suit's energy began to seep away as a warning about toxic material flashed across his HUD. He was propelled past the Death Eaters, who were still being stared down by a self-assured, resurrected Myrtle Maxwell.

xxxxxx

Bellatrix refused to let fear show as Tesla sauntered up to them, but she knew she was in a tough spot. Bellatrix could feel some of her hairs sticking on end, so she guessed that this electromagnetic field of hers was surrounding them all, making their wands useless. "Ha ha ha ha ha, all your lives, you boasted about your pure-blood heritages, and how your magic makes you so superior!" sneered Tesla. "Let's see how well you fight without it."

"Are you shitting me, little girl!? I don't need magic to take a little skirt like you down a peg!" laughed Greyback. Tesla smirked as he drew nearer. "Gonna feast on your liver and heart, little lady, then shove the leftovers down your throat!"

"Big fucking deal. Weren't you listening? Val can just clone me a new body!" retorted Tesla. She raised her fists, bounding around like a boxer. "Put your money where your mouth is...bring it!"

Greyback snarled as he lunged forward, slashing at Tesla. But Tesla ducked and delivered a punch right into Greyback's midsection, and he staggered back a little. Greyback kept trying to swipe at her, but Tesla was so small and so quick, evading him was child's play.

"Not bad for a woman pushing seventy, eh?" quipped Tesla. The werewolf growled in frustration as Tesla ducked and swerved around him, making it impossible to connect. He tried an upward slash, but Tesla fell backwards onto her back. Then she drove her armored boots into his knees. The werewolf howled as he fell to his knees, which only worsened the pain, now that they were broken. Tesla grabbed his shoulder while pulling a long, serrated blade out from the folds of her skirt. She drove it into Greyback's midsection, and he howled again before he crumpled. "OK, who's next?" Tesla asked innocently as she stood over the fallen werewolf.

Bellatrix was overcome with an irresistible urge to tackle this little upstart head-on, on her terms. She charged forward, arms outstretched. Tesla turned to her and laughed, sidestepping her and tripping her as she rushed by. Bellatrix sprang right back up and threw punch after punch, but Tesla laughed as she deftly avoided each and every one. "This is so unlike you, Bella, willing to slug it out! Maybe you've got more guts than we thought!"

Bellatrix had no idea why she felt the need to fight hand-to-hand, even when considering the circumstances. But being forced to sickened her to no end. "Spineless coward!" Bellatrix huffed as she fruitlessly kept on swinging away. "Let us duel as true witches would!"

"For years, you tortured and murdered countless Muggles, terrorizing people powerless to resist...and I'M the coward? I don't think so," spat Tesla. With that, she grasped Bellatrix's wrist as she swung again, then flipped her over onto her back. While flat on her back, she saw Wildflower leap over them. Samus followed suit, firing her beams after her. As Bellatrix was once again consumed with a desire to dismember Tesla with her bare hands, she couldn't help but wonder if it was because of whatever the freak did to her...

xxxxxx

Ron struggled mightily, trying to free himself from the stone wall. He could hear and feel the stone giving way. But even with his suit's actuators, progress was agonizingly slow. He turned to Hermione, but she was having no better luck. He looked ahead at the chaos raging in the chamber. Tesla had already floored both Greyback and Bellatrix, and was tearing apart the remaining Death Eaters with her bare hands. He still couldn't believe it was really Myrtle's ghost inhabiting that body. Her Death Eater ex-boyfriend, Harry's Muggle aunt, centaurs, house-elves, a vampire, an old classmate...and now it turned out Valkyrie could even recruit the dead!

Ron caught glimpses of Samus and Harry battling Wildflower and Faction far across the chamber. Everyone knew Harry was the best in their class at Defense of the Dark Arts, and Samus's skill as a hunter...it was supposed to be unparalleled! But here, Valkyrie's two most trusted lieutenants were fighting the duo to a standstill.

A shiver of fear went down Ron's spine at that thought. He had pledged to help Harry no matter what, to help him carry out Dumbledore's plan to finish Voldemort for good. But within a week, everything had changed! _The three of us going after those Horcruxes and finishing him for good seemed impossible enough, but these new wankers make their whole lot look like Pygmy Puffs! _Ron thought hopelessly. _How are we supposed to beat them!? HOW!?_

But then, Ron was given a rude reminder that one should never count out Voldemort so quickly. There was a shriek of pain, and suddenly Ped's body was slammed against the wall to Ron's right. Voldemort methodically approached the wall, his wand raised, immobilizing Ped and pinning her to it. Ron's blood went cold as he watched Voldemort slowly draw near, but his scarlet eyes were focused solely on Harry's aunt. "You pitiful simpleton...did you really think an ex-Muggle, lacking a lifetime's experience in the ways of magic, could stand up to Lord Voldemort?" he asked dangerously.

Ped's obsidian eyes seemed to glisten as she stared back. "To be perfectly honest...yeah, I did," replied Ped defiantly.

Voldemort let out a high, cold laugh. "Well, you thought wrong! Now it's time to send you to join your sister!"

"Not just yet, Voldemort, not just yet," Ped replied airily. She shut her eyes, her face screwed up in concentration. Ron looked back to Voldemort, who seemed indecisive.

That split-second of indecision cost him. A plume of yellow-green spray shot out from Ped's arms, legs and neck. The opaque aerosol cloud spread out, enveloping Ron, Hermione and Voldemort. Ron could immediately tell Ped's excretions were exceedingly toxic, for his suit's energy was ticking away.

The cloud of deadly aerosol soon faded away, revealing that Voldemort was not so lucky. He wheezed and sputtered, and with his concentration broken, Ped was free to act. She quickly delivered a roundhouse kick to Voldemort's head, sending him flying. He crashed into one of the stone pillars. Ron saw a sadistic grin cross Ped's face as she neared Voldemort. Her impossibly long tongue lashed out, but instead of striking Voldemort, it sliced through parts of the pillar. Again and again her tongue cut through the pillar, at angles that would cause it to tumble down upon Voldemort.

"Oh my God...Harry always said his aunt had a razor-sharp tongue, BUT THAT'S JUST RIDICULOUS!" Ron heard Hermione shout incredulously. "Good thing they're focused on each other...hang on, I think I've got my right arm loose..."

A loud crunching sound made Ron look back at Hermione. Indeed, she had pulled her wand arm free, and had already aimed her wand at her back. "_Diffindo!_" she cried, and with a horrible ripping sound, her suit detached itself from the wall.

She repeated the process with Ron, who noticed a few bits of energy drain away as she did so. But he was more focused on Voldemort. The sectioned chunks of the pillar tumbled down onto him, but he raised his wand to knock the heavy stone fragments away. Still, the effort hammered him to his knees, giving Ped the chance to use the Cruciatus Curse. Voldemort howled with fury, letting Ron know that Ped not only desired to torment Voldemort, but knew exactly how to use Unforgivable Curses to do it. _If the weakest, least experienced member of Asara's team can tackle Voldemort head-on...what chance to _we _have!?_

xxxxxx

Samus panted heavily, but refused to let her weariness show. She kept her arm cannon trained on Wildflower, who had Faction backing her up. Harry stood beside her, wand and Paralyzer at the ready, but he looked winded as well. Wildflower was proving as fast, agile and brutal as her leader, and the Paralyzer was the only thing that let Harry hold his own against Valkyrie's dual-wand-wielding son.

"A good thing I can't smell your blood while you're wearing that armor, Samus," taunted Wildflower. "I have a hunch that Chozo blood would be far too tempting to resist. Between my vow to avoid feasting on the living when I can help it, and Val's orders to not bust you up too badly, that'd mean trouble for me."

"Oh, stop trying to make yourself sound so altruistic!" spat Harry. "However you look at it, you attacked that Air Force base, kidnapped Hermione's uncle, and sprang an apocalyptic evil!"

"Oh please, it's not Kor-Zor himself that my mother wants, just his secrets!" retorted Faction. "With knowledge like that, there's no limit to what she can do!"

"And therein lies the problem: she's done enough already," said Samus. With that, she fired a tightly-focused plasma shot at Wildflower. She blocked it with her staff, right before hurling a burst of frigid mist at her. Samus used morph ball mode to get away, but right before she did, she caught a glimpse of Harry firing the Paralyzer while crying, "_Sectumsempra!_"

When she unrolled, she saw Harry was at least keeping Faction on the defensive, and one of his arms sported some deep cuts. But Wildflower sent out balls of white-hot flame, drawing her attention. Samus blocked them with the ice beam, then when she was close enough, tried to bludgeon the vampiress with her arm cannon. Wildflower parried the blow with her staff, glaring at Samus with her scarlet eyes. She gritted her teeth, displaying her fangs. Samus extended her underarm fins and tried to slice Wildflower in half, but she was too quick, darting away so fast it was as if she had turned to mist again.

Wildflower raised her staff high, ready to attack again. But a sharp cry of "Tesla...LOOK OUT!" from Ped made both of them turn their heads. Tesla had just floored Rookwood with an electrical blast, and was now staring down a bruised, bleeding Bellatrix. But then Samus saw it: Voldemort had sent what looked like a portion of a pillar, sliced apart, rolling right at Tesla. Tesla had no time to react, and it rolled right over her, squashing her flat. Wildflower and Samus leaped away to avoid being crushed themselves, and it crashed into the wall beside them.

Samus spared a moment to look at the flattened, bloody form of Tesla's mangled body. But when she heard Ped again, she wasn't expressing grief, but amusement. Indeed, Harry's aunt was laughing hysterically. "What's so bloody amusing!?" she heard Voldemort demand.

"How you're as slow as Dr. Asara always said!" retorted Ped. "Don't you get it yet!? You really CAN'T kill her twice! That body was nothing but a mindless shell!"

The whole chamber quaked again. A horrible sizzling sound filled the air, and electricity arced from all around Tesla's crushed body. Then, slowly, inexorably, a pearly, translucent figure rose from her remains: the ghostly form of Myrtle Maxwell that Samus vividly remembered from before. However, this time, electricity crackled all around her spectral form. Samus did a quick scan, and gasped. The electromagnetic energy Myrtle gave off was off the charts!

"Now you went and done it, Tommy! That was the LAST thing you wanted to do!" roared Myrtle, in that same overemotional voice Samus remembered. "When my spirit form is juiced up like this, inhabiting a cloned body and wearing that containment suit is the ONLY thing that keeps all this power in check! But with both of those gone...ALL BETS ARE OFF!"

Myrtle spread her arms wide and screamed. Bolts of lightning lashed out across the chamber. Samus had to hop away, and she saw Wildflower and Faction dive for cover as well. She also glimpsed Bellatrix trying to drag Greyback, who had a knife in his belly, to safety. Ron, Hermione, and Voldemort were all firing curses at the supercharged ghost, but none made contact.

As Samus racked her brains for a solution, Harry spoke up. "Samus, our power beams! They're the only things that can hurt ghosts!"

Samus looked to Harry and smiled, even though he couldn't see it. "Good thinking, Harry. Let's do it!" Harry aimed his wand up at Myrtle while Samus aimed her arm cannon. Both of them charged their shots and released them at nearly the same time. Myrtle was about to hurl an electrical blast at a group of Death Eaters, but their double blast of pure energy made her shot go wild, striking dangerously near Wildflower and Faction. In fact, surges of lightning lanced all around the chamber, disorienting everyone.

"Samus, this may be the opening we're looking for! With everything so chaotic, we can slip into that maintenance hatch!" suggested Harry. Samus nodded, and immediately space jumped up toward the hatch's opening. Harry ran after her, firing one charged shot after another, causing her electrical blasts to go wild. Soon enough, the duo reached the hatch and ran inside.

Samus heard Harry mutter incantations as they ran down the long, narrow passageway. She guessed he was setting up enchantments to keep the Reformers from following. _Not that it'll do much good, if Myrtle can slice through magical barriers as easily as she can crush ferrous metal,_ Samus thought morbidly. And as they kept on running, she realized that in the heat of battle, she had forgotten about Ron and Hermione. _Some leader I am, leaving half my team behind,_ she thought, mentally cursing herself.

After running for an agonizingly long distance, the duo finally came across another bubble door. Samus turned to Harry, who simply nodded. She took a deep breath, then shot the door open.

The pair cautiously stepped inside, looking about for any sign of Valkyrie. It was a dark and relatively small room in comparison to the broad sweeping chambers found throughout the prison, and had the quiet, haunting aura of the weapon storage areas found all throughout Zebes. There was a popping noise, accompanied by a rush of pressurized air being released.

Samus and Harry looked up. Across the room there was a dais, on which what looked like a long, glass tube rested, held fast by several thin, mechanical claws reaching out from the ceiling. But one by one, the claws were relinquishing their hold. Enough had retracted to let Samus see into the tube, and it was as if a dementor had snuck in beside her. Writhing and twirling within that tube was a Chozo ghost, like the ones she encountered on Tallon IV, but instead of glowing, white-hot energy, this ghost seemed to be made up of billowing, black mist. The spectral form looked at Samus, opening its beak wide as if to howl. Though Samus couldn't hear Kor-Zor through the glass, it froze her with terror all the same.

"Frightened, Samus?" came Valkyrie's voice, just as another claw loosened its grip. "As I suspected, your people built up horror stories around this fellow. Rightly dreading his methods, but letting that dread blind them to what good such discoveries can accomplish in the right hands." Valkyrie finally stepped out from behind the tube. Her bionic arm was back to normal, and her wand wasn't even raised. She calmly looked down at them from the dais, as if this were nothing more than a friendly discussion over lunch.

"You're hardly one to preach about methods," spat Harry. The pair began to slowly circle the dais in opposite directions. Valkyrie still looked unperturbed. "Even if we forget about that, there's no getting around how you plan to unleash this thing. This thing had Slytherin crawling back to Hogwarts. It took the combined power of those four and Samus's people to lock him away, and you want to set him loose again!"

Valkyrie shook her head. "Nothing of the sort. I poured over all the founders' journals. I know how dangerous Kor-Zor could be if freed," said Valkyrie as another claw popped off. "To me, his spirit is nothing but one big, juicy database." Valkyrie turned to Samus. "But what I have planned, I don't think I can make it possible without your help. I didn't lure you back here just for you to bypass the security lockout. No, there's another reason. In your own way, you've been as great an inspiration as Lily was, and it's my fondest wish that, along with Lily's son, that you'll eventually stand by me as well."

Samus glared at Valkyrie, her visor's scanners locked onto the renegade Auror. She refused to let her indignation, of being thought of as a prized recruit to be bandied about like a trophy, to show. "What makes you think Harry and I would ever join you?" Samus inquired quietly. "How can anything you do with Kor-Zor's research be anything I'd be a party to?"

"In any case, we'll never find out!" came a high, cold voice from the bubble door. "_Avada Kedavra!_" A jet of green light shot upward at the dais, taking Valkyrie by surprise. The Killing Curse found its mark. For a brief moment, an explosion of blinding, white light filled the room, and there was a sound like glass shattering. When the light cleared, Samus saw Valkyrie had sunk to her knees, a listless look in her eyes, but not quite lifeless. But then she fell over, and lay still on the dais.

_How ironic...we owe Voldemort,_ thought Samus. _Hopefully, I don't owe him some sort of 'wizard's debt'._ However, even with Valkyrie down, there was still a danger of Kor-Zor being freed. She jumped up to the dais, and Harry followed her lead, landing beside her.

"Ha ha ha...you thought those feeble enchantments you set up in that hatch could keep me out, Potter?" hissed Voldemort. "Now stand aside! Whatever power our dear Valencia lusted after, I intend to take it for myself!"

Harry kept his wand at the ready while pulling out the Paralyzer. "Not happening, Voldemort. You'll have to go through _BOTH_ of us to do it...and we all know what happened last time you tried," he said. Samus warily watched Voldemort as he walked around the dais, his scarlet eyes glistening maliciously. She was watching him so intently, she almost failed to notice the hazard warning on her HUD. It was indicating where Valkyrie's fallen body lay...from which came a soft chuckle. "No...way..." muttered Harry fearfully as he looked over at Valkyrie.

"My, this was an educational experience. Thank you, Riddle," came Valkyrie's strained, shaky voice. "I thought no single spell could tear down the web of protective wards and regenerative charms I weave around my body...to keep my power in check. But it seems a Killing Curse from Lord Voldemort can do just that..."

Her blood running cold, Samus risked a glance down at Valkyrie. Slowly, gingerly, Valkyrie was propping herself up with her arms. The hazard warning blared even louder. Then, in one swift, horrifying motion, Valkyrie raised her head to glare at Samus. Samus's eyes widened when she saw the dilated blood vessels crisscrossing her face, within which came a noxious, purple glow. Then, a message flashed across her HUD, confirming her fears...

**ALERT! PHAZON RADIATION DETECTED!**

"No, it can't be," breathed Samus.

"Oh, it most certainly is, Samus. You must have suspected...the radiation damage no doubt done to bacteria on my wand. So unlike you to let fear blind you to the truth." Valkyrie slowly rose to her feet, breathing heavily and hunched over, her expression betraying agonizing pain. "You wondered why my power rivals Voldemort's, no doubt," wheezed Valkyrie, her face, neck and right arm glowing an even brighter purple. "Now you know. And no doubt by now, you've learned my Muggle name, and what I've done to myself, thanks to DNA samples from my wand. So, with the power of Phazon and Metroid DNA, I guess that makes me the true _**Metroid Prime**_!"

Samus and Harry nervously backed away to get out of range of Valkyrie's radioactive aura. But Voldemort, oblivious to the danger, sent out another Killing Curse. Valkyrie ducked to avoid it, then fired a missile that blasted Voldemort off his feet. She whirled about and took aim at Samus and Harry. A blast of Phazon energy shot out of her wand, sending Samus crashing into the wall. A Phazon blast from her arm cannon did the same to Harry.

Momentarily overcome with paralyzing pain, Samus squinted to get a better look through her staticy visor. Valkyrie clutched her arms around her torso right before letting out a shriek of fury. She kept on shrieking as she spread her arms wide, flooding the room with Phazon radiation. Samus saw Voldemort throw up some sort of magical barrier, but judging from his posture, it looked as if some radiation was getting through. It was then that the door opened again, and Bellatrix's voice came through. "Master, what's going on!? Whatever it is, let me aid you!"

"No, Bella! Stay out of this room! You cannot hope to..." Voldemort began. But it was too late. The instant Bellatrix stepped into the room, she dropped to her knees, clutching her head. Red, sickly welts formed on her face and hands. Blood was pouring forth from Bellatrix's eyes and nose, dribbling down her face. Samus gave her a few more seconds to live, but Voldemort waved his wand, and she was drawn within his barrier. Still, she screamed in agony as radiation poisoning did its work at a frightening pace. Even watching someone like Bellatrix Lestrange succumb to Phazon was a chilling sight.

Valkyrie slowly hobbled down the dais, glaring at Voldemort and Bellatrix. "And you think you can accomplish anything with Kor-Zor's knowledge of quantum physics, when you can't even perform a charm that'll screen out ALL radiation?" scoffed Valkyrie as she watched the two quiver. "I invented a charm to do just that when I was thirteen! Too bad Severus never let you all in on it!" She pulled out a bottle of greenish liquid from her coat, then dropped it at Voldemort's feet. "Here's something that'll reverse the radiation damage you and all your followers will suffer. Make sure you and Bella take a dose of at least 700 grams. Can't have any of you dying on me just yet. I have something special planned for all of you later. As for the Order, no doubt Adam can synthesize something for them..."

At that moment, Samus felt she could move again, and heard Harry slowly get up. However, the situation quickly went from bad to worse. The door opened again, and all the Reformers poured through. However, none of them seemed affected by the Phazon radiation. "Oh, that's the fifth body you've lost this year, Tesla," sighed Valkyrie. "I swear, your love affair with death is disturbing. Anyway, I trust you're still capable of moving Kor-Zor's pod. Kago, Petunia, ride it out of here and protect it at all costs. Isobel, fly behind me, and get to the Razor Knight as soon as you reach the surface."

Wildflower tossed her staff to Valkyrie, who then opened the hatch and flew out. Wildflower then transformed into mist and barreled after her before the door shut. Meanwhile, all the clamps securing the pod were released, and Myrtle was pulling them out of their housings with her power. They wrapped around the pod like a serpent, allowing her to hoist it up with her electromagnetic field. But the moment she did, the room was flooded with blood-red light as a computerized voice blared a warning. It was in an older Chozo dialect, but Samus could make it out: the prison was set to collapse in on itself if Kor-Zor's pod was forcefully removed. The timer appearing at the bottom of her HUD, giving them six minutes, was proof enough.

Samus fired upon the Reformers, but did not attack with wild abandon for fear of cracking open the pod. However, Faction deflected all her shots anyway, and did the same with Harry's attacks when he joined in. Ped then planted herself in front of the pod, while Faction held onto the back. Myrtle fired a bolt of electricity over at Voldemort and Bellatrix, right before she blasted open the bubble door and directed the pod toward it. In desperation, Samus and Harry fired charged shots at the maniacal ghost, but Faction and Ped blocked them all.

Samus and Harry wasted no time chasing after them. She ran past Voldemort and Bellatrix's unconscious, irradiated bodies without a second thought. There was no time to do anything for them or the other Death Eaters. They would have to get out themselves. Going after the Reformers was all that mattered now. Unfortunately, the tunnel leading into and out of Kor-Zor's cell was long and winding, and Samus never had a clear shot or a chance to use her speed booster.

When they reached the previous chamber, Samus saw Myrtle was already sending the pod through the exit. A quick glance around revealed that all the Death Eaters had been rendered unconscious due to Phazon exposure. But Ron and Hermione were still standing on wobbly legs, looking confused and worn out, but otherwise fine. "Ron, Hermione, no time to explain! We have to go after the Reformers! They have Kor-Zor's pod, not to mention this whole place is set to self-destruct!" cried Samus desperately as she ran across the chamber. That last part seemed to spur Ron and Hermione to action, and they fell in step behind Harry as he ran by.

The remaining minutes on Samus's HUD seemed to tick by with agonizing swiftness as the quartet retraced their steps. But no matter how fast they moved, it seemed impossible to close the distance between them and the Reformers. Whenever they stepped out into another room, all Samus usually saw was Myrtle moving the pod into a hatch right as the bubble door closed. _No, we can't let them get away!_ Samus thought resolutely as she kept up the chase, her sense of duty squelching any fear. _I don't care what Asara says...she can't be trusted with Kor-Zor's research!_

Eventually, Samus reached the long, sloping hallway that they ran down when they ran into the Chozo head's mouth. A small bit of hope swelled up within Samus. This was the perfect place to use the speed booster. Samus breathed deeply, then sprinted forward.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When he was human, Adam Malkovich made a point of never letting emotion get the better of him, especially impatience and frustration. Being preserved within a computer database, naturally, made such efforts even easier. But over the last hour, even Adam found his patience tested by their utter lack of progress.

The house-elves' barrier held fast, despite the Order's best efforts. No matter how often George unloaded with the ship's weaponry, and no matter how many house-elves the Order struck down, it made little difference. It seemed whenever one house-elf was taken down, two more Apparated onto the scene to fill in. Even worse, George had few opportunities to use the ship's weapons. Most of the centaurs carried surface-to-air missile launchers, and house-elves constantly Apparated in to reload them. They fired missiles powerful enough to tax even this ship's shields to the limits. The forward shields were almost gone.

Adam knew, however, their troubles were no fault of George Weasley. True to his word, he had proven a quick study, and now was competently piloting the ship and using its weapons with great accuracy. He spared a moment to consider what was driving George to put forth so much effort. Was it his duty to the Order? Or, more likely, he sought to impress Samus Aran.

Once, he made a point of being something of a mentor to Samus Aran. To provide the human companionship most others seemed determined to deny her. Now, he was content to serve in any way he still could. But if Samus was destined to fully explore her humanity, if anyone was ever to provide her with the type of companionship he never could...after his brother's death, if Anthony Higgs couldn't do it, maybe an empathetic soul like George Weasley could.

Only a few milliseconds were spent analyzing such matters, but within those seconds, everything changed. All of a sudden, the house-elves began Disapparating. Not only that, some jumped onto the backs of centaurs, transporting them away as well. Susan Bones, having just recovered, was the last to flee the scene as the final house-elf hopped onto her shoulders and Disapparated.

"Adam, what's going on? Why'd they suddenly retreat?" asked George nervously, no doubt as suspicious as he was. Adam's plethora of cameras and sensors let him know the Order wasted no time in tearing down the magical barriers, now that no house-elves remained to reinforce it. But then, his sensors detected a radiation spike coming from the prison's entrance. It took a few seconds for the database to analyze the radiation signature, but when the results came in, Adam felt something he rarely experienced either as a human or a computer program: cold fear.

"Phazon energy!? I don't know how it's possible, but its corruption was spreading even in this time!" Adam told George. Then Adam switched on the ship's speakers. "ALL OF YOU, GET AWAY FROM THE ENTRANCE! THERE'S RADIOACTIVE ENERGY SURGING OUT OF IT!" At least half of the Order members heeded his warning and backed away. Arthur Weasley, in particular, hastily darted away, dragging his wife and George's twin brother as well, no doubt having some understanding of the danger.

And then, a noxious purple plume of light burst forth from the Chozo head's mouth, heralding the emergence of Valkyrie a second later. She literally flew out into the desert, the cascading raindrops vaporizing as they fell near her irradiated body. Adam noticed a burst of white mist follow her out and veer off somewhere else, but he was more focused on Valkyrie. She ignored all of the Order below, coming straight for him. She raised her wand, and at once the entire ship was frozen in place.

"So, at last I get to meet Samus Aran's human mentor, the brilliant Adam Malkovich," came Valkyrie's booming voice. "I really do wish I could stay longer, get to know the one who tutored such an exceptional hunter, but my friends and I are on a clock..."

Adam said nothing, instead focusing on how to break free. But their shield and weapon energy was almost drained, and many relays and power conduits were in need of serious repair. "Adam, let me get on top of the ship! I don't think she can duel me and keep you frozen in place!" offered George.

"I cannot allow that. Asara is too close, and the Phazon radiation she's spewing could cause irreversible tissue damage," said Adam gravely. "The Galactic Federation once witnessed this substance rot planets from within!" As he explained this, his sensors picked up something else: the Razor Knight, with Wildflower in the cockpit, was fast approaching.

xxxxxx

Minerva McGonagall, exhausted, soaked and chilled to the bone, watched in horror as the Razor Knight descended over them, its thrusters kicking up wet sand. And from the Reformers' ship came a cold voice that most definitely belonged to a vampire. "All of you in the Order, I suggest you stay underneath the Razor Knight. Its own energy field should be enough to shield you from the radiation Val's body is giving off. If Samus Aran were here, she would recommend the same, I assure you."

However, Samus was not there, and McGonagall ran out from underneath the Razor Knight as her comrades fruitlessly hurled curses at its underside. She caught a glimpse of Valkyrie, hovering at least a hundred feet above them in the stormy, night sky, her body glowing with a fiery, poisonous-looking purple shade as she held Samus's ship in place. "Asara, how could you!? What madness is this, turning on the Order this way! Stop this insanity at once!" she demanded.

Valkyrie glared down at McGonagall. "Even now, you don't get it, do you, McGonagall? Just like Severus, it was never the Order I was loyal to. It was Albus we had faith in, and Albus alone," boomed her mocking, magically-enhanced voice. "Besides, in the last sixteen years, I've built up my own extended family. It is I who gives orders now. Which reminds me...Kago, Petunia, go clean house! Tesla, get Kor-Zor's pod loaded into the Razor Knight NOW!"

McGonagall knew that Kor-Zor being freed should've chilled her more, but hearing Harry's deplorable aunt being ordered to attack them all was truly shocking. McGonagall whirled around. In the distance, she saw Faction near the prison's entrance, who simultaneously brought down Moody and Fleur. However, Petunia was nowhere in sight.

Then a Stunner struck Molly Weasley from high above, and she collapsed into the drenched sand. McGonagall looked up, and finally saw Petunia leap at them. She came down on Slughorn, wrapping her legs around his neck. She flipped around and hurled Slughorn at Hagrid, knocking them both out. At the same time, she lashed out with her tongue at Fred. There was a sound like a cracking whip, and he toppled.

Incensed, Arthur Weasley hurled curses at Petunia, but she merely flicked away the first one and darted away to evade the rest. _Time to borrow from their playbook!_ thought McGonagall acidly. She waved her wand, and the Transfiguration professor willed the wet sand to rise up and form a clenched fist. However, Petunia caught on, twirling around with her tongue extended. It sliced the sandy fist apart, and it melted away.

"You'll all have to do better than that, McGonagall. I can handle any of you now, even Voldemort himself. In fact, back there, I did just that," said Petunia coldly as she stared her and Arthur down. For McGonagall, hearing this former Muggle speak that name so casually drove home that the old Petunia Dursley was gone forever. She also noticed that the downpour that had exhausted and drained all of them seemed to revitalize Petunia. There was a confidence like Bellatrix Lestrange's in her obsidian eyes, a cruelty that even rivaled Fenrir Greyback's...

"I bet you've waited for this opportunity for years," spat Arthur acidly. "Get back at Hagrid and my boy..."

Petunia shook her head. "Stop trying to make this so personal, Arthur Weasley. What they did to Dudley...I don't give it any thought anymore. I've got more important things on my plate. I'm just doing my job here. We all are, because we all trust Dr. Asara."

"_Why_ do you trust her!?" demanded McGonagall. "What's she offering that made you join her!?"

"She's just doing what no one in your Order ever had the nerve or the brains to do," replied Petunia evenly. "Making the sort of world my sister really wanted."

"Since when did you care about your sister!?" Arthur shot back.

Petunia grimaced. "Like I told Samus Aran...you people know nothing about me." With that, she jumped upwards, adhering to the Razor Knight's underside. With her tongue, she ensnared Faction and flipped him up toward the rear hatch of their ship. McGonagall and Arthur fired off curses, but Petunia blocked them all while running backwards and upside-down, eventually reaching the open hatch herself.

"It's over. We've lost," muttered McGonagall as Petunia vanished from sight. But even as those words passed her lips, she saw their one last hope barrel out of Kor-Zor's prison at over 200 miles per hour, glowing with the fierceness of the afternoon sun.

xxxxxx

As Samus Aran ran out of the Chozo head's mouth, she took in the sight of the downed Order members and the Razor Knight hovering above. Before she accidently ran over any Order members, she knelt down to store up power, then shot upward with the shinespark maneuver. If she could plow through their precious ship, they would have no way to transport Kor-Zor.

But just when Samus's helmet was mere inches away from the Razor Knight's underbelly, a bolt of electricity struck her from out of nowhere, blasting her away. The sudden, unexpected shift in velocity alone nearly knocked her out, but when her body slammed into the rocky ridge below, it took all of Samus's willpower to keep from blacking out.

Samus slowly reached out and grabbed the edge of the freshly-formed impact crater, determined to pull herself up. But over the last hour or so, she had pushed herself so hard, and so many energy tanks had been drained. Still, within a few moments, she was almost on her feet. She had to keep the Reformers from escaping with Kor-Zor at all costs.

However, Myrtle had other plans. This time, she summoned a lightning bolt directly from the sky, driving her further into the impact crater.

As the static began to clear from her visor, she could make out the ghostly form of Myrtle Maxwell hovering over her, leering sadistically. "It's a shame...there's no ferrous metal in your armor for my power to affect. Same thing goes for your little friends," said Myrtle. "At least, that's the case on the OUTSIDE! Let's see how badly I can fuck your suit's interior up!"

Samus was powerless to stop Myrtle from thrusting her ghostly arms directly into her chest. Millions of volts of electricity were sent surging through her body, and Samus could not keep from screaming. She twitched and jerked uncontrollably as Myrtle laughed and cackled. Samus caught glimpses of Myrtle's insufferably smug face as damage reports came pouring in on her HUD. One by one, her energy tanks were being damaged beyond repair. Then, reports came in saying it was the same story with her missile expansions.

"Oooh, looky here. Some of your friends down below are trying to get me off you!" jeered Myrtle as she poured more electricity into her, taxing her suit to the limit. "Too bad they have no means of prying me off!"

"But we do!" came Ron's bellowing voice, making Myrtle look up. A second later, Myrtle was struck by three separate charged power blasts. With a howl of rage, she finally pulled her arms out of Samus's chest.

"Tesla, you were ordered not to do any permanent harm to Samus Aran!" came Valkyrie's booming voice. "That's enough, we accomplished our mission here! Leave Samus Aran and the Order be! They'll keep for now!"

Myrtle floated upward to avoid more charged shots while looking back at Valkyrie disapprovingly. She threw one last scornful look down at Samus before she flew off. Samus heard the roar of the Razor Knight's engines, and instinctively knew Valkyrie had made it impossible for George and Adam to follow. She remained motionless in that impact crater, the crushing sense of failure paralyzing her worse than the torture inflicted by Myrtle ever could.

Harry, Ron and Hermione hovered over her, asking questions she barely heard over the rain and thunder. Hermione then tried to pry her helmet off, seeming to think she wasn't breathing. Her suit's life-support functions, fortunately, were still working perfectly. However, she felt consciousness slip away, even as her wary eyes took in the reports pumped into her HUD….

**SPEED BOOSTER: OFFLINE**

**POWER BOMBS: OFFLINE**

**WAVE BEAM: OFFLINE**

**ICE BEAM: OFFLINE**

**HI-JUMP BOOTS: OFFLINE**

**SPRING BALL: OFFLINE**

**SPAZER: OFFLINE**

**PLASMA BEAM: OFFLINE**

**VARIA SUIT: OFFLINE**

**SCREW ATTACK: OFFLINE**

**SPACE JUMP: OFFLINE**

**X-RAY VISOR: OFFLINE**

**GRAVITY SUIT: OFFLINE**


	14. Beyond Good

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 14: Beyond Good

5-14-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

**June 20, 1997 - 0311 hours Inferno Time**

Consciousness slowly came back to Charlie Weasley. His eyes gingerly fluttered open, and were at once besieged by bright light. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust, during which he felt himself resting on a surprisingly comfortable surface...perhaps a bed? Recollections of being whisked away by the woman now called Valkyrie came flooding back. Also, there were muddled memories of men and women in grey and black uniforms, all sporting that same symbol of a flaming bird that Valkyrie bore on their belts and shoulder, trying to restrain him.

_Oh no, Valkyrie and Voldemort...whatever they were after in the Arcana Academy...I've got to find out what happened!_ Charlie thought fearfully. He tried to sit up, but his head hit something hard. It felt a lot like wood. Was he in some sort of bunk bed?

"So, you're finally awake. 'Bout damn time. I could use some help here," came a gravelly, no-nonsense voice. Charlie tensed as he turned and opened his eyes, prepared for the worst. He was indeed at the bottom of a bunk bed, and kneeling beside it was a middle-aged man with long, raggedy brown hair starting to go grey, a bushy beard and mustache, and piercing hazel eyes. For a moment, they reminded him of Albus Dumbledore's eyes; they lacked some of the warmth, but the wisdom was definitely there.

"Excuse me, but...who are you? And where am I?" demanded Charlie, still quite suspicious of the man.

"If you're part of the family I think you are, then I'm a friend," said the man. "Don't take this the wrong way, but...judging from the freckles and red hair, you're a Weasley, right?"

Charlie stared at him for a moment. Most people who picked out members of his family like that usually did so with derision. "Yeah, I am," he said at length. "Why do you ask...and how do you know?"

"Because I've got a niece eager to get into your youngest brother's pants," said the man seriously. Suddenly, there was a hardening in his eyes, something that strangely seemed like...fatherly concern.

"Wait a minute, your niece? Ron? You mean you're..." His words trailed off as he looked at the man again. Those eyes and hair, and the intelligent yet slightly bossy look in his eyes, told him everything he needed to know. "You're...Hermione's uncle, aren't you?"

The man rose, and Charlie could see the Muggle uniform he was wearing. "Captain JB Granger, United States Air Force, at your service," he said proudly.

Charlie carefully climbed out of the bunk bed. "Well, I'm Charlie Weasley, and it's good to see you. Everyone in the Order's been on the lookout for you anyway, ever since we got that video footage of your base getting attacked."

JB's brow furrowed. "Security surveillance of the base attack was leaked? How?" JB demanded in a concerned voice.

Charlie opened his mouth, but was suddenly at a loss for words. "I-I...it'll be hard to explain. I doubt I could even explain it to other wizards without sounding like a nutter."

JB spread his arms wide, as if to indicate the room they were in. "I've been cooped up here ever since my base was attacked, and I suspect the head-honcho of this 'Inferno' outfit won't be coming for either of us for quite some time. You were out for over a day after being dumped in here. I'd say we got plenty of time. Besides, I've already gone through learning my precious little Hermione was born with this wacky mutation making her a witch. I think I can handle any surprises you've got for me."

"You think our kind are the result of some random mutations?" asked Charlie delicately as he looked around the room that was evidently a cell. It was well-lit by electrical lights, and had some furnishing, but Charlie could tell JB was anxious to escape.

"Magic is obviously inherited. What else could it be?" said JB dismissively. "But a discussion about genetics can wait. Right now, our job is to find a way out of here. No doubt you've got to report back to the Order of the Phoenix, while I need to get to the Pentagon. These Inferno people...whatever they are, they represent a clear threat to national security, maybe even more than your old friend Voldemort," he finished in a grave, determined voice.

Charlie wasn't sure what to make of the captain. He had some experience with Muggles, but it was quite surprising to talk to one so familiar with the Wizarding World. But this was a relative of a family friend, and sounded as determined to fight Valkyrie as he was. Memories of their encounter came flooding back. Instead of fear, however, all that filled him was a determination to see Valkyrie's plans thwarted, whatever they were.

So Charlie explained to JB all about Samus Aran's return to their time, and their efforts to stop Valkyrie and Voldemort. It took several long, tedious minutes to go over all the details, but JB stood still, quietly taking it all in. Charlie could practically hear JB's mind working behind those hazel eyes, busily processing everything.

Silenced lingered in their cell for a moment before JB spoke again. "So...this Samus Aran is a time-traveler? Some sort of bounty huntress?" Charlie only nodded. "Well, sounds like my kind of gal, from what you've told me. And she better be as good as you say, if she intended to take my little Hermione into a firefight with her. I mean, you said they were on their way to Salem when the Reformers' boss whisked you away?"

"Yeah, she was. I have no idea if they stopped Voldemort and Valkyrie, though," replied Charlie.

"At any rate, it's high time we escaped and found out," said JB. "From what you've told me, it sounds like we got something much bigger than either the Order of the Phoenix or the U.S. military can handle alone."

Charlie was staring to admire this Muggle, and could clearly see how Hermione Granger could be related to him. Still, he did not share his exuberant confidence. "How do you intend to escape? I'm sure there's all sorts of enchantments surrounding this cell to keep us from doing just that, and I don't have a wand," said Charlie, looking around the cell. _But how can these lights work if there are enchantments all around to make the electricity go haywire? _he wondered.

"Magic is possible without a wand. Or so Hermione's told me," JB said. He then walked over to a part of the wall, where he had removed some sort of panel.

"Yeah, but even if we escape this cell, what's the use?" asked Charlie. "If we're in this Inferno, deep underwater where the pressure outside can crush use like bugs..."

"That's not where we've been taken," said JB simply. "They've got several outposts topside, and this is one of them."

"H-How d'you know that?" asked Charlie, confused.

JB turned around and smiled. "Guess since I'm just a Muggle, the guards posted right outside aren't too choosy about what they talk about. Days of patiently listening in on their conversations clued me in. I've got plenty of juicy nuggets I'm sure you'll want to take back to the Order of the Phoenix. For instance, this Harry Potter kid...he's got non-magical relatives, too, right?" Charlie just nodded. "Well, they're here."

"His aunt, uncle and cousin? They were all captured and dumped in this outpost?" asked Charlie.

"More like his uncle and cousin were dragged here after Harry found out Petunia Dursley was working for Inferno," answered JB matter-of-factly. "From what I've gathered, the frog-bitch that attacked Hickam Air Force Base, and I think your magical prison Azkaban, was actually Harry Potter's aunt."

"WHAT!? That's impossible! Harry's aunt is a Muggle too, and I always heard she wanted nothing to do with our world!" cried Charlie in disbelief.

"Will you keep it down!?" JB said in a commanding tone. "Listen, I'm just telling you what I've heard. The guards just said something about this Petunia Dursley being a 'transfectee', so I suppose your new friend Valkyrie did something to her DNA to make her like you...and like an overgrown toad. But that's not all I gathered."

"What else have you found out?" asked Charlie, wondering what other unbelievable things JB would reveal.

"The basic layout of this level, where the hangars for their planes and broomsticks are...and I picked up the incantation of this one spell their leader invented. Something that's considered her trademark and her most useful tool," said JB as he examined a sheaf of wires once concealed by the panel. "And if we plan this right, it'll be the perfect way to throw these jokers off our scent...once we get a wand for you, that is."

"Well, we still need to get out of this cell. I don't suppose you can do something with these wires and get the cell door to open?" Charlie inquired delicately.

JB turned to face Charlie and smiled hopefully. "Not by myself. But if you really can do magic without a wand, now would be a good time to try."

xxxxxx

**June 21, 1997 - 1:05 PM Western European Time**

**The Burrow**

For almost two days, Harry refused to leave Samus's side. At first, she remained in her ship, under constant surveillance by Adam Malkovich and his array of medical equipment. At one point, Samus regained consciousness long enough remove her suit, but even that small effort drained her, and she lapsed back into slumber. Now she lay in her bed in the Burrow's guest room, upon Molly Weasley's dogged insistence, wearing those same rubbery teal garments she had on when landing on the doorstep of Hogwarts so long ago. So far, neither any of Adam's treatments nor any potions could rouse her.

_She has to wake up. She just has to,_ Harry kept telling himself. _There's no way we can fight Dr. Asara without her, not if she's really the successor to the title 'Metroid Prime'...or is it predecessor?_ Harry shook his head. It was still all too confusing. The path that lay before him had been so clear only a week ago. Now everything had become so muddled and unpredictable.

Voldemort was supposed to be the deadliest wizard ever known, but now Valkyrie had quickly proven to be even more dangerous, having both his friends and enemies dance like puppets to her tune. Dumbledore's mission to find the Horcruxes, his sole focus for so long, seemed so trivial now that another crazed student Dumbledore once took in had far more terrible plans for the world...

Harry looked over to Samus. _Everything's changed for her, too,_ Harry thought. Her future, the centuries of history she knew that had yet to unfold, was now dark and muddled as well. Harry suddenly thought of the centaurs, and how they always seemed unwilling to go against what the stars foretold. It was obviously a different story now. Just like how Aunt Petunia, who always disparaged the Wizarding World, had taken up a wand and rampaged about like a wild beast. Then there was how Snape, always an enigma, just double-crossed ALL his old allies for his old lover. _What's Asara's secret?_ he wondered. _Just what is it that lets Asara influence so many people? What does she offer them?_

A low groan from the bed snapped Harry to attention. Harry saw Samus's hand grasp the blankets tightly, and her eyes darted about underneath closed eyelids. "Samus. Samus, can you hear me?" Harry said softly, hoping at last she had recovered. His thoughts suddenly went back to Myrtle. He had always taken pity on Myrtle, despite never caring for her company, but what she did was unforgivable. Harry was still apprehensive about facing his aunt again, but he would not hesitate to pulverize Myrtle for what she had done.

Harry gritted his teeth in anger, but when he turned back to the bed, all his rage melted away, replaced by relief. Samus's eyes were slowly fluttering open. Her gaze slowly surveyed the room, a dull, listless look in her sapphire eyes. Eventually, her eyes met Harry's. "H-H-Harry," she croaked as she tried to sit up. But she cried out and slumped back onto the bed.

"Don't overexert yourself, Samus!" implored Harry. "You've been out for quite a while."

"H-How l-long..." stammered Samus.

"More than two days," replied Harry gravely.

"And it's a wonder you recovered this soon!" came Hermione's voice from the doorway. Harry turned to see Hermione there, with Ron right behind her. "Oh Samus, thank God you're awake!" cried Hermione as she ran into the room. "We saw what Myrtle did...it was like she hooked you up to the Hoover Dam!"

"So Samus, everything working right?" asked Ron, sounding unsure what to say. "I mean, d'you remember everything that, y'know, happened back in that desert?"

Samus rubbed her head and ran a hand through her hair. "The last thing I remember is, like Hermione said, feeling as if Myrtle threw me into the power relays for a fusion core. Right before I blacked out, I think I saw damage reports saying..." A horrified look swept over Samus. "Harry, my suit...how badly was it...were my upgrades..."

"Damaged beyond repair?" Harry finished morosely. "I'm afraid, for most of them...yes. You've got three energy tanks left, and thirty or so missiles. The missile upgrades are intact, too. So are the grapple beam, morph ball and the bombs, and most of the powers you got from absorbing X here the last time. But everything else got fried to a crisp by Myrtle."

Samus slowly rose to a sitting position, despite protests from Hermione. For many minutes, she said nothing. Clearly, it was hard for her to digest this grave news. "But it's still usable, right?" she asked at length.

"Y-Yes. Adam thinks you can step right back in once you're feeling up to snuff," said Ron.

"What about the prison? What happened to it?" asked Samus.

"Collapsed in on itself six minutes after Kor-Zor was removed, just like you said. There's a big crater about a hundred feet wide back in Wyoming now," replied Hermione. "Lucky for us, once Asara fled with her cronies, Adam was able to fly everyone out of there."

"Too bad You-Know-Who and his gang didn't have the courtesy to go down with it," spat Ron. "He must've gotten himself together at the last minute, because a few seconds before it imploded, we saw him literally fly out of there, towing along all his Death Eaters. They slipped off Adam's scanners before George could follow them."

"Lovely. They'll still be running around. Hopefully, thanks to that dousing with Phazon radiation, none of them should be in any shape to cause trouble for a while," said Samus. "Still, I don't see where we go from here. We can't even go back to read those reliefs. They may have given us clues about what to do if Kor-Zor was ever removed..."

"Maybe so, but we didn't come away completely empty-handed," Harry said quickly. "In their haste to escape with Kor-Zor, Valkyrie and the Reformers left something behind...the artifact from the Arcana Academy."

"Good," said Samus quickly. "Maybe it'll yield some clues, too. But as soon as we can, we should start searching underwater for Inferno again." Somehow, her voice lacked the firmness Harry came to associate with her.

"That...may not be for a while," said Hermione delicately. "Your ship took some serious damage in that fight, and then Asara practically froze it in place with that Phazon power. Me, George, Mr. Weasley and a few others...we've been trying to help repair the ship, do whatever Adam says. Lupin would've helped too, but we just had a full moon. But it's been dreadfully slow. We're just not used to that sort of thing."

Something in Hermione's words seemed to take a toll on Samus. She exhaled forcefully and collapsed on her bed, her head landing hard on her pillow. There was a dead, defeated look in her sapphire eyes that chilled Harry far more than Voldemort's livid, scarlet eyes.

"That reminds me...just how the hell did this Phazon stuff get into Asara in the first place?" asked Ron. "I thought you made Phaaze collapse in on itself. So what's it doing here, in this time?"

"I don't know," said Samus tonelessly, staring up blankly at the ceiling.

"At least we have some hope of beating her now," said Harry. "Didn't you always beat Metroid Prime by turning her own power against her?"

"That's right! From what you've told us, her biggest weakness should be Phazon energy itself!" exclaimed Hermione.

"But at the moment, we have no means of safely harnessing Phazon and turning it back on Asara," said Samus darkly. "I don't see this getting us anywhere. It's not just Phazon she can use against us. It's her magic that's augmented by her Phazon energy. Not to mention I've lost all my strongest weapons, while she still has copied versions."

"S-Samus, what are you trying to say?" asked Ron, not believing what he was hearing. "You talk as if there's no hope of beating her!"

"Right now, I don't think there is," said Samus flatly. "Look at what Asara's done so far. She played the four of us, not to mention Voldemort, for complete fools. Voldemort was difficult enough to fight, but here's someone who outsmarted him every step of the way, then tossed him away as if he was nothing. Plus she has mastery of martial arts, the sciences and my strongest weapons. And she's not the only danger. We know absolutely nothing about this Inferno of hers, and now she's brought Kor-Zor's soul there and plans to use all his old work. And we know there's no dissuading her. We all heard her. She's utterly convinced that she's doing what her best friend would've wanted."

Harry was completely nonplussed, horrified by how defeated Samus sounded. Luckily, someone else spoke the words he could not voice himself. "By not giving up hope," came George's voice from the door. Harry looked up to see George standing there, and right behind him was Minerva McGonagall. "The Order of the Phoenix...both times it seemed they fought a losing battle, but they still fought on."

"For once, I agree wholeheartedly with George Weasley," McGonagall chimed in, sweeping into the guest room. "Perhaps the rest of your body has recovered more quickly than your brain...your spirit. Whatever happened to the duty-obsessed bounty hunter who told me she had no choice but to single-handedly invade a space station teeming with extraterrestrial parasites? Who, with no magic of her own, stood up to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named..._twice_!"

"I couldn't beat him, though. Harry had to intervene both times," Samus pointed out, still sounding hopeless.

"But Samus, just the two of us were able to trash all of Voldemort's plans in a few hours," said Harry, desperately wanting to boost Samus's morale. "And it's not just me who's got your back. You'll have the entire Order behind you."

"Samus, we need you more than ever," said George. "Valencia Asara is unlike anything we've faced as well. Like you said, she's a scientist as well as a freakishly powerful witch. And this Phazon stuff she's got in her...Ron tells us you've encountered the stuff before. With your smarts and experience, you're the only one who could help us beat someone like that."

Samus hung her head. At length, she finally spoke. "I-I see your point. If history is to be kept unaltered, I have to try. Still, Valkyrie is absolutely nothing like the other incarnations of Metroid Prime. For one thing, how can I hope to match her when I can't use magic myself?"

"From what I've heard, that last part is untrue," said McGonagall brightly.

Samus shot a nasty look at Harry, as if he had spilled a shameful secret about her. McGonagall quickly caught on, and said, "Why should you be angry that your friends revealed this, Samus? I think it's wonderful that, on top of your other gifts and skills, you may have the same potential for magic as us."

Samus leaned back in her bed a little. "It's not as if I have time to cultivate it. My combat prowess, my own skill with the sciences...it's all because my education began when I was only a toddler, and I've been pushing myself ever since. You've had decades of experience using magic. There's no way I could reach Valkyrie's level in time to stop her."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," said Harry. "We've all seen what my aunt can do now. And we all heard that argument between her and Voldemort. It sounds like Asara did something to Aunt Petunia, maybe rewrote her DNA somehow...and I have a hunch it wasn't that long ago."

Samus slowly turned to look at him. Once again, she had a defeated look, but this time Harry was sure it was because she knew he was absolutely right.

"So, while we wait until the ship is repaired and for this Valkyrie character to make her next move, your training can begin. Why not start with what Harry taught us D.A. veterans first: the Disarming Charm?" said George eagerly. He walked across the room, took Samus's hand, and thrust his wand into it. For a moment, their eyes met. Harry caught the confused look in Samus's eyes, but there was a softness and warmth in them, too. But then George stepped back, and pulled some sort of knife out of his robes. "Now, just picture me as some sort of Space Pirate thingy coming at you, ready to stab you to death or something," said George, who then made comical flailing motions while making snarling sounds.

Harry heart lifted when he saw that, instead of regarding him with disdain, Samus actually smirked a little. George lunged a little toward the bed as Samus raised his wand, and her magical education was underway.

xxxxxx

**June 21, 1997 - 6:35 PM Western European Time**

**approximately 0.5 kilometers northeast of the Burrow**

Samus grunted in annoyance as she reflexively withdrew her hands from a panel on the ship's underside. A mild shock had coursed through her, and without her suit to absorb the energy, it jarred her quite a bit. Samus shook her hand until the numbness went away, then looked back up. There were so many repairs to make, and no one in the Order was around to help anymore, having other assignments. So once again, it was just Samus, Harry, Ron and Hermione, while the ship itself was hidden deep in the forests around the Burrow, just in case anyone from the Ministry should come snooping around.

Harry and Ron were trying to replace some fused relays along the left landing strut. Hermione was inside the ship, being more familiar with computers, and technology in general, than her two best friends. Samus watched them carry out their task, admiring how quickly they were learning.

_It's a shame my progress isn't quite as swift,_ Samus thought with annoyance, recalling her initial magical lesson with George and Harry hours before. She had accidently used some kind of magic twice before, once even without a wand. But for some reason, trying to use magic at will had unpredictable results. Half the time, when she spoke an incantation, nothing happened. Other times, she could only produce a dummied-down, feeble imitation whatever spell Harry and George were trying to teach. The knife George held was only wrested from his grip with Expelliarmus twice, and didn't go flying across the room as it was supposed to, nor was George knocked back in the slightest.

Harry tried to be reassuring, reminding her of how much effort some students he trained in the D.A. had to put into learning spells, and that even Neville Longbottom eventually mastered them. Samus, however, was woefully skeptical. It was not that she was afraid of long, arduous training. She had been pushing herself beyond her limits her entire life. But after watching others easily wield magic for so long, and then try using whatever she had herself, Samus couldn't help but feel as if...something was missing. As if there was some fundamental element Harry and the others had, but she lacked.

Samus never thought of herself as prideful, and she felt ashamed to find that thought so galling. But as it stood, having some magic was now crucial for her. Against Voldemort and the Death Eaters, all her training and experience made up for not having magic. But against Valkyrie and the Reformers, it could prove a fatal handicap. And so far, it looked like one she couldn't overcome. She found that infuriating when she considered everything else she had mastered in her lifetime. Her Chozo tribe envisioned that she would be a 'protector of the galaxy', but through her actions, centuries of galactic history could be altered forever. And now, when the galaxy needed that the most, the unbeatable Samus Aran had stumbled upon something she could not master.

Samus shook her head, as if to banish such thoughts, and got back to work. She was close to completing her current task when she heard Adam lower Hermione down. She turned around to see Hermione's flustered look. "Samus, according to Adam, the ship's computer is functioning perfectly, and I combed every square inch to make sure Asara didn't leave any other nasty surprises in your ship," she said hastily. "Adam also says the weapons and propulsion systems are close to being back up to snuff, but he's worried about the shields. Says it's not a good idea to go searching for Inferno again until we can be sure the ship can tolerate the water pressure."

Samus nodded stiffly. "Thank you, Hermione. We're making quite a bit of progress out here, too. But those shield generators...they always seem to give us grief, don't they? Adam's right, we can't go searching the oceans again until the problem with the shields is resolved."

"Are you sure is a good idea to go blindly searching for Inferno at all?" asked Harry, turning from the landing strut. "I don't know exactly how many square miles the oceans cover but...won't it take weeks, even months, to search it all? To me, it seems like a waste of energy. Maybe we should wait until we can capture someone from Inferno and worm answers out of him."

"And what do we do once we find Inferno? We all heard what Valkyrie said. She's been using pilfered Chozo technology to build it up for years," said Ron nervously. "There's no telling how big this underwater city is! And she's probably got every defensive charm known cast over every square inch of the place, along with enough firepower to sink the entire Royal Navy!"

Samus found Ron's pessimism grating at a time when she was struggling to overcome her own, but he had a point. "It's true. Her underwater city will likely be heavily defended. We'll have to come up with a plan to penetrate Inferno's defenses and track down Valkyrie."

"And what about when we do find Valkyrie?" asked Harry delicately. "We better have a damn good strategy for taking her down or we're toast. I mean, we saw her get right back up after getting hit with _**AVADA KEDAVRA**_!"

"I've been wondering about that," said Samus. "How was it possible for Valkyrie to recover from something that's supposed to snuff out your life altogether?"

"Maybe she's just like Myrtle...a ghost possessing a cloned body. Maybe she really did die fighting You-Know-Who sixteen years ago," suggested Ron.

"No, that can't be it. Myrtle didn't react at all when Voldemort cursed her, while Asara was downed for a minute or so," said Hermione. "Of course, that could've been feedback from having all those protective and regenerative charms stripped away."

"Either way, I have a nasty feeling she's made herself as unkillable as Voldemort," said Harry darkly. "If she's a ghost driven mad by Phazon radiation, she'll be even harder to destroy than Myrtle. But if she's alive but somehow made herself immune to the Killing Curse, then, scary as it is, she may have succeeded where Voldemort's failed: become truly immortal."

"I take offense to that, Harry," came a sweet, familiar voice from the forest. "Unlike Voldemort, I do not fear my mortality. I've simply taken steps to ensure I'll stick around long enough to complete my life's work."

At once, Harry and Ron backed away from the landing strut, raising their wands and carefully surveying the trees. Hermione, meanwhile, ran up to Samus, her wand raised as well. "Samus, walk slowly with me," whispered Hermione as she slowly nudged her. "Let's get you where Adam can levitate you into the ship, get the suit on..."

As the four of them anxiously looked about for any sign of Valkyrie, she continued to ramble on. "And for the record, if I was a ghost, you can be sure I'd clone myself a new body free of Phazon. The wondrous substance has given me power...but it came at too high a price," came Valkyrie's voice, strangely conversational. "Oh, and Ron, I wish you wouldn't make Inferno sound like a war machine. I founded Inferno not to make it another Sparta, but a new Atlantis. A safe haven for those both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds rejected."

"We've all had enough of you trying to make yourself sound like the good guy!" spat Ron, probably sounding more courageous than he felt. "Where are you!? Show yourself!"

"Very well," came Valkyrie's voice, thought it sounded much closer...as if from directly underneath the ship, right beside them. Samus glanced around, and sure enough, Valkyrie was standing by the right landing strut, as if she had silently Apparated there. Her demeanor was carefree and gratingly amicable, as if she simply stopped by for a friendly chat.

None of this made the four of them any less uneasy. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all had their wands aimed at Valkyrie. "Oh please, tell me she's using some sort of projection like Snape did," breathed Hermione.

Valkyrie smirked, and with frightening swiftness, raised her wand and said, "_Imperio._"

At once, Hermione and Ron dropped their wands and dashed toward Valkyrie. "Ron, Hermione...NO!" cried Samus as they moved against their will. But they had already reached Valkyrie. Ron landed a right hook across her face, while Hermione sunk her fist into her stomach. Valkyrie's head rolled to the side, but otherwise she did not move. Right after connecting, Ron and Hermione appeared to be free of Valkyrie's control, and staggered back.

Samus saw that Ron had split Valkyrie's upper lip, but all she did was lick it. She seemed to savor the taste of her own radiation-poisoned blood. "I trust I felt real enough for you two?" she asked at length, still sounding as if it were only natural to approach the four of them here.

Ron stared at Valkyrie fearfully. Hermione was rubbing her hand, her teeth clenched. "Oww...it's like punching a tire!" she hissed.

Valkyrie sighed. "A little Phazon and a lot of stomach crunches will do that for ya," she said airily. "Of course, when it comes to sheer muscle power, I can't even begin to compare with our time-traveling friend. This doesn't count," she finished, raising her bionic arm.

Samus's eyes narrowed in irritation. "We are NOT friends, Valencia Asara," she spat.

Valkyrie turned to Samus and smiled. "Not yet. Right now, I don't blame you for feeling outraged, after what I put the four of you through. But it's my fondest wish that, once you see past that, you'll understand why I did it, and where I'm going from here."

"We understand plenty," snapped Ron. "We understand that you freed something so evil, it made even Salazar Slytherin go crawling back to Hogwarts."

"As I told Harry and Samus, I have no intention of freeing Kor-Zor outright. It's his unsurpassed knowledge of quantum physics I wanted to put to good use. So far, we have his spirit safely contained back in Inferno, and we've wrested all the information we needed out of it. For almost two days, Inferno's top minds have been working round the clock, processing all the data," explained Valkyrie proudly. Then she looked up at the ship. "It's a pity we can't have Adam Malkovich help us crunch all that data. A brilliant mind preserved in such a powerful supercomputer...no doubt he would relish delving into such wonders."

"Sorry, but from what I know, Adam Malkovich has too much integrity to bother with playing with something so heinous, it took both the Chozo and the founders of Hogwarts to beat it," snarled Hermione.

Valkyrie shook her head. "Still that bullheaded, black-and-white thinking," she muttered under her breath.

"Speaking of Adam, why hasn't he activated the weapons and blown her away yet?" Harry whispered to Samus.

A sickening realization swept over Samus. "Valkyrie, what have you done with Adam!?" she demanded.

"Oh, that. I simply froze most of his primary systems with a few well-placed charms," Valkyrie said innocently. A cold shiver went through Samus as she once again realized that, unlike Voldemort and the Death Eaters, Valkyrie had a perfect grasp of her advanced technology, and how to use magic to counter it. "But silly me, it appears I accidently nullified the external speakers. I can easily remedy that..."

Valkyrie twirled her wand, and suddenly Adam's voice blared throughout the forest with a vehemence Samus never heard from him. "...BLOODSUCKING, RADIOACTIVE, SADIST BITCH! YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO SAUNTER UP HERE AS IF YOU'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG, AFTER YOUR ETHEREAL, ELECTROMAGNETIC FREAK NEARLY ELECTROCUTED OUR LADY TO DEATH, AFTER..."

Valkyrie quickly waved her wand again, and Adam's voice was abruptly cut off. "On second thought, maybe it's best Adam remains silent until his processors cool down," Valkyrie said with mock sheepishness. "As fascinating as I'm sure he is, it's you four I'm most eager to talk to."

"Just what is it you want from us, Asara!?" demanded Harry, his wand still aimed directly at Valkyrie.

"No need to sound so defensive. I have no intention of harming any of you. If I did, I would've trashed you four, the ship, the Burrow...besides, right now, you know you four would stand little chance against me without your power suits. So why not just listen to what I have to say?" suggested Valkyrie.

Samus gritted her teeth in anger. Valkyrie was right about them being helpless at the moment. For now, it was best to stall for time until they could think of something. "Fine, speak your mind. But what makes you think we'd want to listen? Don't tell me you're intending to throw a sales pitch for us joining your Reformers and Inferno."

"That's the jist of why I'm here, actually," replied Valkyrie, an expectant look in her eyes.

"Oh please, Voldemort tried the same stunt with me five years ago, and I didn't buy into it then," spat Harry.

"And rightly so. Voldemort is a self-centered, arrogant fool who only seeks to take and take and take. The very opposite of your mother. My goal, for nearly half my life, has been to share knowledge and power with the millions who've emigrated to Inferno. And together, we push the boundaries of both science and magic," said Valkyrie.

"Forgive us if we find such idealism hard to believe," said Hermione dryly. "You're reviving the experiments with dark energy and dark matter that once threatened a good chunk of the galaxy, and you constantly boast of Dark Arts mastery."

"Again with the black-and-white thinking!" screamed Valkyrie as she facepalmed with her bionic hand. "That was perhaps Lily's only flaw. She failed to see there's nothing inherently evil about something like the Dark Arts. It's merely the way in which it's used. Look at what I did for Myrtle Maxwell. That involved some of the darkest spellwork you could imagine. But now she's practically alive again, after being callously murdered by one who's truly evil beyond all hope of redemption!"

"So she could electrocute Samus half-to-death?" Ron pointed out.

"You're missing the point!" Valkyrie shouted exasperatedly. "Besides, she went against my orders and has already been disciplined for her inexcusable behavior. She'll only be allowed to possess a new body when it's time for her next mission." Samus looked around her, seeing her friends' faces were still stony, unmoved by Valkyrie's explanations. "Ugh, what else can I do to make you people see? Perhaps I need a more drastic example." She turned to look at Harry. "Harry, you and Hermione are more familiar with recent Muggle history than Ron and Samus. Tell me, what do you know of Saddam Hussein's atrocities prior to the Gulf War conflict?"

Samus watched as Harry's face screwed up in concentration, all the while looking perplexed. At length, he said, "D-Didn't he use poison gas against his own people? Kill thousands?"

"Or so the story goes. It happened back in 1988. But the death toll was much, much lower than official figures state. And do you know why?" When no one bothered to say anything, Valkyrie answered for them. "It was because my spies in Baghdad tipped me off days in advance, and weeks before, my agents had made overtures to large segments of the Kurdish population, especially in Halabja. It was one of the largest mass emigrations to Inferno."

"T-Then what a-about the thousands of people...all the disfigured, chemically-burned bodies?" asked Hermione in horror.

Valkyrie's lips curled into a sinister smile. "All an elaborate ploy. Almost all the bodies found were lifeless shells. Decoys. Copies. A ruse to ensure the world thought Iraq had indeed carried out an act of genocide. But of course, I expected too much from the nations of the so-called free world. The Reagan Administration, run by a man elected mostly because everyone believed he embodied Christian values and morals, practically turned a blind eye," she finished with a venomous bite. To Samus, it sounded as if that last sentence touched a raw nerve.

"And it took some exceptionally dark charmwork to make it possible. So you see, by engineering a mass exodus, while still making the would-be war criminals look guilty as sin, I achieved much good through the Dark Arts," Valkyrie went on. "I've done it hundreds of times. Taking in people others would thoughtlessly slaughter while the rest of the world would look on and do nothing. Victims of needless famine, refugees from warzones...it goes on and on. I also look for talented and intelligent individuals, both Muggle and wizard, who can help me build up Inferno. We try to make to kind of peaceful, prosperous, just society that the three who meant the most to me - Lily, Albus and Severus - could only dream of."

Samus immediately saw Harry stiffen at the suggestion that Snape held such ideals, but she placed a hand on his shoulder, urging him to remain calm. "And now, you want to recruit the four of us, because you think we can somehow help you further your goals," said Samus flatly.

"I don't think so, I know so," said Valkyrie. "Don't forget, I've watched your young friends for a long, long time. I've witnessed how they've grown into the exceptional trio that even Voldemort couldn't beat." She grinned wickedly. "Severus thought I was mental, you know. Engineering a conflict between you four and Voldemort. He thought Harry and his friends would meet certain death if they faced his forces head-on again, but he's been forced to eat his words."

"That's the best news I've heard all day," snapped Harry.

"And what about me?" inquired Samus. "You haven't known about me as long."

"No, but your legend is timeless, spreading even to everyone's ears here. And for what I've planned, your help will be the most crucial of all," said Valkyrie.

"Well, you can forget it!" barked Hermione. "I still can't imagine why you'd think we'd want to help you!"

"I think you will, because unlike Voldemort, I have something to offer each of you," replied Valkyrie. Suddenly, Valkyrie moved with terrifying swiftness; the next instant, she was standing right behind Hermione, bending slightly to talk into her ear. "For example, I watched you try to get your S.P.E.W. project off the ground. It reminded me much of Lily, the way she cared about non-humans while everyone else derided her for it." She shot a scything look at Ron before continuing. "Do you remember the house-elves right outside Kor-Zor's prison?"

"How could I forget!? You made those poor house-elves your foot soldiers! You made them stand in that pouring rain, waiting for the Order!" Hermione retorted with fury.

"You forgot to mention how they were all freed, wearing wizards' robes, and had wands. In other words, I treat them as the equals of witches and wizards. Something most of our kind would find unthinkable. But we don't share such a superiority complex, do we?" asked Valkyrie. Hermione remained defiant-looking. "And those serving in my army are only the tiniest fraction of the house-elves that call Inferno home. There are thousands there. Many are Inferno's top artisans and chefs, some even running their own businesses. And it's not just house-elves. Goblins, centaurs, merpeople, even a few giants! The kind of harmony among magical beings I know you want to see, but never thought could happen. Well, come to Inferno, and you can see it for yourself."

Samus's heart sank as she watched Hermione's expression begin to soften. She could tell Valkyrie's words were having an effect. Samus wanted to say something, remind her of what Valkyrie had done, but the words that came to her sounded strangely hollow.

Then Valkyrie suddenly appeared next to Ron. But since he was taller, she couldn't talk into his ear, so she spoke more loudly. "Ron, I know you can't stand how your family is constantly looked down upon, even by those who claim to oppose everything Voldemort stands for. You father's fascination with Muggle ways, how your family stands up to anti-Muggle sentiments...it earns your family the scorn of others who, deep down, are little different from Death Eaters with their obsession with so-called wizarding pride. Cornelius Fudge is a good example, and don't get me started about Dolores Umbridge. What she did in your fifth year at Hogwarts is nothing compared to the horrors she helped inflict on me."

Samus thought she saw Valkyrie's eyes glow as her lips curled into a snarl before continuing. Meanwhile, Ron stared back at her with a blank expression, and Samus could tell she was getting through to him as well. "I've made overtures to your family before, but they refused, and I was forced to modify their memories. I urge you to come see Inferno for yourself, then tell your family what life there would be like. For the first time, they would be completely surrounded by like-minded people, and your father's head would explode from excitement once he sees how Muggle technology and old-fashioned sorcery are used together. Instead of being constantly ridiculed, your family would surely be respected," she finished.

Valkyrie became a blur of motion again, this time reappearing beside Harry, who looked ready to reach around and tackle her to the ground, yet stayed his hand. "And now, the son of the best friend I ever had...have you given any more thought as to what we discussed that night two years ago? About how killing Voldemort wouldn't mean all the world's problems would magically disappear?"

Harry turned back to glare at Valkyrie with a piercing gaze that even took Samus aback. However, Valkyrie was unfazed. "Hmmm, perhaps not. No matter. For now, maybe we can talk about what was your more immediate goal before I came along: Voldemort's Horcruxes."

At once, Harry's resolve melted away. He jumped back and gasped in shock. "What the...h-how did you know a-about..."

"Oh please, Harry. Are you forgetting about how Moaning Myrtle was my spy?" asked Valkyrie innocently. "She overheard everything, and confirmed some suspicions I had about Voldemort already, the short-sighted fool. In his haste to anchor himself to this plane of existence, he failed to consider there are better, less drastic means than completely ripping your soul apart." She turned back to face Harry, and suddenly her expression was deadly serious. "I can help you there, Harry. Track down whatever Horcruxes remain, then set Voldemort up for the killing stroke. But tell me, even knowing how Voldemort fears mortality more than anything, is killing him truly a satisfying revenge? Far too quick, too clean, too final..."

"W-What are you suggesting, then?" asked Harry in a shaky voice. He sounded nervous, but Samus could see something in his eyes she recognized all too well: an unquenchable thirst for blood, for vengeance.

"Make him suffer. Make him _WANT_ death's sweet release," said Valkyrie, bloodlust in her eyes as well. "And to do this, we'd have to make it so our world becomes intolerable for him to live in. Bring his dreams of a pure-blooded wizardocracy crashing down on his pasty little head. In short, help me carry out what I intend to do in your mother's name. And when he's broken and beaten, all his hopes and dreams crushed, begging for it to end, I'll let you fulfill your destiny and do with him as you wish."

One look into Harry's eyes let Samus know that Harry was sorely tempted by her offer. Still, he tried to sound defiant. "Nice try, but at the moment, I've got bigger things to worry about thanks to you."

Valkyrie laughed a little. "That'll be the bit of your father you've got in you. He always fancied himself something of an incorruptible hero as well," said Valkyrie flippantly. But suddenly, her face became rigid. "Face facts, Harry. You don't know where to begin looking for his Horcruxes. Furthermore, there was information that Albus withheld from you, but revealed to Severus."

At once, Harry's resolve solidified. "And there's another reason for me to be skeptical. You've let Dumbledore's killer join your side...hell, you've admitted to sleeping with him again!"

"And after so many years apart, it was exactly what we both needed," said Valkyrie with a devilish grin. "But ask yourself this, Harry: I loved Albus like a father, so if Severus is truly guilty of murdering him in cold blood, would I be so quick to embrace him again?"

"Maybe you're willing to overlook the obvious because of your old feelings for Snape," suggested Harry through gritted teeth.

"It's true that I never stopped loving Severus," said Valkyrie. "But again, thanks to Myrtle, I'm privy to information you're not, and I'm the one person Severus can't hide things from with Occlumency. But if you're so hung up about Severus, then perhaps I should arrange it so he can explain everything himself. Trust me, there's information you'll want to hear, and I'm sure Albus wanted Severus to deliver it personally, so you two would have a chance to finally put aside this asinine grudge. It'll just come sooner than he anticipated."

Samus knew an angry comeback was boiling to the surface within Harry, but Ron spoke up before he could let it out. "Y'know, it's kind of annoying how you go on and on as if you're the only one that ever understood Snape, Dumbledore and Harry's mother. And as if you've got some monopoly over the legacies of the last two."

Valkyrie regarded him carefully for a moment. "I suppose, in a way, I do feel obligated to see their dreams realized. They shared things with me they never breathed to another soul. Even Albus, an intensely private man who had his own inner demons. There were things about him...you have no idea..."

"Like WHAT!?" huffed Hermione.

Valkyrie rolled her eyes, then grinned. "Well, did you know he was gay?"

The four of them just stared back at Valkyrie, mouths agape.

"And that's just the tip of the iceberg," Valkyrie went on. "As for Lily, we were closer than sisters. There was nothing we didn't share with each other. And for a long time, she was close friends with Severus too, until her black-and-white thinking led her to believe Severus had become irredeemable. She was later proven wrong when he turned spy for the Order, and began to see things her way. That's why he abandoned his post as Albus's agent in Voldemort's ranks, so he could help me carry out Lily's final wish: what we in Inferno call the Day of Reckoning."

"Enough!" roared Samus, her patience wearing thin. "All this time, you've been crowing about this master plan of yours, saying it's all for Lily Potter. So please enlighten us...what was Lily's dying wish!? What was this glorious dream she shared with you!?"

Valkyrie turned toward her while starting to walk out from the ship's underside. Some sunlight filtering through the trees struck her, putting emphasis on some hard lines and creases in her angular, chiseled face. Her glowing, indigo eyes seemed to shine with an even more violent radiance. "Like me, she was born into the Muggle world, when global superpowers threatened the world with nuclear war, and where adversity was everywhere. Full of people that fear and hate whatever's different and they can't understand. Then she entered the Wizarding world, just as Voldemort was gaining power. Lastly, there was the personal matter of her sister, and how Petunia's jealousy drove them apart.

"All that weighed heavily on Lily. She dreamed not only of world peace, but of a world where the boundaries separating the Muggle and Wizarding worlds were torn down forever. Albus had similar hopes as well, and in time, Severus came to see how wonderful such a world could be. Considering what I've went through and learned in the Muggle world, it's only natural that I embraced that vision, too."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Harry, no doubt resenting how his mother's memory was constantly being invoked by Valkyrie.

"Harry, tell me, d'you think the subject of how you were mistreated never came up between Petunia and I? Believe me, it's still a sticky subject. But I've pretty much forgiven her of that. Taking out her envy of Lily on you was inexcusable, but the Dursleys were tame compared to the Muggle slime known as the Primes," said Valkyrie. Her gaze seemed listless, but her eyes glowed more fiercely than ever. Samus saw her bionic hand clench in anger. "Then there was something of a specialty of mine back in my Harvard days. Since I knew so little of my birth parents, tracking human ancestry became a bit of an obsession. An obsession that carried over when I started going to Hogwarts."

"Still don't see what you're getting at," Harry said dryly.

"I've come to understand all of magical history in terms of human evolution. I've investigated the evolution of magic a great deal. When I look at the world, I see nothing but chaos. Two separate, fragmented worlds, two different branches of humanity, one ignorant of the other, stumbling chaotically forward," said Valkyrie. "That's no recipe for progress. At the end of the day, my goal is to direct the future course of humanity's social and biological evolution."

"T-That's impossible!" cried Hermione. "I'm no Harvard-educated biologist, but...NO ONE can dictate the course of evolution for a species!"

Valkyrie smiled at her. "How much you remind me of myself. It's a wonder you didn't get into Ravenclaw. But here, you're dead wrong. The engine of evolution is driven by two factors, and now, I finally have the means to influence both. The Day of Reckoning is essentially nothing more than nudging human evolution down a desired path, then letting nature take the reins again."

"And how's Kor-Zor's research supposed to help you do that!?" demanded Samus. "Kor-Zor was a physicist, not a biologist! How can harnessing dark matter and dark energy possibly let you manipulate human evolution!?"

Valkyrie opened her mouth, but then shut it and smiled. "Until I can be sure you've seen things my way, I'd better keep that a secret. And right now, there's something else I want to discuss: what I can offer _you_."

"And what can you possibly offer me?" Samus said icily.

"Actually, it's more of what you can offer me," said Valkyrie, slowly walking up to her. Samus briefly considered tackling her. "I wasn't lying when I said I needed you. So what if I'm much, much smarter than you? You still have knowledge gained from your Chozo upbringing I could never hope to match. Plus, your intimate knowledge of this galaxy and its history...if I'm to influence the course of human development over the next few centuries, I'll need someone with that sort of knowledge. Having you open the hatch leading to Kor-Zor's pod wasn't the only reason I lured you back. Once the Day of Reckoning passes, I'll need your help for what's next."

Samus's eyes narrowed, indignation surging within her. "You expect me to help you irreversibly alter centuries of galactic history, when the sole reason I rushed back here was to prevent that from happening?"

"Look at it from my perspective, Samus!" They were now face-to-face, Samus glaring down at her, and Valkyrie's mood and expression suddenly soured. "I've seen more than my share of human suffering and misery. With Inferno, I've tried to build a nation free of humanity's past mistakes, and now I have a chance to extend that to all of Earth! You expect me to give up on that hope, on Lily and Albus's hopes, because of what is simply one potential timeline from my perspective!? I've had a peek at Adam's historical database, by the way, at what awaits humanity in the near future and centuries beyond...and I do not like it! Must humanity wait centuries before there's some semblance of a peaceful, just society...that still commits underhanded deeds, as evidenced by the Galactic Federation's misadventures with the Bottle Ship and the B.S.L station?"

"And what gives you the right to play universal timekeeper!? To not only alter humanity's evolutionary fate, but dictate the course of history for the galaxy!?" snarled Samus, leaning a little closer to Valkyrie.

"Are you saying you wouldn't want to stamp out the Space Pirates before they become a constant threat!?" inquired Valkyrie hotly. "Create an intergalactic government that doesn't leave fledgling colonies like K2L weak and undefended!? Keep the Metroids from overrunning SR388 after the X parasites are in check!? Stop those Leviathans from striking Tallon IV and Aether, or perhaps wipe out Phaaze centuries in advance!? Or most importantly, keeping the Chozo from withdrawing from the galaxy!?"

Samus said nothing, refusing to give in to Valkyrie's persuasiveness. But she suspected Valkyrie was far from done. "Why are you so eager to keep the next few centuries unaltered? The Chozo as you knew them are gone, and one of the only humans from your time that you ever called friend is preserved in that ship! And before this whole time-travel mess started, you were facing criminal charges for defying orders...cast out after saving the Galactic Federation countless times! Trust me, Samus, I know all too well what it's like to be thought of as an abomination, to be used and then callously thrown away! Why go back to a future like that!? Why not stay here, take advantage of this opportunity to keep those tragedies in your era from happening, while being surrounded by people who genuinely care about you!?" Valkyrie took a deep breath, and when she spoke again, it was in a calmer, more measured tone. "And lastly, there is ONE thing I can offer in exchange for your help."

Samus's hands were shaking now, her breathing erratic. Valkyrie was pushing all the right buttons, hitting her where it would hurt the most. Still, she tried to remain as stoic and reserved as possible. "And what would that be?"

Valkyrie grinned wickedly again. "The gift of magic, Samus," she said brightly. Despite herself, Samus's eyes widened. "Think of how your power suit can scan magical creatures and discern what enchantments are in place, of how your suit can protect you from the Killing Curse. How your body has a natural resistance to magic, how you can see dementors and ghosts. The Chozo encountered my kind a millennia ago, and I have no doubt they not only built your suit so you could fight wizards, but tried to insert genes responsible for magical traits into your genetic code, along with the infusion of Chozo blood. But I suspect they were only partly successful. They lacked the intimate understanding of human genetics that I have. Not only can I finish what they started, but I can train you in witchcraft, and finally, you'll truly be unstoppable."

Disgust welled up within Samus. She had hoped to learn witchcraft to topple Valkyrie, and now she was offering to teach her. Even worse, a small part of Samus was tempted...

"So, it's true," said Hermione uneasily. "You really can transform Muggles into our own kind. That's what you did to Harry's aunt, finally gave her what she always wanted from the sound of it."

"It was what Lily always wanted as well," replied Valkyrie calmly. "I promised her I'd do it one day. I only wish she had lived long enough to see it. It was a simple matter. Since they're sisters, it was no surprise to find that Petunia already had some of the same mutant genes needed for magic. I merely provided the rest, and I can do the same for Samus." She turned back to Samus. "And from what I saw back in Kor-Zor's prison, you've got more potential than I thought. No doubt you've been trying to cultivate it by now. If that's the case, I can give you a little pointer right now." Samus raised her eyebrow, but said nothing. Valkyrie merely smiled again. "You need a wand of your own. And unless I'm not mistaken, you've got one already."

"Don't follow," said Samus tersely.

"You disarmed me in the heat of battle, forcefully so," explained Valkyrie. "My old wand should take that into account." Valkyrie fell silent, her gaze sweeping over each one of them. "Don't try to paint me as a Voldemort-wannabe. Don't any of you try to pretend you're not tempted. Take a good, long while to think over what I've said. We'll meet again soon."

Suddenly, Valkyrie's body crackled with Phazon as her entire body glowed a bright purple. Then, she seemed to dissolve and break apart into small, purple bubbles, which were then carried away on a sudden, stiff breeze. Samus ran out from under the ship, but could not see any trace of the bubbles anywhere. She forced herself to relax, her mind reeling. Now she realized what Valkyrie's greatest advantage possibly was: being able to offer potential recruits almost anything they wanted. She was a vile temptress, coming to people when they were most vulnerable, offering whatever people wanted or needed in exchange for their loyalty.

And worst of all, despite having that knowledge, a part of her was sorely tempted by her offers. Samus feared it was the same story with Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"Lady, please tell me you didn't buy anything that she-devil had to offer," came Adam's terse, annoyed voice.

"What? Oh no, of course not Adam," Samus said quickly, but she was certain Adam could tell a conflict was brewing within her.

"Good to see you're back online, Adam," said Ron. "Hey, can you do a quick scan and make sure none of us were affected by that Phazon stuff again? It was bad enough having to take all your treatments the first time."

"You and Hermione have suffered no ill effects from Asara's unwelcome visit," said Adam. "However, Samus and Harry...I've been wondering how to break this news, especially to Harry."

"Oh great. What's wrong?" asked Samus, icy fear welling up within her.

"In regards to you two, it appears only your suits' mechanical components were adversely affected by Phazon radiation," explained Adam. "The organic parts of your fusion suit, your cells and Harry's cells seem to be completely immune to the degrading effects of Phazon. I can only guess that certain traits from your Metroid genes are responsible. But with Harry's cells, something else has happened."

Silence fell over the forest for a moment until Harry bravely said, "Adam, go ahead and give me the bad news."

"The traits that were suppressed once you were no longer in proximity with X parasites...those gene sequences are active once more," said Adam gravely.


	15. Beyond Evil

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 15: Beyond Evil

5-22-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

**June 22, 1997 - 10:37 PM Western European Time  
Hogsmeade**

With a loud crack, Moody Apparated behind one of the shops in Hogsmeade. His magical eye whirled around as more people Apparated into the town. Soon enough, Arthur, Tonks, Lupin and Kingsley all stood around him. Moody breathed a sigh of relief. For some reason, he feared even simple Apparation may have gone wrong for the group. After everything his old protégé had done so far, nothing could be taken for granted anymore.

With a growl, Moody motioned for them to get moving. As they walked through the streets, Moody kept a close watch over their surroundings with his magical eye. He was all too aware of the cold dread that gripped everyone in the town, but now Moody realized that fear may be misplaced. As impossible as it seemed, Voldemort was perhaps no longer the greatest threat.

His thoughts suddenly drifted toward Samus, who lapsed into a brief coma after Valencia's followers had had their way with her. There were still things about Samus that made Moody apprehensive, but he respected her skill, and how she was a tireless warrior for good. Any group that could tax Samus Aran to the limit like that was a force to be reckoned with.

And now, in addition to her Dark Arts mastery, Valencia was poised to start harnessing these things called 'dark matter' and 'dark energy'. Not even Arthur Weasley, the Order member most obsessed with Muggles, understood what they were. But Samus feared such power, and that thought alone made Moody cringe. Moody forced himself to remain calm and disciplined as he stepped into the Three Broomsticks. Seated at a table near the entrance were McGonagall, Hagrid and Slughorn.

It irked Moody, how Slughorn had stayed out of all the fighting until now, but part of him couldn't blame him. He too desired to know the truth about Valencia Asara's transformation into Valkyrie. He also noticed how pallid Slughorn's face was. Moody wondered if this radiation Valencia spewed was still affecting him. Right after Valencia and her Reformers fled, the computer in Samus's ship insisted they all get injections to counteract any damage done by this thing called 'Phazon'. Of course, he bristled at the notion of being injected with Muggle potions, but Potter had been adamant. Moody rubbed his shoulder, remembering the pain from the needle and hoping that the Muggle medicine did its job.

As soon as she saw them, McGonagall nudged Slughorn and Hagrid, and all three stood up to leave. "Thank you for coming so quick, Alastor. I'm afraid it's imperative we fully relocate everyone into Hogwarts as soon as we can," she said.

"I hear you. From what Harry told us, no amount of protective charms can keep out Val's forces. Hogwarts is our best bet, until we can figure out what she's up to," said Moody in agreement. "We'll send a message to Samus soon, now that she's better. She can bring everyone else in her ship once it's repaired."

The four of them turned to leave, but before they reached the door, Moody's magical eye spotted trouble. Witches and wizards were Apparating in front of The Three Broomsticks, glaring menacingly at Arthur and the others. They were Ministry officials from the look of it. When he barged back out of the pub, his worst fears were confirmed when he saw Rufus Scrimgeour and Dolores Umbridge Apparate into Hogsmeade. The Minister looked as grim and humorless as ever, but Umbridge seemed even more vindictive than usual.

"What do you want!?" growled Moody, unable to keep his hatred out of his voice. So much about Valencia's metamorphosis was still a mystery. But after hearing of this 'Valhalla Agenda', and Valencia's own comments to Samus and Harry, Moody had some pretty strong suspicions about who had finally pushed his protégé over the edge.

"Watch your tongue, old man!" spat Umbridge. "You and the rest of the Order still have much to answer for for the other day! We have every reason to haul all of you lot in...especially that mangy werewolf over there."

Tonks's hair turning a violent blood-red was the only warning anyone got. Her wand came out a microsecond later, but Moody aimed his and there was a loud pop. Tonks drew back with a yelp. "Don't, Tonks. Let's not make a bad situation worse."

"Good to know the years haven't robbed you of your wisdom, old friend," said Scrimgeour roughly. "How fortunate that an anonymous tipster let us know a good chunk of the Order was coming here tonight. It will give me a chance to...discuss the recent strange occurrences over in America which you seem to be connected to."

Moody glared at Scrimgeour, his magical eye fixed upon him. "And hopefully, you'll be willing to listen, because we may have something on our hands that'll make fighting You-Know-Who look like Quidditch practice!" Moody shot back. "And for the record, we're not friends anymore, not if what we suspect you did to Valencia Asara as for real."

"Wow, you really are as intuitive as Dr. Asara always said," came a sneering voice from high above, its speaker unseen among the rooftops. "And this Minster is really as predictable as she said, too. Here he is, willingly taking the bait we laid out!"

Everyone standing out in the street looked about in confusion, trying to find the source of the voice. Moody wasn't sure who it belonged to, but then Hagrid spoke up. "Wait a minute...I know that voice!"

"Yes. Yes, you would, wouldn't you?" asked the taunting voice. A second later, a lone figure leapt across the night sky. Ped landed in a crouching position with impossible grace a few yards away from the Order, her obsidian eyes glinting.

Moody could sense several of his colleagues bristling at Petunia Dursley, but he was using his magical eye to try and spot more Reformers. For the moment, it looked as if Harry's aunt was alone. "Everyone, make no sudden moves," cautioned Arthur. "We all know she's a witch we can't take lightly, and Ron told me she can release this deadly cloud of poison gas."

"Won' hesitate teh use it, too!" added Hagrid testily.

"Like I said before, I am _NOT _in this for petty revenge," snapped Ped. "At least, not against any of your lot." She then turned to the people from the Ministry, her eyes fixing on Umbridge. "I'll be damned, the doctor was right. You _DO_ resemble a toad more than I do!"

Umbridge raised her wand, snarling. But Scimgeour grasped her wrist, willing her to back down. Calmly yet forcefully, he said, "You...you are one of Asara's accomplices. Who-WHATever you are, it was foolish to approach all of us alone."

Ped let out a humorless laugh. "What makes you think I'm here alone?" she asked innocently before her gaze drifted skyward. Moody's magical gaze instinctively drifted upward as well. He could make out something high above, streaking across the night sky like someone flying a broomstick. Suddenly, it shot straight downward, descending into the middle of Hogsmeade. A tremulous shock ripped across the town, and a plume of dirt rose from where the new arrival landed. Once it cleared, everyone could see a small impact crater, and crouching in the middle was Tesla, once again in a living body. She stepped out of the crater with a swagger, raising her goggles to reveal her face.

"M-My goodness. Ms. Maxwell, it really _IS_ you," said McGonagall in a hushed voice.

Tesla hurled a Stunner at McGonagall, which she deflected at the last possible second. "Don't _EVER_ call me that, Ms. McGee! You hear me!? NEVER CALL ME BY THAT NAME AGAIN!"

"I would listen to Tesla if I were all of you," came another voice, a very deep one, but it seemed to emanate from the ground itself. Moody's eye caught movement underground, but it moved with frightening swiftness. Then Faction, his old protégé's adopted son, burst forth from the ground. His body was spinning rapidly, and his two wands were raised high overhead and crisscrossed, as if forming some magical drill. He planted his feet firmly on the ground, just as Moody noticed a white, opaque mist drifting down the street. Being an expert on Dark creatures, he knew what it meant, but still recoiled in horror. The mist began to congregate and swirl, and a second later it reformed into Wildflower, Valencia's ruthless second-in-command.

Hogsmeade's four unwelcome guests all stood around the Order members and Ministry officials. Until this week, Moody would have scoffed at the notion of these four freakish oddballs confronting all of them, but now the sight of them unnerved him. Valencia's son had had no trouble toppling him while simultaneously fighting Fleur Delacour. Was another massacre only moments away?

"Oh wonderful, all four Reformers," whimpered Slughorn, echoing Moody's sentiments.

"And one other," came a cold voice from down the street. Moody's magical eye swiveled, and his blood boiled. Severus Snape was calmly walking down the street, his cold eyes as unreadable as ever. Moody longed to curse him, but cautiously held back.

Others, however, were not so reserved. "Snape, words can' describe how low scum like yeh are!" bellowed Hagrid. "Yeh murdered Dumbledore, then turned on yer Death Eater pals, just for a roll in the sack wit' Valencia!"

"I thought Val told Potter why I did what I did, and I assure you, it was not something I took lightly," Snape replied calmly. "But it doesn't matter now. I was carrying out the headmaster's final orders for me...but Val's offering me a chance to reach our goal far more quickly."

"Indeed she can. Snape has chosen his friends well, Rubeus. And trusted friends we will be, far more so than anyone in the Order besides Albus Dumbledore and Lily Potter were willing to be," said Wildflower.

"Doesn't change the fact you're aiding and abetting a man wanted for murder," spat Scrimgeour dangerously.

"An ironic statement coming from you, considering what I saw you do as Head of the Auror Office." The vampire's voice sent an icy chill down Moody's spine. "But now you've become Minister of Magic. My my, how times have changed."

"Times change, but scum like you and Asara do not," spat Umbridge.

Wildflower shook her head. Her scarlet eyes glistened from behind her curtain of short, white hair. "Is that how you and Scrimgeour greet me after all these years? Neither of you so much as paid me a visit during my brief stay in Azkaban," she said silkily. "I think I deserve more consideration than that. After all, I helped the Ministry on many occasions. Oh, but wait, how silly of me. One of the undead, even one who's fought so hard to hold onto her humanity, is beneath your notice."

"Do not try to twist this around and make yourself sound like the victim, vampire!" barked Scrimgeour. "You backstabbed me, destroyed all the Department of Mysteries' hard work, and ran off with Asara!"

"After learning of how _YOU_ backstabbed Val first, how could I _not_ help her seek retribution!?" retorted Wildflower. "Now, at long last, it's time to finish what the doctor and I started all those years ago!" She looked over to Tesla. "Tesla, expand your EM field to encompass all of Hogsmeade, NOW!"

Moody's eye whirled around toward Tesla. She was hunched over, clenching her fists, her face screwed up in concentration. Moody saw electricity arc all over her body an instant before she shrieked and spread her arms wide. The moment she did, Moody could no longer see with his magical eye, and it stopped moving altogether. Nervous sweat formed on his brow as he remembered what Potter told him about Tesla's power. With his good eye, Moody saw others nervously look about, able to sense something was wrong. Scrimgeour aimed his wand at Tesla, but nothing happened. Several Aurors then tried to use their now-useless wands, their fear palpable.

"Wh-What is this!? What's going on h-here!?" squealed Umbridge.

"Tesla's electromagnetic field has enveloped this entire village," said Faction. "While she has it up, no magic can be cast whatsoever. Plus, all permanent enchantments are rendered inoperative. Things such as broomsticks and fireplaces will not function."

"For years, most of our kind had looked down on Muggle ways. Their technology, under most circumstances, are useless in areas with high concentrations of magic," added Wildflower. "Only Val is brilliant enough to achieve the opposite." Moody tried to maintain his disciplined calm, but he knew he was in a tight spot. Getting on in years and hobbled by a prosthetic leg, he wouldn't last long in a fight without magic.

"Uhhh, correct me if I'm wrong, but that means you five can't use any magic either," Scrimgeour pointed out. "It's the five of you against all of us."

"In other words, the odds are overwhelmingly in our favor," said Snape coolly.

"Severus speaks the truth, Minister," said Wildflower. Her sadistic grin almost made Moody lose his head. "We don't rely on magic as a crutch. During her time as an Auror, Val always made a case for training Ministry officials to fight hand-to-hand. Well, let's see if anyone's taken her advice since then. Everyone...ATTACK AT WILL!"

And then, Snape and the Reformers closed in. It quickly became all too clear that Wildflower alone could have torn apart everyone single-handedly. Moody knew that in the dead of night, still so soon after a full moon, her strength was nearly at its peak. Aurors threw themselves at the vampire to protect the Minister, but she swiftly rushed through them, deftly throwing punches and kicks that sent them flying. A few yards away, Faction was tearing through the ranks with a savagery almost as great, hammering Aurors with lightning-fast punches. Across the street, Harry's aunt was mowing down several people at once, running forward on her hands while spinning, her legs spread at an 180 degree angle and smashing into everyone within reach.

Umbridge and Scrimgeour nervously backed away from the carnage, closer to The Three Broomsticks and the Order. Moody looked behind him, hoping one of his colleagues had a plan, but they all had forlorn looks that mirrored his own. Except for Hagrid, the only one who could hope to triumph tackling Reformers head-on. He charged forward, volcanic fury in his eyes, but Wildflower saw him coming. He pounced toward him, and before Moody could shout a warning, Faction charged at him from behind. The two of them collided with the half-giant at the same time, and Hagrid was instantly floored. He struggled to get back up, but then Ped leaped across the street and landed on his shoulder. Hagrid turned his head, and when he did, she planted a kick in his face. He went down a second time and did not get up.

Moody stared at Hagrid's still form. Without Hagrid or any magic, they had no chance. "Wait a minute, what's wrong with us? The answer's simple! If we can break the girl's concentration, this field of hers will collapse!" Moody told the Order. He looked about desperately, hoping to spot Tesla. At last, a few yards down the road, Moody spotted her battling some Hogmeade residents and Aurors hand-to-hand. However, they were clearly outmatched, as Tesla used her small size, speed and training to great effect. Moody gasped when he also saw Snape fighting with her, the two of them practically back-to-back. To his utter amazement, the former spy fought with fluid grace, quickly flooring all challengers with a deadly barrage of punches and kicks.

_What in...how does Snape, an ex-Death Eater, know how to fight like _**THAT**_!?_ Moody wondered, his mind racing. But the longer he watched, the more Snape's movements seemed familiar. Then it finally came to him. Moody had heard of how Snape tutored Valencia in the ways of the Dark Arts. It was clear that Valencia taught Snape something in return.

Moody was so focused on Tesla and Snape, he didn't realize Faction and Ped were closing in on the Order until it was almost too late. In desperation, Lupin lunged at Ped. But it was still too soon after the full moon, and he was too weak. Ped easily toppled him with a punch to the gut, then to the head. Enraged, Tonks grappled Ped from behind, then twirled her around to punch her in the face. Ped's back was facing Moody now, and he rushed forward, hoping to help Tonks take her down. But from out of nowhere, Faction's fist flew at him.

Moody hit the street hard. His magical eye almost popped loose, and he felt as if he'd black out any moment. He struggled to get up, fighting to stay conscious, and hearing McGonagall and Arthur cry out in pain hardened his resolve. But then, Moody heard something most unexpected. Snape cried out in a furious, maniacal voice. "**NO!** The minister and undersecretary are mine, Kago...**MINE ALONE!**"

Looking up, Moody saw Faction holding Scrimgeour by the throat. But he quickly released him, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Whatever you say...Dad," he said devilishly. Moody felt rather than saw Snape dash past him. Snape rushed in and threw a vicious punch at Scrimgeour's face, one with enough power to make him stagger against the wall. Snape then kicked him in the head, and Moody caught the crazed, murderous look in Snape's eyes. For as long as he had known him, Snape had always been inhumanly cold and impassive, but no other man he'd ever seen showed as much bloodlust in his eyes as Snape did in that moment.

In an uncharacteristically bold move, Umbridge jumped on Snape's back to distract him. But Snape reached behind him to grab Umbridge's head, and threw her over his shoulder. He then grabbed Umbridge by the hair and slammed her face against the wall repeatedly, all the while howling like a madman. Eventually he let go, and Umbridge slid down the wall, her bloodied face leaving a trail. Scrimgeour was struggling to get back up, but Snape grabbed him by the throat and pinned him against the wall. Still howling, he delivered punch after punch to Scrimgeour's face, until Wildflower finally stopped him.

"Severus, that's enough. Don't beat their faces so badly they can't see. Besides, all this blood is making me ravenous," said the vampire, grasping Snape's wrist. "Remember, this is not the sort of payback Val really wants. You know her plan. And tonight, they must be able to clearly see what Val has in store." A few moments later, Snape released his grip on Scrimgeour's throat. Scrimgeour slid down the wall, collapsing next to Umbridge. Snape stared down at them both. He was breathing very fast, and his fists were coated with blood.

"W-What the, what are you talking about, vampire!" Moody demanded with more courage than he felt. "What's Val planning to do tonight!?" He expected Wildflower to immediately rush at him and knock him senseless, but all she did was smile again.

"You must know of the Valhalla Agenda by now. It was Scrimgeour's pet project, seeking to create the ultimate weapon against Dark wizards," said Wildflower. "With Val, he succeeded. Tonight, we will all witness the fruits of his labor. That very weapon, fully powered and fully loaded, aimed right at Lord Voldemort."

xxxxxx

**June 22, 1997 - 11:27 PM Western European Time**

**Malfoy Manor**

Bellatrix Lestrange tossed and turned in her bed, as if suffering from some horrific nightmare. Draco stood at the foot of her bed, anxiously watching his aunt before his gaze drifted across the guess room of his manor. The other Death Eaters who took part in the bungled operation had been confined here while recovering, all except Fenrir Greyback, who was chained up in the basement for the duration of the full moon. Many had already regained consciousness and left, others were still recuperating. Only Bellatrix had yet to awaken.

Draco felt his mother's hand tightly grip his shoulder, no doubt horrified. He remembered the Dark Lord's account of what happened. He had always been told that Mudbloods brought nothing but corruption to their world. In Valencia Asara's case, they were righter than they knew if her body housed this thing from the bounty hunter's time called 'Phazon'.

As he looked as his aunt again, at the swollen welts still covering her arms and face, Draco realized he should hate Asara for what she had done. A Mudblood unashamed of adhering to Muggle ways while daring to carry the name of a pure-blood family, who played the Death Eaters as if they were puppets, and nearly killed a family member!

But for some reason, he hardly felt any anger toward Asara. Mysteriously, a small bit of fascination still lingered. Not only had Asara duped the Dark Lord, but Harry Potter and his bounty hunter friend. Just fooling Voldemort alone demanded respect. And what she had been after, some dark force sealed away by the Hogwarts founders...it piqued his curiosity instead of stirring up disdain. What did she need such power for? How was she going to use it?

"Bella, can you hear me?" he heard Narcissa ask. Draco looked back over to Bellatrix. Her eyes were slowly fluttering open, but they still looked bloodshot and lacked their usual zealous energy.

A moment later, Bellatrix sat up in her bed, looking from her nephew to her sister. She rubbed her cheeks, feeling the welts that the Dark Lord had yet to remove with healing spells. Perhaps this radiation did damage even _he_ couldn't repair? "W-Where a-am I?" she stammered. "The Dark Lord, w-where is he? D-Did he stop Asara?"

"The Dark Lord...barely got all of you out of there alive. That prison collapsed in on itself a few seconds after he levitated all of you out," explained Narcissa, her voice filled with relief. "But Val...she got away in that jet of hers, and she took this Kor-Zor creature with her. From what the Dark Lord told us, she at least had the decency to give the Order a good thrashing first."

Bellatrix's eyes narrowed. "It sounds like you're still trying to defend that Mudblood bitch," she said in a harsh tone.

"Well, in a way, I suppose I am," replied Narcissa. "That potion she left with the Dark Lord...we had no choice but to try it on all of you. Whatever this 'Phazon' did, the effects began to reverse themselves almost immediately after we injected it, even for the Dark Lord."

Bellatrix collapsed back onto her bed, no doubt fuming over being indebted to Valencia Asara. It was all so perplexing to Draco. Not only had Asara liberated his father from Azkaban, but saved his aunt's life as well. Suddenly, he was reminded of Dumbledore's offer to aid his family...

"Severus Snape...where is he?" Bellatrix asked suddenly, a frightening roughness to her voice.

"Gone. Draco and I made a quick trip to Knockturn Alley, and when we returned, Snape had vanished," said Narcissa. "The Death Eaters he must've come across on the way out...were beaten badly, as if with his bare hands."

"I told you he couldn't be trusted, didn't I? Ran off with his old Mudblood mistress!" snarled Bellatrix. "First he desired Potter's whore, then he was all over that backstabbing bimbo! What is it with Snape and this Mudblood fetish!?" Draco shook his head. Who was Severus Snape truly loyal to, and what was motivating him?

"Let's just all be glad you're still alive," said Draco quickly, not wanting to think about Snape and Dumbledore. "I've heard of what this radiation stuff can do. From what the Dark Lord told us, it sounds like you got a lethal dose."

Bellatrix regarded him intently for a moment. "The Dark Lord intervened just in time to make sure I'd be protected from any further damage," she said haughtily. "But somehow, as sickening as the thought is, I get the feeling that whatever that bounty hunter did to me helped me pull through as well."

Bellatrix quickly explained what happened when Samus Aran grabbed her by the throat, and her odd mood swing while fighting Tesla. For a while, no one said anything. Eventually, Narcissa blurted out, "But...you make it sound like she did wandless magic on you! How can that be...this Samus Aran is a Muggle!"

"I...wouldn't be too sure about that," muttered Draco. Bellatrix glared at him, and Draco realized his horrible mistake. He managed to keep the truth of his encounter with Samus a secret with Occlumency, but if anyone dug deeper, if they found out he surrendered without a fight...

At that moment, the Dark Lord's voice rang throughout the manor. "Attention, all my loyal followers, you must be prepared to do battle at once. As unthinkable as it is, Valencia Asara's minions are attempting to lay siege to our headquarters. Of course, we will drive them back. However...Lucius and Narcissa, join me on the roof. See for yourselves the empty confidence of the Mudblood you once took under your wing." He finished that last sentence with a sneer that chilled Draco's blood. He looked up to his mother, whose face had gone white as a sheet right before she turned to leave. Not knowing what else to do, Draco followed her, and he heard Bellatrix rush after him.

When the three of them reached the roof, they found Lucius was already standing beside the Dark Lord. Lucius had a vacant look, merely shrugging his shoulders, while the Dark Lord's back was turned to them. He was waving his wand, and Draco could see he was levitating what looked like several large Foe-Glasses.

Within the dusty, cracked sheets of glass, Draco could see what looked like scores of people...but were they witches and wizards? They all wore outfits that resembled pictures of Muggle soldiers he'd seen a few times. Armored vests, pants and shirts that bore the same 'camo' pattern of Asara's pants, and they all wore boots and knee pads that looked almost exactly like Asara's. Draco soon realized they were most definitely Asara's soldiers. All of them proudly bore the symbol of Inferno on their left breast and belt buckle, and on their right forearms was some sort of steel band that looked exactly like Ped and Faction's gauntlets. No doubt they housed wands, but some of their would-be attackers were also armed with blades, clubs, whips and Muggle firearms. Lastly, it looked to Draco as if those armored vests were made up of dragon hide covering whatever metal Asara had forged.

Also, not all of the approaching horde was human! Sometimes they parted ranks to reveal the much shorter goblins and house-elves, and a few centaurs were among them as well. As for the scores of human besiegers...only a fraction of them looked like they were from Europe. Many looked as if they hailed from Africa and Asia, and from what Muggles called the 'Middle East' and 'Latin America'.

Draco couldn't believe the sheer number of recruits Valencia Asara had at her disposal, but the looks of their faces as they marched on unnerved him the most. Stony and impassive, but betraying a thinly-veiled cruelty. He knew that outrage over being attacked in his own home should overpower such fear, and yet...

"They are drawing ever nearer, closing in from all directions," said the Dark Lord evenly, not sounding the least bit worried. "I do not know what Asara hopes to accomplish, but this affront will not go unanswered. I will take great joy in smiting these vermin from high above. The rest of you go to the lower levels, and kill every man and woman who dares approach."

"You don't have to tell us twice, My Lord!" cackled Bellatrix.

"Bella, please, don't overexert yourself! You've only just recovered!" pleaded Narcissa.

"Oh come now, Cissy!" retorted Bellatrix. "After awakening from a coma, this is just what I need to jump back into..."

But Bellatrix was cut off by a shrill shriek from high above. Draco craned his neck upward. Flying high above were about a dozen winged creatures. Moonlight glinted off of their hides, giving off a greenish-gold glow...were they scales? And there seemed to be people riding them! "D-D-Dragons!" whimpered Draco.

"Wyverns," said the Dark Lord coolly. "Much smaller than dragons, with their wings part of their arms. Much more easily tamed, and deadlier if ridden by an experienced wizard." The wyverns suddenly dove right for their roof, opening their mouths to hurl a volley of fireballs. Voldemort waved his wand, and the combined power of his magic and the manor's own defensive charms repelled their assault. Still, Draco swore he could feel their intense heat. The wyverns veered off, but quickly turned around to make another pass. "Arrogant fools! What makes them think such an attack will work a second time!?" hissed Voldemort.

"THAT'S why, My Lord!" cried Lucius, pointing in another direction. "Everyone, brace yourselves...it's the Razor Knight!"

Draco whirled around in time to see Asara's prized flagship zoom toward the manor. It opened fire with its machine guns while unleashing the same white, crackling orbs that had crippled Samus Aran's ship. At the same time, the wyverns closed in and breathed fire again. This time, everyone on the roof had to cast a charm to reinforce the manor's defenses. Even with five of them, it was barely enough. Draco's knees buckled under the onslaught. The Razor Knight and the wyverns passed over the manor, far too low for Draco's comfort. As the Razor Knight flew away and ascended, Draco saw the rear hatch open. He remembered seeing the racks with broomsticks in Asara's jet, and a second later his fears were confirmed: witches and wizards leaped out from the Razor Knight, riding broomsticks, and dove toward the manor.

Voldemort tried to smite the incoming enemies, but they were too swift, either deflecting or deftly evading his curses. Those that dodged cut loose with curses of their own. The manor's barrier had yet to be reinforced, and Voldemort barely had time to defend himself. However, as the flyers veered off, Voldemort knocked two off their broomsticks with a quick wave of his wand. They tumbled onto the roof and immediately stood; one was an aged, bald man with tanned skin and scruffy black beard, the other a young Latina. Unable to summon their brooms, they charged and hurled curses at the five of them. The Latina also pulled out a machine gun and fired. Voldemort flicked their spells aside lazily before felling the old man with a Killing Curse. Draco watched his parents block the woman's attacks, and while she was focused on them, Bellatrix used Avada Kedavra on her as well.

Draco stared at their dead bodies for a moment. They had clearly seen Voldemort was among them, but charged anyway, betraying no sign of fear. What was it about Valencia Asara that drove her followers to fight so fearlessly? "Master, the Razor Knight and the wyverns are ready to make another pass!" cried Lucius fearfully, jarring Draco out of his thoughts. And so they did, along with the Inferno soldiers on brooms. Once again, the five of them barely fended off the barrage.

As they veered off, Voldemort waved his wand several times, no doubt weaving a complex web of protective spells. "My spells will have to hold off their air attack for the time being," said Voldemort. "But I have summoned the dementors, and soon they will deal with our airborne foes. For now, let us retreat inside and help fend off Asara's ground troops." Draco glanced all around, at the wyverns ready to swoop in yet again, and needed no more encouragement to follow his master.

However, as Draco jumped through an open window on the roof, he suddenly heard Asara's self-assured, mocking voice ring in his ears. "Riddle, d'you actually think your precious little dementors can keep my wyverns and air troops at bay for long!?" she shrieked. "But don't worry. For now, I'll have them stand down...and let your dementors get acquainted with some little friends of my own!"

Draco tried not to think about what Asara meant by that. She was already throwing goblins, house-elves, centaurs and wyverns at them, but Draco had a nasty feeling the worst was yet to come. A sound like shattering glass came from a room they had just passed by. "Draco, Bella, go investigate whatever that was. You two, come with me," said Voldemort, motioning for his parents to follow. They made no sound of protest, and Draco decided it was best to do the same, falling in line with his aunt.

Bellatrix threw open the door, and Draco nervously looked past her, his wand trembling in his hand. He saw something had smashed through the window. A second later, he saw a dementor glide aimlessly through the room. But strangely, Draco did not feel the deathly chill he'd become all too familiar with. The dementor idly floated in the middle of the room, and then it inexplicably began to break apart, as if crumbling into ash. Soon, there was nothing left of the dementor but a dusty pile on the floor. Draco stared at its remains with shock, and only looked up when he heard a sharp chirping noise.

"What...in the name of the Black family tree...is _**THAT**_!?" shrieked Bellatrix. Draco just stared stupidly at the creature flying in a carefree manner across the room. Its body was covered with a transparent, slimy half-sphere, under which there seemed to be four, curved fangs. It had two short ones close to each other up front, and two larger ones, spaced farther apart, in the back. In the center of that half-sphere were three large, pulsating nuclei, and a strange energy crackled all over its innards.

At the moment, it seemed hampered by the chill once induced by the dementor, but it soon came to its senses. It chirped again and quivered in midair, obviously sensing the two of them. It reared back, no doubt about to fly forward and latch onto one of them. Bellatrix raised her wand and cried, "_Avada Kedavra!_"

When the jet of green light struck the creature, it shrieked and veered backward, much like something rubbery being bounced back by a hard blow. The creature shook and chirped angrily, its fangs twitching dangerously. Once again, all Draco could do was stare blankly. If the Killing Curse was useless, what would it take to destroy this...thing!?

The creature shot forward again. In desperation, Bellatrix slammed the door shut and ran. Draco followed her, but glanced behind him to see it smash through the door. Not only that, there were two more of those creatures in the hallway, giving chase as well.

As Draco was wondering what to do, he was suddenly slammed against the wall by an unseen force. Bellatrix was flattened against the wall across from him. Voldemort strode past them, his wand raised. "_Glacius!_" he cried. The turbid mist shot down the hallway, and to Draco's relief, he saw the three creatures were frozen in midair. Voldemort aimed at the nearest one and yelled, "_Bombarda Maxima!_" The creature was blasted apart, its frozen remains littering the hallway. Voldemort did the same with the other two, then turned to Draco. "THAT is how you defeat them," he said coldly, answering his unspoken question.

"M-Master, what ARE those abominations?" asked Bellatrix.

"Those are the creatures from which Aran, Potter and Asara have acquired some traits and freakish abilities from. They are the Metroids," said Voldemort. Draco just looked at their scattered remains. Harry Potter now had some of THOSE THINGS inside him!? "Come with me to the lower levels, now. We will make our stand there."

The next few minutes were a blur for Draco. He was certain he heard the walls crumbling, the forces of Inferno about to invade his home. He tried to work up a sense of outrage to block out his fear, but it wasn't working. More and more it seemed like the whole manor was about to fall. Somehow, he made his way to the entrance hallway with a few other Death Eaters. Miraculously, the front doors were still on their hinges. It looked like some of the protective charms were still holding. But then, he heard a low rumbling from beyond the doors...

Draco shielded his face at the last possible moment. Something came crashing through the front door and walls, something HUGE. Draco lowered his arm to take a peek, and almost soiled himself when he found himself staring down the barrel of the Razor Knight's turret, now in its tank mode. Then, on either side of it, some sort of weapon popped out. Billowing flames shot out at them. Draco was able to fend off the fire with Glacius, but then he saw two goblins, dressed just like the human Infernians and who looked exactly alike, leap over the fires. They had wands and fired curses at them. Draco and the other Death Eaters were able to knock them away, but were forced to retreat, as countless other Inferno soldiers came pouring through the opening the Razor Knight had made.

Soon, Draco was back in the main drawing room, where all the other Death Eaters were making their stand. More and more Inferno soldiers were forcing their way in. It was painfully obvious that Asara was going to overwhelm them with sheer numbers. They marched on, a furious, fanatical look in their eyes, yet their actions and tactics were undeniably disciplined. One Death Eater fell after another, some downed by a hail of curses, others by several Inferno soldiers fighting up close and personal. But worst of all, Draco heard several of those Metroids chirping overhead. Any second they could dive and...do to them whatever they did to that dementor.

_The Dark Lord's our only hope now,_ thought Draco as he looked over to his master. He was blasting back several soldiers with broad swipes of his wand, and the air was filled with the aura of his raw power, his unrestrained fury. But no matter how many enemy soldiers Voldemort forced back, more seemed to surge ahead, all determined to do the unthinkable: subdue the Dark Lord.

Draco had focused his attention on Voldemort's attackers too long. Someone cried out "_Bombarda Maxima!_" The wall behind him blew apart, sending him tumbling to the ground, and he dropped his wand out of shock. However, he could still see Voldemort, who was hexing and cursing all within reach. But the Inferno soldiers were too numerous, and too determined. Several Stunners, Impediment Jinxes and Cruciatus Curses struck the Dark Lord all at once, giving the Inferno soldiers a split-second to close in. Even more curses struck him, and then several soldiers tackled him to the ground.

With one last, tremendous effort, Voldemort summoned all his remaining power to hurl his attackers off of him. He raised his wand to attack again, but from out of nowhere, Ryx dived, snatching his wand away. Blank shock showed in his snakelike face before a dozen soldiers aimed their wands at him; he was levitated a few feet in the air, frozen stiff.

Draco writhed, struggling against his bonds, trying to reach around and feel for his wand. But he felt someone's boot slam into him, turning him onto his stomach before stepping onto his back. Draco couldn't believe it; here in his own home, he was someone else's conquest.

As Draco wondered what was in store, he heard the Inferno soldiers mutter amongst themselves. Then he heard movement, and suddenly he was hoisted to his feet by whoever assaulted him. Now that he could clearly see, he noticed that several soldiers near the main entrance to the drawing room had moved aside to clear a path, standing at attention. Draco thought he could not be more terrified, but he thought he would faint when Dr. Valencia Asara sauntered in, Ryx perched on her shoulder and still biting down on Voldemort's wand. She was flanked by two people he recognized from Hogwarts: Susan Bones and Bane. However, the former did not have an Inferno uniform, and the latter held some sort of gun instead of a crossbow.

For a few minutes that seemed to stretch on for an eternity,Valkyrie strode across the drawing room, taking time to look at each Death Eater held prisoner. Draco shuddered when she stopped at his mother. "Cissy, my old friend, I'm truly sorry about trashing your home like this. The few times dear Abraxas invited the Asaras here, I remember quite fondly. However, it's my greatest hope that, after tonight, you won't feel the need to use this manor anymore," she said.

Narcissa stared back with a blank look. Valkyrie continued her trek through the drawing room, pausing long enough to throw insufferably smug looks at Bellatrix and Wormtail. At last, she stopped in front of Voldemort. The sight of her seemed to spur Voldemort into action. He gritted his teeth and snarled at her. Draco got the feeling he was trying to draw upon whatever raw power he had left, as the soldiers binding him suddenly looked nervous. But when they looked to Valkyrie, they seemed calmer and redoubled their efforts to hold Voldemort in place.

"I told you I had something special planned for you and your followers, didn't I?" Valkyrie asked innocently. "You see, yesterday I made overtures to Harry Potter and all his friends. Offering him a chance to utterly destroy you in exchange for his allegiance. Tonight, I'll prove I can deliver."

Voldemort struggled against the binding jinxes with a renewed vehemence, his scarlet eyes glinting maliciously. Valkyrie remained unfazed, and smiled even more broadly. Meanwhile, the Metroids hovering overheard seemed to swoop down lower, chirping and shrieking, as if anticipating live prey to feast upon. "Oh yes, Voldie, I'm sure you noticed my new little friends," said Valkyrie, looking up at them. "You attempted to harness the X parasites as a weapon. But thanks to some of Harry Potter's DNA and data stored in Adam Malkovich's database, I reconstructed the complete Metroid genome, and raised the ultimate predator for Inferno."

Valkyrie turned away from Voldemort, her gaze sweeping over her triumphant soldiers, and smiled proudly. "You see, Riddle, anyone and anything is welcome to serve in my army," she said imperiously. "Your dogged insistence on welcoming only pure-blood wizards...a small band of overconfident fools, while my army numbers in the millions! Now, a show of hands, if you please...how many of you who are human can claim to be pure-blood?"

Valkyrie's soldiers looked from one to another, surprised they were being asked such a thing. Then, only about a score of them raised a hand. Valkyrie laughed with sinister delight. "So much for the purity of blood counting the most when the gauntlet is thrown! And let's not forget all the goblins, house-elves, giants and centaurs who've now proven to be the equal of your precious pure-blooded Death Eaters!"

She took another long moment to look over her soldiers, her pride in them a palpable thing, before turning back to Voldemort. "I know what's going through your twisted little mind, Riddle. Trying to convince yourself that all this was a fluke, just like how you try to convince yourself that all your defeats at Harry Potter's hands were flukes," said Valkyrie with a sadistic relish. "Worry not, Riddle. You'll have one last chance to redeem yourself, one last chance to prove you and your ilk can stand against Inferno..."

She stepped forward and grabbed Voldemort's ankle with her bionic hand. At once, she Disapparated, Ryx and Voldemort disappearing into the darkness with her. Inferno soldiers then began Disapparating, either taking Death Eaters with them or letting a Metroid latch onto them before vanishing. House-elves were Disapparating and taking goblins and centaurs with them. Draco expected the soldier behind him to drag him away by Side-Along Apparation, but a loud crack behind him let him know he vanished without him. The drawing room was nearly empty now, but he heard someone approach. He glanced around, and saw Susan Bones stooping to pick up his wand. Susan threw one scything look at him, something that looked strangely like envy, before grabbing his shoulder and Disapparating with him.

Draco tried to wrench himself away as Susan dragged him along, but eventually decided that could get him killed. Seconds later, he rematerialized in some outside area. He hit the ground hard, his face pressed hard into what felt like grass. Draco pushed himself up off the ground. Looking up, all he could see was a headstone. _Wha...a GRAVEYARD!_? he thought fearfully.

Already panicky, his heart nearly leaped out of his chest when he felt chains suddenly wrap around him. Draco screamed as he was hoisted into the air. Eventually, he was slammed into some sort of chair, like a theater seat. The chains snaked around him, binding him to his seat. Looking around, he saw several of his fellow Death Eaters bound to seats planted in the graveyard in the same manner. His father was to his right, and his mother was right behind him. It looked as if the seats were forming a large ring in the graveyard, as were hundreds of Valkyrie's soldiers, all with expectant looks on their faces...

As Draco tried to make sense of it all, a booming voice cried out, which made him bristle with annoyance at once. "Well, at least it's nice ter know Val's gonna drag yer lot inta this too!" Draco turned to his left to see Rubeus Hagrid chained to a pole. All around him were several members of the Order of the Phoenix, chained to seats like he was. Further to their left he saw Scrimgeour and Umbridge, but they were barely conscious, their faces beaten and bloody. Dozens of Ministry officials were chained up as well.

"Dad, it's like...everyone's been dragged here to see something. But what?" Draco asked, still trying to make sense of it all.

"Come Draco, it should be obvious by now," said a familiar voice. Draco looked ahead to see Severus Snape calmly walking up to them, his black eyes as cold and hard as ever, but there was a hint of regret in his gaze, too.

"You...you TRAITOR!" screeched Bellatrix from behind Draco. "You DARE show your face after backstabbing us for that Mudblood bitch-whore!?"

Snape sighed. "Yes, I've been getting a lot of that lately," he said dismissively, stopping in front of Lucius. "Lucius, I'm sorry for all this. No doubt Val's army was forced to be rough on all of the Dark Lo...on _VOLDEMORT'S_ followers," Snape said uneasily. "But please believe me when I say that after Val's done tonight, things will be better for all of us."

Lucius looked nonplussed, not knowing what to make of his old friend. It was Narcissa who spoke up. "Severus, what do you mean? How could you do this? We thought you were our friend, you helped my son..."

"And hopefully, he'll get the chance to do it again!" came a saccharine voice from high above, which Draco recognized at once. Seconds later, Tesla levitated herself in front of Draco. "Don't look so surprised, Draco. Who else d'you think was controlling all those chains at once, and is keeping a certain pasty-faced wizard helpless?" she asked sweetly. Tesla turned around, pointing to something hovering within the circle formed by the seats and soldiers. Draco gasped when he saw it was Voldemort, bound in chains, and no doubt his magic was being nullified by this 'EM field' Tesla kept focused on him. As he stared at his helpless master, Draco became aware of hot air being blown on him. He realized it was coming from the pair of vents on the back of Tesla's suit.

Draco racked his brains, struggling to find words for his questions. "Tesla...Myrtle...seriously, is that you? Did Asara really bring you back to life? You...you look a little older..."

Tesla turned back to him and took off her goggles. There was no doubt that face belonged to Moaning Myrtle, but her gaze was sterner than any other time he saw her. Suddenly, he remembered how this was the Mudblood who was killed when the Chamber of Secrets was opened. He had spoken of that with glee, but then this ghost befriended him last year.

Tesla raised her left arm. Draco watched as the buckles and straps loosened by themselves. Tesla pulled off her glove, then ran a hand over Draco's cheek. Her lips curled into a smile. "Well, I asked the doc to trim a little off the telomeres before cloning my next body. Thanks for noticing! But tell me, does this feel like the touch of a dead woman?" she asked coyly. Her touch was amazingly soft and warm. "I've been looking forward to when we could meet again, with me back in my body," she went on, running a hand through his hair.

"Oh please, you were just trying to get me to blab about my plans, just like Snape was," Draco spat, suddenly annoyed.

Tesla grabbed a handful of his hair, making him wince. "You really think that was all there was to it?" she snarled, leaning closer to him. "I hope I get the chance to prove you wrong soon. Hell, I can do that now."

What she did next shocked Draco. She planted her lips against his, forcing his mouth open with her tongue. She moaned, reveling in the kiss, and Draco couldn't help but enjoy it as well. The fact that Tesla was a resurrected Mudblood didn't register at all.

"Tesla, stop playing around!" came Wildflower's voice from across the graveyard. "You'll have time for that later!"

"Oh, you worry too much, Iz!" Tesla shot back, turning her back to Draco. Once again, he was blasted with hot air. "Don't worry, my concentration won't break. Pink-Eye won't be going anywhere until the doc says so."

"And I'm saying so now, Tesla," came Valkyrie's chilling voice. "Release Voldemort."

At once, Tesla's head jerked. The chains binding Voldemort fell away, and the Dark wizard fell to the ground. Then, Ryx swooped over him, dropping his wand at his feet.

"What the...she's letting the Dark Lord go!?" Draco cried out in disbelief.

"Just the opposite, Draco," said Snape. "Don't you realize where we are? This is the very graveyard where Harry Potter was transported during the Triwizard Tournament. Voldemort tried to prove his superiority once and for all, dueling Potter here. Now Val will do the same."

xxxxxx

Voldemort warily watched as Valkyrie slowly levitated herself down into the circle formed by her soldiers and chained spectators. He glanced down at his wand, then back up at Valkyrie, wondering whether it was safe to grab it. As if she had used Legilimancy, Valkyrie said, "Go ahead and pick up your wand, Voldie. That's the whole point of bringing you here to Little Hangleton's graveyard, us dueling. You wanted to do that here two years ago, fighting Harry Potter. You'll have another chance to prove your power tonight."

His gaze never wavering from the hovering witch, Voldemort stooped to pick up his wand. He aimed it at Valkyrie, but did not strike, having a bad feeling that she had some scheme planned. Voldemort steeled himself for battle, trying to order his thoughts, but her minions had taken a greater toll on him than he cared to admit. He felt exhausted, and wondered if he could duel Valkyrie in this state.

Again, it was as if Valkyrie had read his mind. "Oh, but that's right. You must still feel as if a herd of thestrals just stampeded over you. Well, that can be remedied." Her head twitched, and Voldemort heard a loud chirp from behind him. Before he could turn around, his entire upper body was engulfed by...something. A sudden rush of nausea forced him to shut his eyes, but he instinctively knew what was going on. One of Valkyrie's Metroids had just latched onto him. However, instead of feeling his energy draining away, after a while, he felt himself growing stronger, and his exhaustion melted away. After a while, the Metroid let go and rejoined the others hovering overhead.

Valkyrie planted herself down a few yards away, smirking wickedly. "What was the meaning of that!?" demanded Voldemort. He felt completely rejuvenated, yet was still wary.

"I want you at the very peak of your power, Voldie. I want you to have no excuses after I've crushed you like a bug," said Valkyrie. She then glanced at something behind him. "All of you...activate the giants' crystals! Throw up the barrier!"

Voldemort risked a glance behind him. Along the edge of the circle, Wildflower stood in front of a large topaz crystal impaled into the soil. He instantly knew this was the special type of crystal only giants could properly mine and process, forming a magical 'battery'. Wildflower stuck the edge of her staff against it and muttered an incantation. Looking around the circle, Voldemort saw the other three Reformers were standing before crystals and speaking incantations, their wands touching them. The four crystals began to glow at the same time, and then what looked like a glistening, transparent, lime-green dome sprang into existence over the circle he and Valkyrie occupied.

"That magical forcefield is virtually impregnable, and it's a perfect sphere, going under the graveyard as well. You could only muster up a fraction of the power necessary to break through it, the same as I. We can't Apparate out. Only extra oxygen will come in and only excess carbon dioxide goes out," said Valkyrie, answering Voldemort's unspoken questions. "The barrier can only be brought down when countercharms are cast on all four crystals simultaneously, and my Reformers are under strict orders not to do that until one and only one condition is met."

"And that would be?" asked Voldemort with a sneer.

"It's very simple, Voldemort: when this night is done...one shall stand, one shall fall," replied Valkyrie wickedly. "This doesn't end until one of us goes down. I've been waiting for this rematch for nearly sixteen years. It's just you and me now, Voldemort."

Voldemort laughed. "And here, I actually thought you were no longer motivated by the desire for petty revenge," he said acidly.

"Oh, I won't deny that I'm going to enjoy every second I spend owning your pasty ass in front of your followers," retorted Valkyrie. "But seeing justice meted out to you is hardly my sole motivation anymore. Tell me, do you think what you've instigated is a war? You think what you've unleashed upon the world so far is chaos? In order for my plan to nudge human evolution along the desired path to work, I'm going to have to plunge this entire world into panic, so it can be reforged in chaos! And you'll still be around to watch it all, to see your quaint dreams of lording over a wizardocracy slip away! But before that, I must leave no doubt about which one of us is stronger. So bring it on, Voldemort. Hold nothing back! But I promise you one thing: when this night is over, the world will have to make way for a new master of darkness!"


	16. How The Mighty Have Fallen

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 16: How the Mighty Have Fallen

5-29-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

**June 23, 1997 - 12:55 AM Western European Time**

**Little Hangleton's graveyard**

Voldemort glared back at Valkyrie, his indignation plainly showing in his snakelike face. "You poor, deluded little Mudblood fool...you honestly believe you can stand one-on-one against Lord Voldemort!? You honestly think the putrid, corrupting force your body houses will give you an edge!? That the outcome will be any different than last time!?" What this woman planned to do was nothing short of lunacy. Even Dumbledore, the one wizard he was ever wary of, could not overpower him. And neither Harry Potter nor Samus Aran could ever stand against him alone. What made this wretched Mudblood think she could topple the mightiest Dark wizard of all!?

"You had access to the SA-X's mind, and thus all of Samus Aran's memories...you must know what Phazon does. Plus, back in that prison, you had a firsthand taste of what Phazon radiation can do. And let's not forget I already won our little mental chess game, checkmating you well before you made the first move," replied Valkyrie silkily. "Seriously, d'you still think I really needed you to open the maintenance hatch leading to Kor-Zor? I've got dozens of descendents of the other three founders living with me in Inferno. I just wanted to see the look on your face once it sunk in how badly I can screw you over!"

Voldemort's face screwed up in anger, despite himself. He refused to let this Mudblood goad him into making any rash moves. Samus had tried the same stunt and failed, yet Valkyrie was infinitely more infuriating than that freak of a bounty hunter.

Further fueling Voldemort's rage were the chants of Valkyrie's soldiers from outside the dome. The forcefield somewhat muffled their shouts, but Voldemort could clearly hear them chant "Dr. Asara!" and "Valkyrie!" over and over, as well as the anticipation in their voices. Some raised their fists into the air while others raised and shook their weapons. He also heard the Metroids chirping overhead. A quick glance over at his chained Death Eaters revealed nothing but shocked faces, and some traces of fear. Did they actually believe he could fall to this Mudblood? At any rate, with all of them looking like unicorns mesmerized by torchlight, he knew there would be no help from them whatsoever. And Nagini, off on another assignment, was too far away to summon. _All the better,_ Voldemort thought. _I will prove my power once again, and crush this upstart once and for all!_

He looked back to Valkyrie, who gazed dreamily at all the spectators, drinking in the encouraging cheers from her troops. "The people from the Ministry and the Order...they look confused, don't they? As if they can't decide who to root for," she said airily. "But your Death Eaters...they'll be pulling for you, but no doubt they're expecting quite a show. Well, you don't want to disappoint your loyal followers, do you? Let's give them what they want! First thing's first, we must bow to each other, no? You and your Death Eaters are big on observing ancient customs, after all, so let's do this right."

For a moment, Voldemort merely met Valkyrie's mocking gaze. A fleeting memory returned to him, how he taunted Harry Potter here over two years ago in the exact same manner. _She actually believes she's put me in the same predicament Potter was in!_ he thought incredulously. _She's THAT confident that Lord Voldemort will fall tonight! NOT LIKELY!_

Still, for now, he would play Valkyrie's little game. It would make it all the more satisfying when he crushed this freakshow in front of her followers. He bowed deeply, and Valkyrie did the same, neither of them breaking eye contact. Valkyrie was still grinning at him, her face alive with delight.

"And now, my old foe, it is so on," jeered Valkyrie, still bowing.

"It certainly is," hissed Voldemort. He righted himself, then swung around, slashing this way and that with his wand. The black, necromantic lightning he used against Valkyrie before lashed out in all directions, striking the headstones. Bolts of the strange energy traveled from headstone to headstone, drawing upon the dark forces permeating the graveyard, upon the aura of death. _You made a 'grave' error challenging me here, Valencia Asara! Here, my Dark Magic will be magnified many times!_

As if she had heard his thoughts, Valkyrie called out, "You honestly think I wouldn't expect that!? How quickly you forget my knowledge of the Dark Arts equals yours!" The black lightning closed in on her from all directions, but with blinding speed, she spun around and deflected all the bolts with her wand with contemptuous ease. While she was still preoccupied with the necromantic assault, Voldemort cut loose with a Cruciatus Curse, but Valkyrie knocked it away with a quick swipe of her bionic arm. It smashed into a headstone near him, reducing it to powder.

Valkyrie leered at him from across their makeshift arena, her sadistic smile never fading. Then she suddenly slashed her wand, taking Voldemort off-guard. However, no curse was hurled his way, and nothing else happened for seconds afterwards. Voldemort gritted his teeth, hating not knowing what kind of mind games Valkyrie was playing. And true to her word, her mind was now impervious to his Legilimancy.

All of a sudden, Valkyrie made her next move. She pointed her wand at a headstone, and at once it transformed into what looked like some sort of firework launcher, its design looking like something from ancient China. The fireworks shot off and veered right for Voldemort just as Valkyrie transfigured another headstone. Voldemort threw up a barrier to shield himself, but the explosive force jarred his very bones. They were as potent as Samus Aran's missiles. More and more fireworks kept coming, but somehow, Valkyrie's laughter could be heard over the explosions.

_She's putting me on the defensive now! I cannot allow this!_ Voldemort thought angrily as he kept trying to shield himself from the onslaught of rockets. He tried thinking of a way to counter, but found he couldn't focus his thoughts. It was getting harder and harder to draw a breath, it became insufferably hot all around him, and his heart hammered within his chest, dangerously overworking itself. He could barely muster the effort to keep blocking the fireworks.

"Air pressure low enough for you, Riddle!?" cried Valkyrie over the din. "Took the liberty of casting a charm to generate a partial vacuum around you. Hope you don't mind."

Only then did Voldemort realize how neatly Valkyrie had duped him. The barrage of rockets stopped, and once the smoke and dust cleared, he saw Valkyrie with her wand raised, black lightning crackling all around her. She had deflected his dark power in such a way so that she could use it against him later!

She spun around, and the black lightning bounced between whatever headstones remained, eventually reaching Voldemort, who was still too drained to react in time. Several bolts of necromantic energy crashed into him at once, rooting him to the spot. At the same time, Voldemort saw Valkyrie's bionic arm transform into her arm cannon. A missile shot out at him, far faster than the fireworks. Voldemort was able slash his wand and detonate it, but it had gotten too close. The explosion propelled him across the arena, sending him smashing into a headstone and collapsing into a heap behind it.

Valkyrie's soldiers roared and cheered, but over their plangent voices, Voldemort swore he could hear Bellatrix shrieking with grief. Then, her voice coming more clearly than anyone else's, Valkyrie spoke. "You disappoint me, Voldemort. I expected you to last longer before I gave you your first knockdown. Get yourself together. This duel is far from over."

Voldemort grabbed hold of the ruined headstone, pulling himself up to glance over it. Valkyrie was standing several yards away, her expression now one of impatience. "H-Have you no shame!?" demanded Voldemort. "You use Muggle weapons and tools...in a Wizarding duel!"

Valkyrie shook her head. "That blast must've addled your brains worse than I thought. Most of this is reverse-engineered from Chozo technology. Even in Samus's time, Muggles can't develop anything like this," said Valkyrie, holding up her bionic arm. "At least you're consistent, always disparaging anything perceived to involve Muggles. A little knowledge of physics and human physiology sure as hell let me invent a charm that rendered you helpless."

Voldemort said nothing more as he clambered to his feet. Fortunately, he felt his strength, his great reserves of power, returning to him. Before Valkyrie could try anything else, Voldemort whipped his wand around, kicking up the dirt within gale force winds, all directed at her. She threw up a barrier to keep her skin from getting shredded. While she forced back those winds, he began to conjure up Fiendfyre. When Voldemort cancelled out the wind spells, large, flaming serpents rushed toward Valkyrie in their wake. Hopefully, she wouldn't react in time. This way, that Phazon might be consumed by the Fiendfyre, safeguarding them all...

But with a swift slash of her wand, Valkyrie kicked up dirt in her own magically generated winds. Every particle of dirt seemed to glisten with some strange energy as well. Voldemort belatedly realized that she had charmed the dirt so that it could counter his Fiendfyre. The dirt swirled and poured into the writhing, flaming serpents, and moments later, they were completely immobile, transformed into oversized glass sculptures.

_I must keep coming at her, lest she have an opportunity to gain the upper hand again! Do the unexpected, catch her unawares!_ thought Voldemort. Waving his wand, he willed the glassy serpents to transform into a burly suit of armor, standing over fifteen feet tall, armed with an oversized battle hammer. Valkyrie stared up at the armor as it raised its hammer. Valkyrie rolled aside to avoid the crushing impact. But as she evaded the hammer, Voldemort cut loose with another Cruciatus Curse. He knew he had caught her off-guard this time, for she let out a hideous screech. Furthermore, she lay flattened against the ground, breathing heavily. That was the opening he needed. He willed his armor to bring its hammer down again. This time she would be crushed for sure...

But when the hammer was inches from her face, Valkyrie raised her wand again. At once, the armor froze in place. Voldemort could not will it to move no matter how hard he tried. As he wondered how Valkyrie could have possibly done this, she cried out, "Voldemort, you make this too easy! This armor you conjured is made of _**IRON**_! You think Tesla's the only one who can bend the force of magnetism to her will!?"

Suddenly, the hammer flew out of the armor's hands, toward Voldemort. He knocked it aside with a Banishing Charm, and it rebounded off the dome barrier before skidding to a halt. But Valkyrie was magically dismembering his armored soldier and hurling the pieces toward him. He managed to Vanish the first few pieces coming at him, but then Valkyrie began to open fire with charged plasma shots. That familiar pain ripped through him, and distracted him long enough so that some of the pieces of armor smashed into him, dizzying him. When he could see clearly again, he caught a glimpse of Valkyrie running right for him, her right fist reared back.

Valkyrie landed a punch across Voldemort's jaw, who was still too dazed to fight back. "A right hook, then a stiff jab, then another stiff jab, then another!" cried Valkyrie, landing more quick punches to his face, forcing him back. "And now, we go _SOUTHPAW_!" Valkyrie crouched down in front of him, then sprang up while spinning, landing a vicious uppercut with her bionic arm that lifted Voldemort high into the air. Not only that, her entire bionic arm crackled with Phazon energy, flooding Voldemort with it on contact.

Voldemort came crashing down hard onto his back, still overwhelmed by a sickening sense of vertigo, feeling like his insides had been fried. The pain was so all-consuming, his eyes were involuntarily screwed shut. But he could hear the cheers of the soldiers again, and Voldemort felt rather than saw Valkyrie hovering over him. She sunk her armored boot into his stomach, sending him flying a few yards across the graveyard.

"You still don't take this duel seriously. I guess I need to add extra motivation. Since I was making jokes about boxing before...yes, I'll add a new stipulation: the TKO. Go down one more time, and you don't get back up," said Valkyrie sharply. "Words cannot describe how disappointed I am, Voldemort. Perhaps I pushed myself a little too far, overprepared myself for this duel. It's quite confusing. Harry Potter and Samus Aran could only defeat you by working together. Yet individually, they proved more of a challenge that day in Salem."

That tirade finally coaxed Voldemort into standing up, his insides now boiling with rage and well as the aftereffects of Phazon poisoning. He glared over at Valkyrie, who idly stood a few yards away. "Oh yes, Riddle, I meant every word of that," she said darkly. "Clearly, Harry Potter and Samus Aran have something in abundance that you lack. And I think I know what it is. The drive to push yourself, to prove yourself against those that rival or surpass you. Yeah, that's gotta be it. After all, you never sought a direct conflict with Albus, yet Harry, Samus and myself have all purposely sought you out more than once. Either you're so conceited that you think it's impossible to push yourself any farther...or you're just a coward. Or both."

At last, Valkyrie had crossed the line. Voldemort waved his arms and unleashed a burst of pure, unfocused power, carving a large swath through their arena. But Valkyrie deftly dashed aside, avoiding his outburst altogether. That insufferable grin crossed her face again, but she did not counterattack. Incensed beyond all reason, Voldemort lashed out with curse after curse, but Valkyrie lazily deflected them all. Still she did not retaliate, however, seemingly content to defend herself, as if she could tire him out in this way.

"What's wrong with you, Asara!? You were boasting about pushing your dueling skills to the limit moments before! Fight back! FIGHT BACK!" howled Voldemort as he kept up his assault. Hoping to goad Valkyrie into attacking, he cast Banishing Charms on the few tombstones that remained intact. Valkyrie casually cast Reductor Charms on all but one while still blocking the rest of Voldemort's spells. The last one became impaled on the ends of her five hair braids, which suddenly sprang to life and moved with a will of their own. With her braids, Valkyrie hurled the tombstone at Voldemort, who easily smashed it to pieces. Afterwards, Valkyrie made no more counterattacks, content to simply defend herself again. But her glowing, indigo eyes narrowed menacingly at Voldemort, and she flashed a malicious grin.

Voldemort eventually sensed something was wrong. While still hurling curses, he racked his brain, trying to remember back to their first duel in that Muggle building. He quickly recalled how professionally he handled that duel, while Valkyrie had come at him overflowing with zealous rage, which caused her to make egregious mistakes, and at one point left her wide open, letting him curse off her arm...

Realization swept over Voldemort like a splash of ice water. For their rematch, their positions were reversed. Valkyrie had worked him up into an unthinking frenzy, and thus likely exposed himself to whatever scheme she had in store next. Voldemort took a deep breath as he fired off another Cruciatus Curse. He could breathe easily, so it couldn't be that pressure-reducing charm again. But he sensed no other extraneous charms in their arena. Just what kind of trick had Valkyrie saved for last?

Eventually, Valkyrie let out a deep, hearty laugh as she flicked away another curse. "You can't sense it, can you Voldemort!?" she jeered. "No surprise there, since you've never understood how precious life really is. And with the ambience of death permeating this graveyard, it's little wonder you can't sense the life that naturally flourishes here!"

Voldemort had no idea what Valkyrie was talking about. He sensed nothing around him, no life whatsoever besides the two of them. Suddenly, he realized it was getting harder and harder to keep his footing, as if the ground was becoming softer. He risked a glance down at the ground...

Voldemort gasped when he saw some noxious, viscous, lusterous substance, neither solid nor liquid, slowly pour out of the soil. Everywhere around him, the stuff was shooting out of the ground, taking many colors, from a dull whitish-yellow to a bright orange to a metallic, purplish sheen. Some of it looked like blobby masses of dough, other parts looked filamentous and like creeping tendrils. It burbled up all around him, binding him like Devil's Snare.

"There're countless species of bacteria in just a single teaspoon of soil, billions of cells. Did you know that?" crowed Valkyrie as Voldemort struggled with the noxious mass closing in around him. "This whole duel, I've been surreptitiously casting spells to accelerate the division of the bacteria exponentially, and waiting for just the right time to call upon them!"

Voldemort tried to Vanish the wretched beings off of him, but as the bacterial colonies spread over him, he began to feel feverish and his vision blurred. "You'd think controlling organisms that have no will beyond the most basic survival instinct, no brains, would be easy. But it took years to develop methods to magically control soil bacteria like this," Valkyrie called out, a sardonic tone to her voice as she watched Voldemort drown in the bacterial colonies. "It doesn't help that there's so many of them...trillions upon trillions upon trillions! And even _I_ don't know how many different species there are in those mega-colonies, how many different toxins they can pump into you!"

At this point, Voldemort could barely hear Valkyrie's taunting, as his feverish blood was pounding in his ears. The mass of bacterial cells were choking the life out of him while spreading their plethora of poisons over him. It was too much for even his body, which he took great lengths to protect from physical trauma and poisons, to cope with.

But just when Voldemort thought he could bear no more, the massive colony began to slide and slither off of him. All the bacteria retreated back into the ground, leaving him crouching there, overwhelmed with their toxins and drained of all his stamina. It was a while before he could even lift his head. Once again, Valkyrie was standing a few yards away, but now she looked a little indecisive...

However, Voldemort slowly became aware of the loud chanting of Valkyrie's soldiers. It seemed every single one of her underlings was yelling the same sentence. It was just two words, repeated over and over: "FINISH HIM! FINISH HIM! FINISH HIM! FINISH HIM! FINISH HIM!"

Valkyrie looked around at all of her soldiers gathered beyond the dome. Her expression was stony, unreadable. But when her gaze turned back to him, there was nothing in her eyes but sadistic glee. She smiled more broadly than ever as she crossed her forearms. Phazon radiation crackled at the tip of her wand, while her bionic arm shifted into her arm cannon, and Phazon energy crackled over it as well. Her eyes glowed more fiercely than ever, and then Voldemort saw Phazon energy arc all over her body. Her braids whipped through the air, her coat fluttered all around her, the very air around her sizzled.

Then, without warning, Valkyrie flung her arms forward and cut loose with a double barrage of Phazon. Voldemort was blasted off of his feet and propelled across their arena, and did not stop until he crashed into the magical forcefield. The feedback from hitting the forcefield almost made him black out. This was beyond having his own Killing Curse bounced back at him by Harry Potter, beyond being blasted again and again with Samus Aran's plasma beam. He felt the corrupting energy permeate every fiber of his being, every bit of the spirit that remained unbound to his Horcruxes, and could not suppress a scream.

Voldemort knew that if not for his Horcruxes, and strengthening his body with Dark Magic, this surely would have been his finish. As it was, however, Valkyrie had soundly proven her point. At last, the Phazon stream abated, and Voldemort fell from the barrier and collapsed as consciousness fled. Lord Voldemort had finally fallen, leaving Valkyrie to claim the title of undisputed master of the Dark Arts...and possibly the world.

xxxxxx

**June 23, 1997 - 1:17 AM Western European Time**

**The Burrow**

Unable to sleep, Samus Aran sat alone at the Weasleys' dinner table, staring at the Chozo artifact hovering above it. Many talented members of the Order had already tried to coax it into revealing any useful secrets. But thus far, nothing seemed to be working. It was like no other piece of Chozo technology Samus had ever seen. Hermione had tried hours earlier, using an array of charms that Samus was completely unfamiliar with, but eventually gave up. She said that it required knowledge beyond anything she had learned in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy.

_Maybe it's requires a different kind of mathematics. And a different kind of linguistics. Perhaps something basic that any Chozo hatchling would know,_ pondered Samus as she watched the relic slowly rotate. _If only I could cast those charms of Hermione's myself...then I might be able to get this thing to give up the ghost._

But so far, Samus's progress with witchcraft was still going at a glacial pace. What Asara had spent half a lifetime practicing, Samus had to master in just days. In her time, everyone always talked of how seemingly impossible missions were nothing to Samus Aran. Yet here was a challenge that felt insurmountable, especially if Valkyrie was right about her lacking some mutant genes needed for magic.

Samus sighed, wondering what to do, as she impotently watched the artifact rotate over the table. Eventually, the relief of the eagle's head in the upside-down obelisk was facing her.

An eagle: the symbol of the House of her new enemy, seemingly the successor of the title Metroid Prime, her old one. The House that valued intellect over all else, but in Valkyrie's case, hers was completely unhindered by any restraint or inhibitions. She spoke of manipulating humanity's 'social and biological evolution', whatever that meant, without a hint of reservation about the moral consequences. Like the Space Pirates she fought for so long, Valkyrie was all about results.

Immediately, Samus recalled their last meeting, when Valencia Asara made offers to her three young friends, then her. Offers that tempted them all, as much as Samus hated to admit it. As she thought back to their meeting, Samus remembered the last thing Valkyrie told her. That the wand Samus took from her in Salem would now do her bidding.

Samus's eyes involuntarily screwed shut. She had no idea if Valkyrie was telling the truth. But even if she now had mastery over her old wand, Samus felt as if that was tantamount to admitting she and Valkyrie were very much alike. Right from when she had first heard of Valencia Asara, she had sounded just like her: a determined hunter stopping at nothing to protect the innocent. But after being duped by Valkyrie, and learning she wanted to use Kor-Zor's forbidden knowledge, her opinion of her had swung almost 180.

Almost. There were still some things about Valkyrie to be admired. Samus could understand why Harry, Ron and Hermione were willing to listen to her before. As much as she hated to admit it, she also found Valkyrie's offer to stay in this era tempting. Her Chozo upbringing made her reflexively using such power to such ends, but part of her was tempted nonetheless.

Samus sighed again. As well-intentioned as Valkyrie may be, she was too unpredictable and too unscrupulous to leave unchecked. They had to be ready. Realizing she had no choice, she got up to return to her ship, to fetch Valkyrie's wand from her robes.

But before Samus reached the back door, an ear-splitting shriek rang through the Burrow. Samus recognized it at Harry's voice instantly, and bolted up the stairs. While scrambling for Ron's room, where Harry was sleeping, she accidently collided with Hermione and Molly, almost sending them crashing through the wall.

"Uh, sorry," Samus said sheepishly as she helped them up, then headed for Ron's room. She burst through the door, almost tearing it off its hinges, to see Ron standing over Harry. Harry's eyes were screwed shut and he was drenched in cold sweat. Ron held him down as he twisted around and convulsed.

"Harry! Harry, get a grip! What's going on, mate!?" cried Ron, his terror palpable. Samus ran to the other side of Harry's bed. His breathing was rapid and erratic. At last, Harry's eyes snapped open, and he sat bolt-erect in his bed, letting out one last scream.

"Harry!? What happened!?" asked Hermione timidly. Harry's gaze slowly turned to her, his eyes wide with panic. "I-It was Voldemort again, wasn't it? Y-You saw what he was seeing?"

Harry nodded. "And from what I saw...we're all in trouble. BIG trouble." His breathing was still shallow. "He was captured by Asara and forced into a duel...back in the graveyard where we dueled, and-and...he lost."

Molly Weasley's wand clattered to the floor. "Y-You mean...He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and her...Valencia BEAT him!? In a one-on-one duel!?" she breathed incredulously.

All Harry did was nod again. For a while, there was an oppressive silence in the room, broken only when Samus coolly made a rational observation. "You were right, Harry. We're in more trouble than we thought. We only beat Voldemort before by working together, and even then only by the mucus of our membranes. If Valkyrie can take him down single-handedly..."

"It's worse than that, Samus," Harry said urgently. "Where they were fighting...there was some sort of barrier surrounding them, but through it, I could see lots of people. It's like she had a whole army there, all with a uniform with that symbol of hers. Not just witches and wizards, either...goblins, house-elves, centaurs. But hovering overhead...Samus, I think Asara's bred Metroids."

Samus felt as if a dementor had snuck up behind her. "H-Harry, that's not possible. She c-couldn't have a c-cell sample to work with, and..."

"Samus, after seeing everything Asara's pulled already, can we really say there's ANYTHING she can't do? Especially if she just _beat_ You-Know-Who?" asked Ron delicately

"Ron's right, Samus," said Harry. "We've got to go...find everyone we can and get moving..." Harry swung himself out of bed, but his legs were wobbly. Hermione had to catch him before he fell.

"Harry, you're in no condition to be going anywhere, not after this," said Hermione, but Harry didn't seem to hear her.

"I-I saw other people beyond that barrier, too. It l-looked like half the D-Death Eaters were captured, f-forced to watch," stammered Harry as Hermione held him. "And that includes S-Snape. He was standing with Myrtle, watching his old boss get massacred, right in front of what looked like some of the Order. Yeah, definitely s-some of the O-Order. That was definitely Hagrid chained up to a pole, no missing him..."

Molly gasped. "T-That must be why so many are so late to report in! Valencia forced them to watch too!"

"You all were her old friends, but it sounded like she felt let down by the Order back in the day," noted Ron.

"And now Asara wants to prove to the Order that she can do what all of you couldn't," said Samus, finishing Ron's train of thought. "If that's the case, we _HAVE_ to get every remaining member of the Order and move. We can't leave them at Asara's mercy."

"As much as I hate to admit it, we might have to bring the Ministry in on this," added Hermione darkly. She was still hanging on to Harry, who fortunately seemed to be recovering from his ordeal.

"I agree. Let me go downstairs and get my power suit ready, so we can move out at a moment's notice," said Samus. She took one last look at Harry before running out of Ron's room. Every instinct screamed for her to console Harry until he had recovered completely. But she knew Harry was much older and tougher now, and would surely be fine without her coddling him. Besides, now was the time for immediate action.

But as she ran downstairs to where her power suit lay hidden, waiting for her, she suddenly heard a voice in her head. And the voice, it sounded like...her own?

_Rushing off to battle to save the universe again, eh, Samus?_ said the voice. _Don't try to delude yourself. This is like nothing you've ever faced before...because for the first time, you're fighting someone who has something to offer you. Fighting someone more like you than any other enemy you've faced. Well, besides myself..._

Samus stopped dead in her tracks. She turned to a nearby window, and saw the eyes of her reflection beaming with a violent, yellow-green glow.

"SA-X," whispered Samus sharply.

"It's been a few days. Takes a good deal of effort to manifest myself like this," said the reflection. "But while we can speak, let me ask you something. Do you really want to see Dr. Valencia Asara defeated? Do you honestly believe she's what your friends would label as 'evil'? She's trying to honor Lily Potter's wishes, after all, who was 'pure-of-heart' and all that. And if what Harry says is true, she just clobbered the most demented wizard in history, setting him up for a killing stroke from Harry when the time is right. And let's face it...she got you when she asked if you'd rather stay in this era..."

Samus stared dumbly at her reflection, at a loss for a response. It was still hard to accept that her old doppelganger lived on inside her...as if biding her time. The SA-X had just touched on everything Samus herself had thought about. How, for the first time ever, she faced someone capable of tempting her...

"Samus! Samus, is everything OK?" came Hermione's breathless voice. Samus turned to see her running down the hallway, then turned back to the window. The yellow-green glow of the SA-X's eyes was gone.

"Yes, Hermione, everything's fine," Samus lied. Making a mental note to ask McGonagall about the SA-X's little visits once they were rescued, Samus ran to the ground floor with Hermione to gear up for battle.

xxxxxx

**June 23, 1997 - 1:29 AM Western European Time**

**Little Hangleton's graveyard**

Draco Malfoy had just witnessed the impossible. It was told that the duel between Gellert Grindelwald and that grizzled old fool of a headmaster had been the greatest duel ever, but Draco was sure it paled in comparison to this. The Dark Lord, the most powerful wizard to ever walk the Earth, had been bested in a one-on-one duel...against a Mudblood no less.

Valkyrie's soldiers erupted into a frenzy of cheering, sending up dazzling sparks with their wands, clasping and hugging each other. Those two goblins who had led the charge into his home...they were near the bound Death Eaters, doing a little jig in celebration. The Metroids hovering overhead chirped and chittered as well, as if echoing the jubilation below. But over the din, Draco could hear his aunt swearing hysterically, struggling against her chains, while the rest of the Death Eaters seemed to be at a total loss for words.

As Draco watched Valkyrie's forces celebrate their master's victory, he noticed only one of them was not caught up in the hoopla: Severus Snape. He had screamed "FINISH HIM!" with the rest, but now, he seemed perfectly composed, though with a look of astonished relief on his face. "It's over," he muttered.

"Damn straight, Snape. GAME OVER!" said Tesla brightly, walking up to the glowing chunk of crystal. Draco could see the other three Reformers positioning themselves in front of the other three. Within seconds, the domed barrier melted away, and Tesla and Snape walked side-by-side into the arena toward Valkyrie.

The soldiers kept on cheering and whooping, but only the other three Reformers, the twin goblins, and a centaur Draco knew was Bane walked up to Valkyrie. Ryx swooped down out of nowhere, landing on Tesla's shoulder. Wildflower clasped Valkyrie's shoulder and whispered something into her ear, while Snape took her hand, muttering something as well. Ped and Faction, however, kept up their stoic, sulky appearances, yet Ped glared down at Voldemort's fallen body, her chest heaving.

For several long moments, Valkyrie did nothing but smile and look all around her, as if drinking in all the cheers and hollers, as if they were nourishing food for her. Then she swerved around to eye Snape, and the next thing Draco knew, Valkyrie wrapped her arms around him and pulled him toward her, locking their lips together. Draco was not surprised when Snape wrapped his arms around her as well, but several Death Eaters made disgusted noises. Bellatrix lashed out with a string of profanities that Draco would've never even hurled at Hermione Granger.

When Valkyrie and Snape finally broke the kiss, she kicked Voldemort over onto his back, then reached down and grabbed the back of his robes with her bionic hand. She picked up his wand with her good hand, then raised both high into the air, as if displaying trophies. Her soldiers cheered even more loudly. As Draco watched his master's limp form get hoisted into the air, he found himself at a complete loss. So much of his world had been turned upside-down over the last few weeks. He didn't know what to think or feel as this Mudblood reveled in her triumph over their leader.

Valkyrie walked across the graveyard, and her entourage followed her. She edged closer to where the Aurors, Scrimgeour and Umbridge were chained up. "Rufus Scrimgeour! Dolores Umbridge! See now...THIS is why you made me what I am today! THIS is why you abused and mutilated me...you hoped you could one day create the perfect Auror! And tonight, your secret project bore fruit, except for one minor detail: instead of eliminating Voldemort, I've REPLACED him! I promised you two that one day, the name of Valkyrie would be even more feared than Voldemort's...and I ALWAYS KEEP MY PROMISES! But there won't be any more need for a Ministry. There won't be any need to keep our existence a secret from Muggles! No longer will we have to hide what we are!"

Valkyrie strode across the graveyard again, drawing closer to the captive Order members. "No doubt these last few days have come as a shock to all of you, especially you, Moody. But none of you could ever understand the depths of suffering I've experienced. And none of you should really be surprised about what happened tonight. It's the reason you always quarreled with me years ago...I was all about action, about getting results! And tonight, we have some real, tangible results! Lord Voldemort…defeated! I'll leave the pleasure of finishing him off to Harry Potter, though. He's been freed of his burden. Harry and his friends are now free to join me if they wish...and I have a hunch they will!"

Draco saw nothing but blank shock on the faces of the Order. They clearly couldn't believe that their old ally could have descended into such madness. "But that part about always getting results, perhaps I've been a bit hypocritical," Valkyrie continued. "I admit that I remained hidden too long If I had acted sooner, perhaps Albus wouldn't have felt the need to throw his life away. But in hindsight, it's so fitting that together, Severus and I carried out Albus's ultimate goal: Voldemort's annihilation. He shared things with us he never breathed to any of you. How fitting that we accomplished what the rest of the Order couldn't!"

Valkyrie took a few moments to drink in the bewildered looks from the Order before she moved on. Draco's heart thudded in his chest when Valkyrie stopped a dozen yards away from the Death Eaters. "And now, we come to the mighty Death Eaters! What my forces started with your headquarters is only a prelude to the chaos we're about to unleash!" she shouted proudly.

"You prided yourselves as unbeatable, convinced that somehow, your gang could bring about a world that held on to the last vestiges of ancient Wizarding society. Ignoring the fact that our world is changing too swiftly for it to ever be like the old days. Muggles become more numerous, developing technology and weapons than can rival or even surpass what we can do with magic alone! That's why many of you flocked to Voldemort...scared of what the future will bring. Not to mention the idea of a world where your ancestry alone determines your status appealed to many unwilling to work your asses off to improve yourselves! But look at what happened tonight! Lord Voldemort was defeated by my hand, a lowly Mudblood raised in America, born to dirt-poor peasants from the Far East!"

For a moment, Valkyrie glared at all of them, as if daring any of them to challenge her. Draco's insides froze, and even Bellatrix fell silent. Then Valkyrie threw Voldemort down at her feet. She pointed Voldemort's own wand at him. "_Ennervate!_" she cried out. At once, Voldemort's scarlet eyes flew open, but there was still a defeated look in them. "I want to further drive home how helpless your boss is. Besides, can't hog all the fun. Susan Bones, come on down!"

A few soldiers stepped aside to let the red-haired girl, clad in traditional witches' robes instead of an Inferno uniform, walk up to Valkyrie. She took out her wand as she stared down at Voldemort, her face alive with anticipation. "Y'know, Voldemort, the doctor frowns upon using the Unforgivable Curses. Says they're always the first resort of the weak and unimaginative," Susan said smoothly. Draco saw a hint of fear in Voldemort's serpentine face. "However, I'm not Dr. Asara. _Crucio!_"

He had never performed the Cruciatus Curse as effectively as his Aunt Bellatrix, having only ever wanted to use it on Harry Potter that one time in the bathroom, but Draco could instantly tell Susan had cast it perfectly. Voldemort writhed and screamed, which seemed to egg Susan on. She cast the curse again, then laughed with insane abandon as she tortured him further.

Then, she screamed "_Sectumsempra!_" Draco shuddered as he recalled the horrors Potter unknowingly inflicted on him that night. Susan slashed her wand through the air again and again. Deep gashes scoured Voldemort's chest, spewing blood everywhere. Droplets of blood covered Susan's face as she laughed like a madwoman, as unhinged as his aunt. Draco looked over to the Order, and was surprised when they looked repulsed, especially Hagrid, Lupin and McGonagall. He guessed they thought the meek girl they once taught would never have given in to such bloodlust.

"That's enough, Susan," Valkyrie eventually said, just when Draco thought no blood was left in Voldemort. At once, Susan lowered her wand and backed away, while Valkyrie turned her attention back to the Death Eaters. "You are all aware of Voldemort's connection with Harry Potter. If Harry didn't feel it when I barbequed your master with a few thousand rads, he definitely felt _that_. No doubt he'll be alerting the Ministry and the rest of the Order. So you all have a choice to make, and fast." She turned to Tesla. "Tesla, release them."

Tesla clapped her hands, and at once, the chains all around Draco flew off. _What the...she's setting us free!? What's her game now!?_ Draco wondered.

"There, you're free. Oh sure, you could all rush me in a vain attempt to rescue your boss. But d'you really think you'll accomplish much without your wands back?" asked Valkyrie haughtily. Draco looked around, noticing most of her troops had their wands and weapons at the ready. Draco stood perfectly still, wanting to hear Valkyrie out.

"I'm offering some of you this one chance to join Inferno," said Valkyrie, twirling Voldemort's yew wand in her fingers. "In time, I will bring the Ministry down, and create a world where concealing our existence will be a thing of the past. The world we'll build won't be quite like what your boss envisioned, but it'll be one where magic will most certainly be used openly and reign supreme. You'll get a chance to take part in building this new world...but only if you openly forsake your allegiance to Voldemort and swear loyalty to Inferno, here and now!"

Hushed whispers and nervous glances were exchanged among the Death Eaters, but Draco kept silent, his mind reeling furiously. Would even trying to take up Valkyrie's offer be worth it? He helped ensure Albus Dumbledore, the only father-figure in her life, was killed. Draco felt he couldn't risk coming forward, even if he had been certain of switching sides at that moment. Draco risked a furtive glance over toward his parents, who could only stare back with anxious gazes of their own.

A few others, however, broke away from the crowd of Death Eaters. Soldiers immediately stepped forward to pull them into the crowd. They vanished from sight as other Death Eaters railed on them for their disloyalty, his aunt doing it the most loudly.

"Oh, and Peter Pettigrew, this offer does NOT apply to you!" Valkyrie snapped suddenly. Draco turned to see the short, stooping man glance at Valkyrie, raw terror in his beady eyes. "You think I'll allow the cowardly shit that sold out my best friend to join Inferno? NEGATIVE! Tesla..."

"Oh yeah, right-o, Doctor A!" beamed Tesla. "Hey Wormtail, d'you know that your hand ain't pure silver after all! I think I sense a little bit of cobalt in there..." Wormtail stared back at Tesla, not comprehending what she meant. But Draco had a nasty feeling he knew, which was confirmed when Wormtail's metal hand clenched into a fist. He punched himself in the face with it. "Quit hittin' yerself! Quit hittin' yerself! Quit hittin' yerself!" Tesla jeered as Wormtail unwittingly beat himself senseless. Eventually, he fell backward, unconscious, blood effusively pouring out of his broken nose.

"Well, that takes care of that," said Valkyrie approvingly. "We've rounded up all the Death Eaters who'll willingly switch sides, but there's ONE Death Eater in particular to whom I want to make an extra-special offer!" Draco could see Valkyrie's glowing indigo eyes from the middle of the crowd, full of anticipation. "And that Death Eater is Draco Malfoy!"

Gasps of astonishment rippled throughout the Death Eaters, then Draco felt rather than saw their eyes bore into him. He looked up at his parents again, who were now huddling closer to him, as if afraid he would be snatched away.

"Don't keep everyone waiting, Draco!" Valkyrie called out. "This is something that must be done face-to-face!"

"I don't know who the hell you think you are, Valencia, but you're not taking our son from us!" shrieked Narcissa, clutching Draco's shoulders.

Draco heard Valkyrie sigh heavily. "Okie-dokie. Petunia, do you mind?"

Draco strained his ears to listen, but heard nothing from the former Muggle. A few seconds later, he heard a slithering, sloshing sound, and saw several Death Eaters recoil. It was then that Draco saw Ped's tongue zigzagging through the crowd, coming straight for him, but it ensnared his parents as well. They were yanked off their feet and dragged out of the crowd, coming to a stop at Ped's feet, who stood beside her boss. Her tongue loosened its hold on them and retreated back into her mouth with a noisy slurp. Ped glared at the three of them with an impassive look before backing away.

Valkyrie then stepped forward as the three of them scrambled back onto their feet, trying to regain some sense of dignity. She stopped in front of Draco, who refused to let himself be cowed. "W-What is it you want with me!?" he demanded.

"Something very important," said Valkyrie. "I kept an eye on Hogwarts for a long time, especially after Harry Potter began his first year. I watched him and his friends grow and develop, but I also watched you, the son of a couple old friends of mine, with great interest. And Tesla and Severus have been able to reveal even more about you. You're cunning and talented...there's much we can offer each other."

He still didn't understand why Valkyrie was singling him out. There must have been other Death Eaters - Death Eaters unafraid of torturing and killing - that could serve her better. "I bet I know what you're thinking," said Valkyrie. Draco feared that he had bungled, that his raw skill with Occlumency had faltered, but when she spoke again, he found that wasn't the case. "Despite everything that's happened lately, you still put a lot of emphasis on blood status. I can understand if you're weary of working with a Mudblood, one with an inner circle where the only one that can be considered pure-blood is now a vampire."

Draco glanced over at Wildflower, and felt himself shrink back a little when she grinned. Then he looked back over to Valkyrie, where Snape was now standing behind her, his expression both apprehensive and hopeful. "B-But what about Snape? I mean, isn't he...?"

Valkyrie shook her head. "Draco, didn't your parents ever tell you the pet name I gave him in our Hogwarts days...the Half-Blood Prince?" she asked softly. "Yes, he's a half-blood, the same as your boss. But all this gab about blood status is irrelevant anyway, as you're starting to realize. I know the truth about what happened in the tower that night, what happened between you and Albus..."

"B-But...there's no way you'd want me w-working for you after that!?" stammered Draco. "After I tried all year to kill him, and got all those Death Eaters into Hogwarts..."

"But you couldn't go through with it, despite Voldemort blackmailing you," said Valkyrie calmly. "When it came down to it, you were incapable of murder...that proves you're not the blackhearted snob Harry and his friends make you out to be. And Tesla told me all about how you were worried sick over your family...that proves to me you're learning there's more important things than outdated ideals about blood status."

Draco looked over his shoulder at his parents. Faction and Tesla were standing close to them. Tesla caught Draco looking back at them and winked. "I wasn't kidding about making overtures to Harry and his friends as well," Valkyrie went on, prompting Draco to nervously face forward again. "I offered Ron Weasley to be part of a nation where his family would be respected instead of disparaged, and Hermione Granger the type of magical society she could only dream of. I can offer you both. Inferno is a place where the use of magic need not be hidden. As for your family...now that they've been exposed as Voldemort's allies, they've earned the disdain of the entire Wizarding world. But what has such loyal service earned you three now? So like the people I take in, thoughtlessly tossed away, even by people you once counted among friends. It's a feeling I know all too well! But if you're willing to join me, your family won't have to worry about retribution from the Order, the Ministry or your old Death Eater buddies. I want to do this for them. Cissy helped me out during a rough time in my life, and I was always welcome in Lucius's home. I sprung Lucius from Azkaban, hoping that would prove to you I can deliver. All I need now is your answer."

Several long moments passed before Draco could answer, lost in deep thought. He tried to assassinate the old man she loved as a father, but just like him, she believed in second chances. Valkyrie must have known about the countless Muggles his parents had tortured, especially at the Quidditch World Cup three years ago, but she was willing to overlook that too. And she had a point about blood status being an 'outdated ideal'. Hermione Granger had undermined those beliefs right before his eyes for years, and tonight, Valkyrie drove it home again.

At last, Draco found his voice again. "W-What is it you want?" he asked again. "For the three of us to join your army?"

Valkyrie's smile widened. "Not quite. I want you as my fifth Reformer!"

Draco thought nothing else could surprise him that night, but his eyes widened with utter shock. "Look around you, Draco. At one point, all four Reformers were much like you...branded as outcasts, deemed worthless, struggling to find meaning...you'll fit right in!" Valkyrie cried. Draco glanced around, at the circle Valkyrie, Snape and the Reformers made around his family. Ped and Faction stared at him curiously, Tesla leered at him lustily, and Wildflower looked as eager for his answer as Valkyrie did. "And you've seen what they're capable of. If I can do all that for them, think what I can do for you!"

Draco carefully regarded Valkyrie's smiling, expectant face for a moment. Everything she offered was so overwhelmingly tempting. Sure, he would have to renounce his old views about blood purity. But his family would be protected, living in a nation where magic was everywhere, even among whatever Muggles she took in. It was all that Dumbledore offered him weeks before, and much more!

Suddenly, Draco could hear Dumbledore's voice in his head, repeating what he told him that night: _Come to the right side, Draco._ His face flitted across his mind's eye. Draco gritted his teeth as he felt tears well up. Was this what the old man would call the right side? She stood for many of the things Dumbledore did, offered second chances just like he did...

Then, another voice echoed once again in his mind: Harry Potter's. _I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks._ But for the first time, he deeply considered those words, now willing to accept he had been wrong about some things. Joining Valkyrie, becoming one of her elite soldiers, would admit to abandoning many things Potter and his lot hated him for...

"Draco, the rest of the Order will be along any moment," said Valkyrie delicately. "I must have an answer now."

"YES!" screamed Draco, throwing himself at Valkyrie's feet. "I'll do whatever you want...just take my family to Inferno, keep them safe..."

"So, you'll renounce all the old creeds about blood purity, turn your back on Voldemort and the Death Eaters, and do everything you can to help Inferno?" asked Valkyrie, a slight air of dubiousness to her voice.

"Y-Yes," repeated Draco, cringing at her feet, unable to muster anything above a whisper.

"Then stand up!" cried Valkyrie harshly. Her metal fingers clasped his arm. She roughly hoisted him back onto his feet, her glowing pink-and-indigo glare boring into his eyes. "I'm not like Voldemort. I don't want sycophantic, sniveling ass-kissers around me. I want dedicated soldiers always on their feet, ready to fight!"

"Val, unhand my son!" barked Narcissa, pulling Draco away from her. "How can you...threaten to take us to Inferno...you have no right!"

"Draco has made the decision for you, and quite frankly, there's not much for your family to gain by staying here. Aurors will be swarming this graveyard any moment, and I'll be leaving the rest of these Death Eaters here for them," said Valkyrie icily.

She then raised her bionic arm. Three long tubes, tipped with needles, emerged from the top. All three shot out like missiles, each one hitting a different member of the Malfoy family. Draco said nothing, shocked by the numbing cold in his arm. Lucius, however, scowled and shouted, "What were those!? What's the meaning of this!?"

"Those darts had a special potion, one that'll permanently grant you three immunity to Phazon," said Valkyrie simply. "Let that be the mark that'll identify you as proud citizens of Inferno. Much less intrusive than a Dark Mark, yes? In the meantime..." She reached into her coat, pulling out three wands...THEIR wands. She held them out for them to take back. Lucius eagerly took back the elm wand with the serpent-head handle, while Draco hesitantly grabbed his hawthorn wand. She then turned to the crowd of soldiers behind her, spreading her arms wide. "This day just keeps gettin' better and better. Lord Voldemort is crushed once and for all, and now the Malfoys have joined us!"

All of Valkyrie's troops cheered, warmly welcoming the three newest arrivals. Even the Metroids overhead shrieked. But despite all that, Draco still wondered if he made the right choice.


	17. Inside the Fire

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 17: Inside the Fire

6-8-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

Horace Slughorn watched as Valencia Asara beckoned to her troops, conflicting emotions welling within him. He took no small pleasure in seeing Voldemort defeated. Guilt over being the one to reveal crucial information about Horcruxes had haunted him for decades, as had some resentment of not having the nerve to openly oppose him. Spurning his overtures and using his excellent contacts to move information had been the limit of his bravery. But here, at last, Voldemort was beaten, by one of his favorite pupils no less!

But had his pupil become something far worse, merely filling the vacuum left by Voldemort? Her body was corrupted by this thing called Phazon which, according to Harry, could rot planets from the inside-out. Not only that, Harry said she planned to alter the course of 'humanity's social and biological evolution'. Slughorn still had no clue what that meant, but tonight Valencia gleefully told them all of her plans to plunge the world into chaos. It was like she had taken his methods of gathering contacts and useful partnerships under the radar...and twisted them.

There was no denying the obvious any longer. One look at her crazed expression told him all traces of the gentle girl he had taught were gone forever. From the first day she attended his class, Slughorn had always sensed some inner turmoil within her. Now her bitterness and hate had utterly consumed her, and perhaps this Phazon had hastened her mental decline. How could _two_ of his pupils turn out like this?

Eventually, Valencia motioned for silence, and the roar of her troops died down. She turned back around, thoughtfully glancing over at the captive Ministry officials and Aurors, but sparing a few sideways glances at the Order. After a while, she turned to Tesla. "Tesla, it's time to free the rest," she said. At once, the girl spun around, and Slughorn felt his chains fly off. A quick glance told Slughorn everyone else who had been bound by chains were just freed. Furthermore, Valencia pulled back part of her coat, and suddenly, dozens of wands shot into the air. They descended upon all of them like arrows. Slughorn ducked instinctively, but only one wand came near him. His own, impaled into the dirt by his feet. He tentatively pulled it out, then looked back up to Valencia. He could sense the bristling fury of the Order, but they wisely held back.

"What in...what's your game, Asara?" demanded McGonagall, her voice shaky. "First you kidnap the whole lot of us, and now you're letting us go _AND_ rearming us all!?"

"You're still in the midst of my army, so I'm not worried about you trying anything stupid," Valencia said coldly, casting a sideways glance at Scrimgeour and Umbridge. "By now, I'm sure even those two thickheaded fools know I mean business, so I suggest you take a hint from them. All the Death Eaters willing to switch sides have been gathered, and thanks to Harry Potter, the rest of the Order and some more Aurors should be along shortly. Take the rest and go. I've handed the Order the victory they've dreamt of, so be grateful for that and go celebrate."

Slughorn caught the shocked, nonplussed expression on McGonagall's face. Snape must have noticed it too, for he said, "You shouldn't be so surprised, Minerva. Val and I may have had to use you to release Kor-Zor, but we've never considered you our enemies. We hoped that when it came to this, to eliminating the Dark Lord, there would be some understanding."

"Yeh better shut yer trap, yeh scum-suckin' murderer!" boomed Hagrid, looking ready to charge. "At least now we know the truth about yeh! Yeh jus' jumped ship 'cause yeh wanna be on teh winnin' side, jus' like the Malfoys! So don' try ter tell us yeh ever cared about bringin' him down, that yeh ever cared about Dumbledore or Lily! We'll never forget their blood's on yer hands..."

"No, on _BOTH_ our hands!" interjected Valencia hotly. "We both freely admit Albus and Lily are dead because of OUR mistakes, OUR failures!" She turned to address her army. "Everyone, time to move out! We're done here. Leave the remaining Death Eaters for the Order and the Ministry. But Voldemort...he'll be coming with us. I daresay he'll be safer in our custody," she finished, leering down at the helpless Dark wizard.

At once, her troops began Disapparating, either alone or taking one of those Metroids or a centaur with them. The giants' topaz crystals were taken away via Apparition as well. Susan Bones grabbed hold of Bane and Disapparated, but Valencia, Snape and her Reformers made no motion to leave. No one came forward to Apparate away with the Malfoys, either. This soon dawned upon Draco. "Uh, 'scuse me, but...how come we're not Apparating out of here?" he asked his new boss timidly. Slughorn could the sense his inner conflict when he spoke. Despite all he had done, he sympathized with the boy.

"My forces are departing for our nearby stronghold. Your family, Sev, the Reformers and I, however...we're heading back to Inferno, in style!" Valencia declared proudly. She waved her bionic arm upward. From out of nowhere, the Razor Knight swooped down. It hovered about fifty feet above the graveyard, as if patiently awaiting its architect to board it and bring her new recruits aboard.

"It's quite alright, Narcissa. Both Draco and I have ridden in the Razor Knight. It is...a sturdy vessel," Lucius told his wife, who was staring up at the spaceship anxiously. Slughorn then looked up at it as well, still finding it hard to believe Valencia built a ship capable of going into space, perhaps superior to that strange ship Samus Aran piloted. His old pupil was brilliant beyond all imagining. If only she had not given in to her inner demons...

Slughorn looked back down at Valencia, Snape and her Reformers. Her four elite fighters glared expectantly at the Order and the Aurors, as if daring them to attack. They all kept their wands raised, but none of them seemed willing to challenge them. Valencia, meanwhile, looked up at the Razor Knight and pointed at it, Voldemort's body still at her feet. High above, Slughorn heard some hatch open up on the jet, but he was more focused on what he was seeing: Voldemort finally began to stir.

Somehow, Valencia sensed something was amiss, and looked back down at Voldemort. But then Voldemort moved with a swiftness that shocked everyone. His hand shot up and clawed through the air, and at once there was a bright flash. Valencia was forced back, but that wasn't the only effect of Voldemort's display of wandless magic. His yew wand flew out of her hand, and he quickly reclaimed it. Struggling to sit up, he aimed it at Valkyrie, who at once was blasted back. Not only that, more wands flew out from her coat, and this time they landed at the feet of Death Eaters.

The Reformers whirled about as Voldemort got up into a squatting position. Blood still poured from the gashes in his chest, he still bore signs of radiation burns, but his face was twisted in defiant rage. With one surprisingly fluid motion, he formed a floating javelin of ice. For a moment, he looked like he was about to hurl it at Draco, who cowered hopelessly. But the next instant, it soared across the graveyard and impaled Tesla through the chest.

Ryx leaped off her shoulder and cawed in outrage as Tesla glared down at the ice javelin. Her expression was shockingly carefree. "Oh man, there goes another containment suit..." she said, right before toppling over. Once she hit the ground, something in her suit detonated, incinerating both it and her body.

Slughorn stared at Tesla's smoldering remains, wondering why Voldemort expended so much effort against the Reformer who, according to Harry, was unkillable. But when he heard the Death Eaters start to Disapparate, it came to him. Tesla was supposed to be Moaning Myrtle inhabiting a copy of her body, and imbued with something called an electromagnetic field to cancel out magic. By striking down her body, Voldemort disoriented Tesla for a few seconds, buying his followers enough time to escape.

The Death Eaters evidently got the hint, the entire group pretty much Disapparating in unison before Valencia and her minions could get over their shock and act. Within seconds, only Voldemort remained, sparing a hateful glare at Valencia. Her face twisted into a hideous snarl, Valencia howled as her bionic arm transformed back into a cannon. She fired a wide burst of Phazon energy, but over the noxious sizzling of radiation, everyone could clearly hear the loud crack of Voldemort's Disapparition.

Valencia said nothing, merely standing there wide-eyed with rage and nostrils flaring. Snape, however, could not keep silent. "NO! I DON'T BELIEVE THIS! All of our careful planning, and he slipped through our fingers AGAIN!" he roared.

"Not for much longer. He knows his days are numbered now, that it won't be long before he's chained up as a trophy on display in Inferno," said Valencia, fighting to maintain her composure. "I promise you Sev, we WILL hunt him down, but we've still accomplished our others goals tonight. The damage is done. Voldemort's defeat will shake the Wizarding world to its very core, and your old friends have joined us. There's nothing more to do here, so let's book, especially since I think I hear the Order's reinforcements moving in."

Slughorn looked about, and saw several Aurors materializing in the distance, along with what looked like Fleur Delacour and many of the Weasleys sans their youngest boy...Ron, wasn't it? He briefly wondered where he was, but McGonagall gasped and pointed to the sky. The strange spaceship he flew in to the American desert was moving in, and no doubt Samus Aran was piloting it, bringing her three young friends with her.

Valencia grabbed hold of Lucius's waist with her bionic arm and Narcissa's with her good arm, then soared up to the Razor Knight's open hatch. Ryx flew up with her. Snape held onto Draco and summoned up winds to propel them up to the jet, a trick no doubt learned from Voldemort himself. Tesla finally emerged from her charred body as a ghost just as Wildflower turned into mist and drifted upward. She used her magnetic power to levitate Ped and Faction, who no doubt had some metal in their uniforms.

The Razor Knight promptly took off after they boarded. Samus's ship wasted no time chasing after it, but Slughorn instinctively knew she had no hope of catching Valencia's jet. If even Lord Voldemort himself was powerless against Dr. Valencia Asara, what hope was there for anyone?

xxxxxx

**June 25, 1997 - 1045 hours Inferno Time**

Draco paced anxiously around the guest quarters his family was given, buried deep within one of the many things called 'biospheres' that made up Inferno. It was not what he had expected. In the main room, there was a large, flat screen on the wall, hooked up to an array of wires and metal boxes, and most of the other rooms had similar devices. He recalled one of the soldiers telling him these things functioned as 'computers'; Draco had a vague idea of what they were supposed to do, but wasn't bold enough to try using it. But what surprised him most was that these things were the limit of Muggle ways intruding on their quarters. The walls were made of polished stone and masonry, not unlike what was in Hogwarts itself. Everything else, from the beds to a fireplace to wall-mounted sconches for light, was like anything he'd expect to see in a proper Wizarding home. Had Dr. Asara purposely picked out this room to ease their anxieties, or were most homes in Inferno like this?

His family had been here for over a day, allowed to rest and come to terms with his decision to become a Reformer. They were given plenty of food, and were told they could freely explore their biosphere with an escort. But Draco wasn't feeling brave enough to venture outside. His mind was still reeling by how drastically everything had changed since Valencia Asara resurfaced. Plus, he doubted her people would truly greet them with open arms just on her say-so.

But Draco knew that soon, they would have to head out, regardless. Valkyrie had said that within a day or two, they were to meet again, at her own private residence here in Inferno.

He let out a yelp of surprise when he heard a loud banging from the door. After a moment's hesitation, he timidly opened it. Bane was there, looking as sour and obdurate as ever. He was flanked by Susan Bones, who still looked envious of him, and to his relief, Severus Snape. "We have been asked to escort you three to Valkyrie's home," said the centaur. "I suggest you do not keep her waiting."

Draco didn't know how to reply. "We...thank you for showing us the way through your...home. We can leave right away," said Lucius, trying to maintain a dignified air. Bane snorted and turn on his heels, as did Susan, but Snape looked more understanding, which helped calm Draco.

And so, the six of them rode an elevator down to the ground level of their building. One as tall as a Muggle skyscraper, but supposedly built for witches and wizards in mind. Such a notion still boggled Draco's mind. When they stepped out into the streets, Draco was once again taken aback. The landscape was littered with countless skyscrapers, and everywhere above them, people were zooming here and there on broomsticks. But something else caught Draco off-guard. When they first arrived, there was hardly any light, since by their time it had been long past nightfall. Now it was light, but the sky above them...there was no sky, but slender, needlelike skyscrapers protruding through a ceiling like stalactites! They were different from the buildings on the ground, constructed of metal and plastic as well as stone, and he could see people coming and going from them on broomsticks!

Some high, reedy voices made Draco look back down. They had turned into a corner where obviously much commerce was going on. He saw one store with several house-elves, displaying paintings and sculptures, hawking their wares. A goblin was making sales pitches as well, selling blades of all shapes and sizes, but he set up shop on a flying carpet, slowly floating down the street. There were disturbing touches of Muggle culture here and there, like a little girl on something called 'rollerblades', walking several dogs. But a magical aura permeated the biosphere nonetheless. Draco had expected this Inferno place to be as odious and dreary as a Muggle city, but this part, at least, was more lively than Diagon Alley.

Eventually, they came across a large, circular, metal doorway, which looked like the entrance to some large tube. All around it were floating metal platforms, which had glowing spheres on the bottom and the sides, large enough for a dozen people to stand on. Snape beckoned them to step onto the nearest one. "These platforms will transport us to other parts of Inferno by means of something called...magnetic repulsion, I believe." Draco immediately thought of Moaning Myrtle, now reborn as Tesla, and her magic-killing electromagnetism. "I must warn you, these things travel at ridiculous speeds. Luckily, they are enchanted so that those who stand on them suffer no ill effects, and won't fly off when they suddenly stop."

As Snape explained all this, Susan punched some buttons on a panel. The platform inched toward the barrier, which slowly slid open. Once it was open completely open, though, the platform surged into it as if it were sucked inside. Vertigo suddenly overwhelmed Draco, but soon his discomfort passed. At least Snape was right about the protective enchantments. Draco looked around him. As he expected, they were in some sort of large, glass tube that twisted and turned every which way, with metal framework running parallel along it. Draco looked beyond the glass. As his father explained to him, they were so far under the ocean, no sunlight reached them. But Inferno's exterior provided some of its own light, though it was very dim and faint. Nonetheless, in the murky darkness, Draco could make out what looked like large, dark, needlelike structures shooting upward like spires, seemingly for miles. The sight was oddly chilling.

Draco looked ahead just in time to see another doorway coming up fast. Draco reflexively braced himself, but true to Snape's word, their platform quickly decelerated and their feet remained firmly planted. The barrier slid open to reveal something far different than before. What looked like an endless expanse of rain forest stretched out before them, and the ceiling high above was enchanted to look exactly like a sunny, afternoon sky. Draco swore he could even feel warm sunlight. He looked behind them, only to see the passageway protruding from what looked like an impassable mountain wall.

"Welcome to Biosphere 12C, as it's formally called," said Snape tonelessly.

"She lives here?" asked Narcissa breathlessly. "It's...not what I expected. It's so beautiful..." Evidently, his mother expected Valkyrie to surround herself with machines, just as he had.

"Val tells me she finds this teeming forest...therapeutic," said Snape. "I suppose after she inadvertently became the vessel of such a deadly force, she feels a need to surround herself with abundant life. To remind herself she's capable of more than destruction."

Draco looked back at Snape as they marched on through an open, grassy field, suddenly curious about the depth of his relationship with Valkyrie. Fumbling for words, Draco finally spoke up. "Uh, Snape, since we're definitely, er, on the same side now, I was wondering if you could tell me if you were really Dumbledore's spy after all. And, uh, maybe more about you and Valencia Asara."

Snape glanced at him, and suddenly his eyes regained their cold, impassive look. It was obvious he didn't take kindly to him prying like this. "Are you asking if I truly love someone of Muggle birth?" he asked dangerously. "By now you must know the answer. For reasons I still don't fully understand, Val was drawn to me the first day we arrived at Hogwarts. But before I ever met her, though, I came to have feelings for another Muggle-born..."

"So, it's true," said Lucius. "That's the reason you urged the Dark Lord to spare Potter's mother."

"Exactly. But Lily had long since turned her back on me, repelled by my fascination with the Dark Arts. Val, however, was determined to win me over." Snape's eyes shut, no doubt finding it hard to talk of his past. "I was constantly torn between worlds, pulled in all directions. Even right after agreeing to serve the Dark Lord, doubt still plagued me. I almost deserted him outright after I learned he ordered the slaughter of Val's foster family, and when I learned he had targeted the Potters, that was it. Yes, Draco, I was indeed working with Dumbledore all along. Losing both Val and Lily in the same week ensured I would forever be the Dark Lord's enemy."

"Then, why did you kill Dumbledore for me? Make the Unbreakable Vow with my mother?" asked Draco.

"He was dying of a frightful curse already. Surely you noticed his withered arm," replied Snape roughly. "In light of that, he sought to spare you from being blackmailed into murder. I agreed, but VERY reluctantly."

"I don't believe it. I made no secret I despised everything he stood for, and yet, even when dying, he was worried about me?" Draco asked dubiously.

"That's the kind of man the headmaster was, and why I trusted him implicitly," said Snape quickly. Draco got the feeling Snape wanted to end this conversation. If he had been loyal to Dumbledore all along, it was no surprise that euthanizing the old man was a touchy subject.

"Now I see...it's no wonder you joined Val," said Narcissa. "But there's one thing I don't understand. Why has Val only come forward now? Why didn't she bring you to Inferno as soon as she founded it?"

"That...is something I would rather not discuss," said Snape, his voice suddenly frosty. There was also an air of finality to his voice, letting them know the topic was closed.

Draco had no idea how long they walked through the plains and forests of Biosphere 12C. The forests were eerily silent, though a herd of thestrals occasionally flew overhead, and he swore he heard lizards and snakes writhing around in the underbrush. Soon, Draco could see a small structure in a clearing through the trees. It was a little bigger than his manor, with four floors and covered with flowering vines, and it vaguely resembled the architecture of palaces from ancient China. Did Valkyrie feel sentimental about the history of her Muggle parents?

"We're here. Dr. Asara's private workplace. It's more of a huge laboratory and study that she happens to sleep in. She's the type that takes her work home with her," said Susan. Suddenly, she turned to face Draco with a stern look. "I hope you appreciate what a rare honor this is. I've been working my arse off, trying to land a spot as a cadet, but out of the blue, you get handed a post everyone in Inferno would give their right kidney and cerebral hemisphere for," she added enviously.

Draco held his tongue, not trusting himself to keep it civil. The double doors of Valkyrie's mansion opened of their own accord as they approached. Upon stepping inside, all Draco could see were rows and rows of bookshelves. The entrance hall had the air of an ancient library, and books levitated back and forth between the shelves. "This way," urged Snape, and they walked through the study. Draco looked all around, eventually noticing another one of those screens on a far wall. But this one was active, with endless rows of ones and zeroes scrolling across it. Curious, Draco stepped closer for a better look, wondering what all the numbers meant. He jumped back in surprise as a chubby woman in an elaborate blue dress popped up on the screen, as if it were an enchanted portrait.

"Oh, hello there! You must be the new family Dr. Asara has welcomed to Inferno, yes?" asked the woman sweetly. "Oh, and don't mind me. Just helping out the doctor, sorting out these bits and bytes and whatnot. Won't pretend I understand even half of this Muggle techno-stuff, but the dear girl needs some extra help, sorting out all this knowledge she's gleaming from this Kor-Zor fellow." The woman then sidled off the screen, only to reappear in a portrait on the wall behind it. "I suppose you'll be wanting to know where Dr. Asara is, right? Well, she in the second-floor dining room, past the potions lab, eating breakfast with her Reformers."

"Thank you," said Snape quickly, beckoning the Malfoys toward the stairs. They obligingly followed, and Bane cautiously crept up the stairs behind them. Unsurprisingly, Snape knew where the potions lab was, going into the first room on their right. The room was somewhat misty, with rows of cauldrons that had plastic domes over them, which had tubes forming a vast network attached to the ceiling. Some tubes filled a collection of floating bottles on the far side of the lab, which were quickly snatched up by slimy, black tentacles belonging to something out of sight on the floor. Draco recoiled with horror when something that looked like a sickly, black octopus scooted by them, mounted onto a pair of miniature tank treads. Draco quickly headed for the only other door to the lab and ran through.

He found himself in a lavishly furnished dining room, but it seemed rather dark and dreary. Valkyrie was at the far end of the table, looking at a piece of paper and scribbling something with a quill. As usual, Ryx was perched on her shoulder. At her left side sat Wildflower and Faction, dressed in the same outfits Draco had always seen. To Valkyrie's right sat Tesla, a new body and containment suit already provided for her. She was snarfing down some sausage, and had taken off her gloves and goggles and her hair was unbraided. To her right sat some lanky, middle-aged woman with dirty-blonde hair, wearing a plain Muggle dress and what Muggles called 'sneakers'. She looked a tad apprehensive. Draco had no clue who she could be.

"So, Kago, is it true? That Bolivian drug-trafficker down in Biosphere 28B who wanted a clean start, she's taking a liking to you, huh?" asked Valkyrie suddenly without looking up.

At once, Faction's expression turned to mortified confusion. "What is...how did you..."

"You have Petunia to thank for that," said Valkyrie with a grin. "Don't be angry with her, Kago. It's a mother thing. And I swear, I don't know how I kept up with all the gossip that floats through Inferno before she came along."

The woman beside Tesla blushed a little and looked down at her lap, but was then distracted by Tesla obnoxiously slurping down her cereal. "Ugh, such manners. And people say my husband and son used to eat a lot," said the woman.

Tesla swallowed noisily, then said, "With all due respect to dear little Duddits, he wasn't a disembodied spirit for half a century. Forgive me, Tunes, but I intend to thoroughly enjoy all the little things the living take for granted." With that, she reached for the last muffin, but it was suddenly snatched up by a long tongue shooting out from the woman beside her. Tesla stared angrily as she began to eat it right in front of her.

Wildflower and Faction also stared, their eyes wide, but Valkyrie still didn't look up. "Petunia, you never told us your tongue had changed permanently," said Wildflower.

"You never asked," said the woman innocently with her mouth full. Draco stared as well. Now he finally knew who she was. Whatever had changed Potter's Muggle aunt, it was clear that her frog persona wasn't a permanent transformation...at least not entirely. He wondered how Petunia Dursley shifted back and forth….

Faction looked offended for some reason, but Wildflower simply looked back over to Valkyrie. "Val, we're getting off-topic here. You've got to give some serious thought about your plans for our next offensive," said the vampire gravely. "I mean, the five of us are to make a full-frontal assault! I don't doubt our ability, but it seems like such an unnecessary risk!"

Valkyrie finally looked up, her eyes filled with a quiet, cold fury Draco had never seen in her. "Isobel, you don't believe I haven't planned this carefully enough? Is your trust in me that shaky?" she asked slowly and dangerously.

Wildflower stood up, looking aghast at the suggestion. "How can you ask me that, Val!? We've been working together for sixteen years! It's just that I believe in this case, such a decision is a tad reckless, and..."

"Isobel, I think it'll have to wait. Mom has another meeting to attend to," said Faction suddenly, looking over at the rest of them. Ped had a look of utter relief on her face, as if she dreaded being pulled into an argument between Valkyrie and Wildflower.

Valkyrie looked over to them and smiled. "I see. We'll finish this discussion another time, Isobel." From the tone of her voice, though, Draco suspected the matter was closed.

Still looking mutinous, the vampire turned to leave, the rest of her group following suit. Even Ryx was departing with them. When Ped passed by Snape, their eyes met, and Snape gave her a curt nod. Ped made an odd expression, as if she tried to politely smile but couldn't quite manage it. Faction also acknowledged them all with a nod as he passed. Snape then turned to leave with them, along with Susan and Bane. Draco had hoped Snape would stay with them, but before he could say anything, he felt someone squeeze his butt. Whirling around, he caught sight of Tesla winking at him before she scurried out of the room, the doors slamming shut behind her.

"Come, sit down, sit down," urged Valkyrie. Draco turned around to see his parents nervously approaching the seats vacated by Ped and Tesla. Not wanting to appear rude to the one offering his family asylum, Draco quickly took a seat beside his mother. The three anxiously watched Valkyrie for a moment, who regarded them all with a grin.

"I'm sorry it's taken this long to arrange a private meeting, but I trust you found your accommodations adequate?" she asked sincerely.

"Everything was fine, thank you," Narcissa began, but she seemed at a loss for what to say next. "Err, I'm sorry, but how should we refer to you now? You founded Inferno, didn't you? Do we address you as 'My Lord' or 'My Lady', or..."

"Can it be any plainer that you three have been around Voldemort too long?" scoffed Valkyrie, cutting Narcissa off. "I prefer that my friends simply call me 'Val', but if you must insist on formalities, then 'Dr. Asara' or 'Doctor' will do fine. After all, the title of 'doctor' is something I had to earn. 'Lord' or 'Lady' would imply that I am owed something simply because of the circumstances of my birth, and I wasn't kidding when I said my biological parents were dirt-poor peasants. Everything I have now, I have worked to build."

Draco suddenly felt uncomfortable. Was this an indirect jab at his family, and the wealth and power the Malfoys had commanded for generations? Draco got the feeling that his training was already underway. Was Valkyrie trying to tear him down and recreate him in her image?

"Of course, I'm exaggerating a little. I was left the Asara fortune, and Isobel had quite a bit of inheritance, too. Sinking every last Knut we had into this endeavor is how Inferno got its start. But enough about me. From the looks of it, you haven't had breakfast yet. That can easily be remedied." Valkyrie pressed something on the palm of her bionic hand. Robed house-elves noisily Apparated into the dining room, removing dirty dishes and replacing them with plates loaded with eggs, fresh fruit, sausage and muffins. "Bless these little guys. I swear I would starve without them. As you undoubtedly guessed coming in from the potions lab, I'm better suited for slaving over a cauldron than a stove."

After the last house-elf Disapparated with a bow, a troubling thought came to Draco. "You...have lots of house-elves in Inferno. Freed house-elves. I was wondering...I mean, is..."

"One of them Dobby?" Valkyrie finished for him, shaking her head. "Soon after he was freed, I did welcome him here. But after learning of my intentions, he got cold feet and tried to sabotage my work. I had no choice but to modify his memory and exile him. But he eventually found a job at Hogwarts, so it all worked out for the best." Draco knew it didn't take much to terrify that house-elf, but he couldn't help wondering what made Dobby turn on Valkyrie.

Valkyrie urged them to eat, and they reluctantly did so, but Draco found it hard while feeling Valkyrie's fiery, curious eyes studying him. A few minutes later, Lucius sat a little straighter, as if he had been working up the courage to say something. "Ms. Asara, if I may say so, I find it disturbing that you'd so easily dismiss my family's former servant. It makes me wonder about your willingness to honor any agreements we make," he said.

Valkyrie regarded him with an even wider smile, as if she admired his boldness and directness. "The arrangements I'll make with your family will be far different than Dobby's. After all, you're here because I wish to repay both you and your wife for all you did for me during our Hogwarts years. I'd like to believe on some level, we are still friends. I never forget a kindness done on my behalf, especially when you two did so in spite of your old beliefs."

"Y-You mean, helping you even though you're a Mu...a Muggle-born?" asked Narcissa, correcting herself in time. "But back then, no one thought the Asaras would..."

"Don't pretend you didn't know, or even suspect," Valkyrie cut in, still smiling. "The way I talked, the things I was knowledgeable about...you two at least suspected, yet you convinced yourselves I was worthy of your time anyway. I haven't forgotten. That's why you're here."

"But that's not the only reason, is it?" accused Lucius.

"Sharp as ever, Lucius," said Valkyrie. "Yes, not only will Draco make a fine Reformer, but you and your wife will be incredibly useful just by being here. As hard as it may for you to believe, I don't run a dictatorship here. My other work would make it impossible for me to oversee everything that goes on in Inferno. I've set up a form of democracy here, but there are a growing number that feel we would be overreaching by going through with the Day of Reckoning. Most would insist that it would be impossible to quickly change the hearts of minds of many in both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds, no matter how long we work at it. Well, if the Malfoys, who proudly stood for pure-blood supremacy, stand beside me, many Infernians will think again."

Lucius's face became a little paler, and Draco swore his father was fighting to keep his lip from curling. "You mean, part of the reason we're here is to be political tools!" he spat.

Valkyrie was still smiling, unfazed by Lucius's shift in mood. "Tools that will be most effective, since a few crucial elections are coming up. Politics is a subtle art, Lucius. You of all people should appreciate that."

Lucius glanced down, knowing she was right. It was Narcissa who spoke up next, looking eager to change the subject. "So, you need us to convince your people your master plan can succeed...whatever it is. But, if you are not ruler of Inferno, then...what exactly is it that you do?"

"I am commander of all of Inferno's armed forces," replied Valkyrie proudly. "In addition, I oversee most of our educational department, which is a much harder job. In fact, there was such a shortage of qualified educators in the beginning, I alone had to teach entire ampitheaters full of students, instructing them on everything from simple physics to advanced transfiguration. Finally having Severus here will help a great deal, believe you me." She shook her head and sighed, reminiscing about those rough times. "A lot of my spare time goes to research and development. Most of my private work takes place here. In fact, most of my most important facilities are located beneath this mansion. For example, when you walked through that study, you passed over part of my particle accelerator."

Once again, Draco couldn't help but be intrigued. They were only scratching the surface of what she spent the last sixteen years doing. The more he learned about her and her work, the less it seemed to matter that she was a Mudblood. But this talk about a 'Day of Reckoning' still worried him. What was her ultimate goal? To make the entire Muggle world look like the city they had just come from, or did it go further? The uncertainty disturbed him, but Draco couldn't work up the courage to ask. He suspected Valkyrie would tell them in due time, especially since she planned to train him as a Reformer, but the uncertainty gnawed at him anyway.

So Draco kept silent and let his parents do the talking. They pressed Valkyrie about a number of things, such as the deadly power she called Phazon, what she knew of Samus Aran and the Metroids, how she planned to pursue Voldemort, and ultimately they asked for the truth about the Day of Reckoning. She shed light on some of these things, but Draco could tell she was being evasive regarding the whole truth. It did not surprise him. He guessed this meeting was all about gauging how much she could trust his family at this juncture. Although he resented being left in the dark about some things, Draco admired her cautiousness and cunning. He would do the same in her position.

Furthermore, what Valkyrie did reveal was mind-boggling in itself. The tale she wove about Samus Aran, the battles she waged in her own time...now he understood why even Voldemort feared her, and why Valkyrie was so fascinated by her. She spoke as if Samus Aran would eventually join them, bringing Potter and his lot with her. Draco still couldn't decide whether he wanted that or not. He wasn't sure how he felt about Potter now, and couldn't guess what Potter thought about him. He had betrayed Potter's mortal enemy, but Draco doubted that would make the scarhead hate him any less.

As his parents and Valkyrie kept talking, Draco grew bored. His gaze listlessly went around the dining hall, and he noticed that, behind him, there was an open door. Finally feeling a little daring, he quietly got up from his chair….

Draco stepped through and found himself in a spacious room where the walls were lined with strange artifacts, most of which looked like weapons. It was like a private museum. He could tell some were clearly Muggle in origin, such as an array of large guns that looked quite old and battered. Mostly, though, all manner of blades and staffs lined the walls, and Draco wasn't quite sure which were crafted by Muggles and which were forged with magic. Eventually, Draco's gaze fell on something that couldn't possibly be a weapon: what looked a long smoking pipe with a bamboo shaft. As he stared at it curiously, he heard Valkyrie's voice directly behind him.

"You have a taste for unusual weapons, I see," she said. "It's a traditional Japanese smoking pipe known as a 'kiseru', and Muggle myths say a legendary Japanese thief used that very kiseru as his trademark weapon." Draco spun around, afraid that Valkyrie would be offended that he ran off, but she was still smiling. "Actually, I'm surprised you'd be so interested in the Muggle artifacts I've collected. I would have thought the magical relics here would pique your interest." She walked over to the adjacent wall, indicating a plaque with four odd, animalistic masks with a wave. "These four masks were unearthed in Africa...actually, they were found a few miles from Kago's village. I have yet to discover their function, but there's no doubt they house great power. And over here, we have a most unusual holdover from the goblin rebellions..."

Valkyrie walked over to a large glass case that contained something that was certainly not made by goblins. It was a long, heavy-looking metal tube thing, and it looked like something Muggle craftsman had slapped together only yesterday. There was an odd, yellow-and-black circular symbol at the center. Draco had no clue what it signified, but it had an aura of danger.

"Val, how can _THAT_ be something from the goblin rebellion?" asked Narcissa, sweeping into the room alongside Lucius. "It looks like something Muggles made only yesterday!"

"From a certain perspective, I guess it was," said Valkyrie. "Remember the potion and charm I just told you about, the one Voldemort used to summon the X parasites and Samus Aran to this time? Well, this is the result of the first known use of that procedure, when goblins secured an atomic bomb."

Draco gazed at the bomb fearfully and took a step back. He had heard of what these Muggle weapons could do. It was frightening, the things Muggles could come up with in modern times as opposed to their primitive ancestors. Thinking about this, he realized Valkyrie had a point when she said old notions about Muggles, and their kind's place with them in the world, were obsolete.

Lucius gave voice to Draco's silent fears. "Dr. Asara, you mean to tell us you brought a Muggle..._device_...that can vaporize a good chunk of your underwater refuge?" he asked incredulously.

"So did the Ministry, when they brought it into the Department of Mysteries, but without taking the proper precautions," replied Valkyrie, shaking her head. "When I came across it, there was still no Unbreakable Charm put on the plutonium casing, no Freezing Charm on the warhead. Even with it properly disarmed, there was still a danger until I stole it. All of London should thank me. It's incredible, really...so many of our kind wear ignorance of Muggle ways like a badge of honor, but here we see such ignorance can have dire consequences." Her brow furrowed in frustration. Draco wondered if this was another indirect jab at his family, or if she was fuming about something else.

But whatever upset Valkyrie, she ultimately shook it off. "But enough about what I keep in my little hideaway. After breakfast, you're getting a tour of Inferno itself!"

xxxxxx

And so, over the next few hours, Valkyrie gave the Malfoys a tour of the many 'biospheres' that composed Inferno. As it turned out, it wasn't a collection of biospheres aligned along the ocean floor, but arranged like a three-dimensional puzzle. Valkyrie said she wasn't one to waste space, and after seeing the towers protruding from the ceiling in their biosphere, Draco believed her. She explained how Inferno's growth was continuous, with Inferno's laborers always burrowing deeper and deeper into the crust, building new biospheres at astonishing speed, all thanks to the Chozo technology she took from Kor-Zor's prison.

Some biospheres were sprawling urban areas and the heart of many of Inferno's private enterprises. Others were simply agricultural areas, and Draco was shocked to see the more traditional-looking farming methods used. It was like a look back into Muggle history. And the biospheres could recreate any type of environment desired, from an arctic wasteland to a scorching desert.

She also showed them the strength of her military. The Malfoys got a good look at entire divisions of her armies immersed in heavy, brutal training, as well as a plethora of craft for mounting assaults on water, land, air and space. Draco remarked dryly that no Muggle nation on Earth would know what hit it if Valkyrie decided to level it, to which she only nodded in agreement and smiled.

Valkyrie could not contain her pride as she showed them around the home she created for herself and millions of immigrants. She tried to maintain an air of humility, insisting that an undertaking like Inferno wouldn't be possible without millions of dedicated citizens, but Draco had a feeling Valkyrie personally had a hand in each of Inferno's major projects. And there was no denying the mind-blowing scope behind this haven she had founded. For the first time since switching sides, Draco felt he could set aside his disdain of Muggle ways and take pride in what he was now a part of. But there was still some gnawing doubt about if this was what Dumbledore would have called 'the right side'.

Draco sensed their tour was coming to an end, a notion confirmed when Valkyrie said they'd be arriving at the 'heart of Inferno' as they rode another magnetically-suspended platform. When the platform hovered beyond the circular metal door, Draco found himself in an incredibly spacious chamber, possibly miles wide. All over the place were deep, circular pits that, as far as Draco knew, went down to the Earth's core. Large metal rods sunk into those pits, as if drawing energy, and the roar of many large, powerful machines with rapidly spinning parts filled the air, along with thick blankets of steam. It was both a dreadful and awe-inspiring sight, and he realized there was possibly a reason he always went along with the beliefs he was always taught. Like it or not, Muggles could build things of such immense size and scope with no magic at all, things that made him feel small and inferior. Perhaps holding on to those beliefs was a defense mechanism.

"And here we have the Pits, our vast array of geothermal power stations," Valkyrie proudly declared with a wave. "For obvious reasons, solar and wind energy is out of the question for us, and I wanted to avoid the icky byproducts of thorium reactors as much as possible. So the best option, naturally, was geothermal energy. That's why we chose this spot for Inferno. It was the perfect position from which to tap the core's heat."

"So, is that why you called it Inferno in the first place?" asked Lucius.

Valkyrie shook her head. "Actually, Isobel sort of chose that name."

Draco boldly walked toward one of the pits, which had a waist-high fence around it. He clutched it tightly and peered over, only to have his face blasted by an upsurge of steam.

"Careful now, Draco. There's a reason the engineers working the Pits go through two months of training," cautioned Valkyrie as she walked up to him. Draco turned to face her, wiping sweat and grime from his face. "Back in Salem, you asked me what good my education at Harvard did for me. Now you know. Studying geology taught me all I needed to tap the power of the Earth itself."

Draco smirked a little. Despite being forced to reevaluate some long-held beliefs, he was still a Slytherin at heart, and still admired those with ambitious plans. "Seriously, Dr. Asara, is there anything you can't do?" he asked curiously.

Valkyrie snorted. "Didn't Cissy tell you about my bungled attempt at joining the Ravenclaw Quidditch team? Oh wait, that's right, that was after she graduated..."

"Er...what happened?" inquired Draco.

"Well, Sev kept urging me to try out for Beater on the Ravenclaw team, mainly because he felt I could knock quite a few Bludgers Potter's way. And believe you me, that one reason was more than enough to get me to warm up to the idea," said Valkyrie with a nasty grin. "I figured with a knack for physics and better-than-average flying ability, I couldn't lose. Well, let's just say I slightly miscalculated, and my first game ended with five or so busted skulls of spectators, and somehow Hagrid's umbrella-wand got stuck up Flitwick's ass."

Draco grimaced. "I take it that was your first AND last game."

Valkyrie wrinkled her nose. "You guessed right. As for other things I can't do...well, I suck at music, plain and simple. My singing voice is like a kneazle in heat being scraped across a chalkboard, I've been told, and I can't get the hang of any musical instrument. It's quite vexing, really. A musical performance is like a harmony of mathematical perfection. I can accurately calculate the orbit of any planet and satellite, playing in a symphony is beyond me."

Draco didn't know how to respond to that. Thankfully, he was spared this dilemma when a young trooper suddenly ran up to them, out of breath. "Dr. Asara, good thing I finally found you," he said. "I have some urgent news..."

"If it's about two of our synthesizer units being down, I already know," said Valkyrie as she looked up. "As long as production is complete by next week, it's of no immediate concern." Draco suddenly felt relieved that Valkyrie was his new boss. Heads would roll if any of Voldemort's plans were set back like that.

"No, it's not that. I-It's about Dr. Hinada. S-She's dead," said the soldier shakily.

At once, all of Valkyrie's friendliness faded away. "What did you...Kasumi's DEAD?! How did this happen!?" she demanded.

"Her workstation, some sort of overload...she was incinerated by plasma..."

It looked as if Valkyrie's legs were giving way, and she had to grab the railing for support. Draco looked over at her. Her face was unreadable, as if she was fighting to keep her emotions in check, as if she wanted to show nothing but pompous glee around his family. "Dr. Asara...who was this Dr. Kasumi Hinada? Another Muggle scientist you worked with?" he dared to ask.

Valkyrie was dead silent for a moment. "You could say that. She's worked with me since Inferno began, alongside Isobel and Kago. Inferno never would've got off the ground without her, and she probably saved my life well before we began..."

"I...am sorry for your loss, Valencia," said Lucius softly, and Draco could tell he was sincere.

"Don't let it bother you, Lucius. I feel as if I'm to blame. I knew there was something wrong. She'd been so quiet lately, something was distracting her, I knew I should've..." Valkyrie sounded as if she was fighting back tears. "I'm sorry, everyone, but I have to cut our tour a little short. I must look into this. But there's one last thing I want to show you..."

xxxxxx

After spending a few more minutes on a magnetically-repulsed platform, Draco found himself not in another biosphere, but a long hallway with a high, curved ceiling. Every fifty feet or so, there was a large, circular door similar to the barriers met at each biosphere. They followed Valkyrie, who had remained silent since hearing the news of her colleague's death. With a wave of her bionic arm, she opened the third door on her right as she walked up to it.

Draco and his parents exchanged nervous glances, then slowly followed her inside. What they found was a recreation of some dark, dank mountainous cavern composed of some odd, orange-yellow rock. But everything about it felt strange, almost alien...

"This is like a miniature biosphere, meant to house very special beings," said Valkyrie, who stood a few feet before them, gazing ahead. "I did my best to recreate the necessary conditions, using data gleamed from Samus Aran's ship."

At first, Draco had no clue what she was referring to, but as he dwelled on it, a disturbing possibility came to him. An alien environment, a special creature...it couldn't be...

His worst fears were confirmed when he heard a loud chirp overhead. Draco forced himself to look up, and cringed when the saw the same flying jellyfish-like creatures that had invaded his manor. This was undoubtedly where Valkyrie kept her Metroids, the energy-harnessing parasites from Samus Aran's time.

Several Metroids swooped down around the Malfoys, chirping softly. Draco had a nasty feeling they were trying to gauge how much energy they could suck from them, but he forced himself to remain calm. Valkyrie would not have gone through all the trouble of winning him over, only to let them be food for her Metroids.

Draco was proven right when Valkyrie spoke again. "And here we have my Metroids, living in the closing thing I can get to SR388's environment."

"It seems you've been able to tame these...animals, something you said even Samus Aran's enemies had difficulty doing," said Narcissa warily. "How was this possible?"

"I did the same thing Samus did. I was present when the eggs hatched, and they imprinted upon me. They believe I am their mother," said Valkyrie. "A few well-chosen charms, along with infusing myself with some of the same Metroid DNA that Samus Aran and Harry Potter have, bound us together even further. So have no fear. They know you are my honored guests and will not harm you in the least."

"Extraordinary," muttered Lucius, eyeing a Metroid suspiciously. "No doubt that oaf Rubeus Hagrid would be beyond impressed. Here's a beast too dangerous even for him."

If Valkyrie was angered by his father's jab at the half-giant, she didn't show it. "You don't know the half of it, Lucius. These are only the larval forms. Throughout their lifecycle, they molt and mutate into larger, deadlier forms. In fact, one even reached...oh, here she is now!"

Draco looked where Valkyrie was pointing, and let out a yelp. An immense creature was emerging from the shadows, one that slightly resembled a crocodile. Its belly was glassy, and contained several of the same pulsating nuclei of the larva, only much larger. Its backside was covered with armorlike, greenish, chitinous scales. Its legs were sallow and scaly, tipped with talons that looked tougher than a dragon's spikes. On either side of its head were a set of four glassy, black orbs that seemed to be eyes, arranged in a diamond pattern. And its neck was obviously extendable, for its huge head was slowly approaching Draco though its feet were planted, saliva gushing out of its mouth, through rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Draco remained absolutely still as its head got closer, eventually only inches from his face. Was it sniffing him, or sensing him in some other way? Feeling a little braver, Draco reached out, tentatively trying to rub its snout.

But suddenly, the door to the alien environment slid open. A trio of goblins strolling in, bringing in a large metal container mounted on wheels. "Doctor, you requested that we find you as soon as our additions were complete," cackled one of the goblins. The goblins seemed unperturbed by the monstrously huge Metroid. "And what luck, Draco Malfoy is here with you!"

"Hold on, why are these goblins here? What's this got to do with my son?" demanded Narcissa.

"Don't worry, Cissy. This has to do with Draco's status as a Reformer-in-training," said Valkyrie calmly. "The Reformers are separate from the rest of my forces because each of them has a unique ability or trait that sets them apart. And here's something I intend to bestow upon Draco, which will most certainly set him apart. Unlike Voldemort, I'm not going to send him into the field with no preparation, without the necessary tools. And if he's willing, I'd like Draco to begin his training by coming along on our next offensive, to see what the job involves."

"I'm still not too fond of Draco becoming one of your foot soldiers, to be perfectly honest," said Narcissa sternly.

"My son is also a Reformer, too, don't forget," Valkyrie reminded her. "Our children will be fighting side-by-side. I would not order Draco to do something my son or I wouldn't do. So, without further ado..."

Valkyrie pointed her wand at the casing, and with a hiss it began to open, the separate parts spreading apart like metal petals of a blooming flower. Bright light issued forth, as did a burst of opaque, white steam. But once Draco's eyes adjusted and he saw what it contained, he was temporarily overcome with awe. If this was what he thought it was...

For many long moments, Draco and his parents stared at the case's contents. At last, Draco made up his mind and turned to Valkyrie. "What would have your new Reformer do?"


	18. Fury of the Forsaken

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 18: Fury of the Forsaken

6-17-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

**June 26, 1997 - 9:50 AM Western European Time**

**the forests surrounding the Burrow**

Harry and Samus stood a few yards from each other, both of them perfectly fine physically but mentally drained, the silence in the forest tangible and oppressive. Samus held Harry's wand, while Harry had her Paralyzer. They stood perfectly still, watching each other carefully, ready to act as soon as the other made a move.

Then, with practiced swiftness, Harry aimed the Paralyzer with both hands and fired. Samus was ready. She waved his wand and shouted. "_Protego!_" Harry's heart leaped when a shimmering, scarlet barrier sprang up in front of her, deflecting his shot. But that wasn't enough. Samus also had to disarm him with magic before the Paralyzer charged to full power. But when Samus pointed his wand at him and yelled "_Expelliarmus!_", the Paralzyer lurched forward, but Harry kept a firm grip on it. When he saw it had fully recharged, Harry fired again. This time, his shot struck Samus in the gut, and she toppled over.

Samus hissed, clutching her abdomen. Harry hated how she insisted that her magical training be so intensive. He never could have taught that way while heading the D.A.. Slowly, she rose to her feet. "Don't look at me like that," Samus said, noticing Harry's concerned look. "My training with the Chozo was far more brutal than this. I can take it. Let's try again."

"Still, it's not easy for me to fire guns at you, even this one. We've been at it for over an hour and you have yet to defend and disarm like you wanted." said Harry. Harry wanted to be the same patient, understanding tutor for Samus that he was for the D.A., but Samus was obviously frustrated by her slow progress. Most of the D.A. mastered these defense charms after only a couple lessons, but Samus was struggling. Attempts at transfiguration had failed miserably to. Harry had her try to transfigure a fallen branch into a snake, but somehow it became a scaly niffler that immediately jumped on the Paralyzer, trying to hump it.

"I told you already, Asara claims I'm missing a few crucial genes. The only times I did magic spontaneously was when I was in a combat situation. Hunting down Asara and Voldemort, that brawl in Kor-Zor's prison...so to have any hope of learning magic properly, it has to be while facing a real danger, a familiar threat. Or at least I'm guessing that's when I can concentrate on spells the best," explained Samus. "It's important I learn as much as possible, now that she's proven more dangerous then we dared imagine."

Harry knew what she was referring to. The memories of what he had seen through Voldemort's eyes the other night still terrified him to no end. It was so hard to believe that Lord Voldemort finally met his match. And Harry had witnessed it all. Every counterattack by Voldemort brushed aside, every surreptitious trap Valkyrie had sprung...

The sudden recollection of Valkyrie, of her smirking face and blazing indigo eyes, made Harry think of her offer. Through Voldemort's eyes, he saw Valkyrie had the means to live up to her promises. Despite her talk of plunging Earth into chaos, he still found Valkyrie's offers frighteningly tempting. Plus, she had been his mother's best friend, and Dumbledore was like a father to her. Even if Snape was her lover, someone like that couldn't be all bad...could she?

Perhaps that was the scariest thing about her. Despite her unscrupulous methods, Valkyrie came off as having the best of intentions, with the seductive lure of promises you knew she could deliver on. That's how she recruited Draco Malfoy, of all people, to be her new Reformer. She attacked where he was weakest, and convinced him to betray everything he was raised to believe.

But if anything was more unsettling than that, it was her newest trump card: a small army of Metroids. On top of everything else, she now had command over the deadliest predator ever. Samus was hiding it well, but Harry could sense her reluctance to ever face those creatures again.

At least thinking about Valkyrie made Harry remember something else. "You know, Samus, Valkyrie might have a point. Using my wand and George's...things might go much more smoothly if you had a wand that accepted you. Maybe it's time to try her wand." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the wax-coated wand with bitemarks.

Samus stared at it, looking as repulsed as if he had offered her roast chicken. "I...I can't use that wand," Samus said uneasily.

"Why not?" Harry demanded, a little frustrated.

"That wand of hers, I feel like if I accept it...or rather, if it accepts me...it's practically admitting I'm just like her. I don't need a constant reminder of that," Samus admitted.

Harry shot a nasty glare at her. "The wand you're holding has a tail feather from Fawkes, just like Voldemort's does. You think that rests easily with _me_?" From the dumbstruck look on Samus's face, Harry knew he got through to her. "You keep saying you need to learn witchcraft as fast as you can. That won't happen without a wand of your own. And since Ollivander is missing, your best bet is this one."

Samus closed her eyes and sighed, finally giving in. She handed Harry back his wand, then, with a shaky hand, she tentatively reached out for Valkyrie's old wand. Harry held the tip of it, so Samus could grasp the handle. The moment she did, Harry felt a surge of energy ripple through Valkyrie's wand. For a moment, Samus looked transfixed, and Harry wondered if she was experiencing the same thing he had in Ollivander's shop six years ago. His suspicions were confirmed when Samus raised her wand and sparks flew from the tip, not just bright red, but golden yellow, navy blue and lime green.

"So, Asara was right. Her wand's chosen to serve me," Samus said, not sounding happy about it. "I guess there's no denying it any longer. If I'm compatible with her old wand, it really means we're two of a kind. When I first heard of her, that would've been easy to accept. But the way she's trying to bait us, to bait _me_, and how I'm not exactly dismissing her offers out of hand…."

Harry felt surprised and a little relieved to know he wasn't alone in that regard. "I know the feeling. After all, she almost splattered Voldemort's molecules all across Little Hangleton for us. But what was it that you once told me? That the darkest desires spring from good intentions?"

"That's what the elders told me," admitted Samus. "But it's one thing to hear those words, and quite another to recognize that fact, and not be tempted yourself."

Harry was at a loss for what to say next. Thankfully, he heard someone noisily trampling through the forest, and Hermione's excited voice came a second later. "Harry, Samus! Head back to the Burrow, fast! Something wonderful's just happened!" Harry turned to see Hermione standing beside a tree with Ron, and both looked elated and incredibly relieved.

"Hold on...what in the name of the four fundamental forces has you two so happy?" asked Samus.

"Don't worry, you'll be feeling happy too, 'cause this'll mean plenty of tactical information for you and Adam to chew on," beamed Ron, smiling at Samus's confusion. "C'mon, hurry back to the house! Trust me, you'll wanna talk to who's showed up!"

Harry and Samus exchanged blank looks, but then followed Ron and Hermione. After Ron and Hermione scampered through the front door, Samus rushed ahead and thrust her way inside, no doubt impatient to see what Ron was talking about. Harry followed her into the living room and received a shock. Arthur and Molly Weasley were also there, and standing over the couch was Charlie Weasley, who had gone missing since the fiasco in Salem. Lying on the couch with an exhausted expression was a middle-aged man with a mullet and beard. Harry recognized him at once. This was the Muggle from the security videos Adam stole from the Pentagon.

It was Samus who spoke first. "Charlie Weasley and Captain JB Granger, correct? I can only assume you two successfully escaped Inferno and, if Ron was right, you have valuable information?"

All of the Weasleys looked aghast at how Samus was immediately demanding information, but the Muggle pilot smiled broadly. "You must be Samus Aran, the time-traveling she-demon of a bounty hunter Charlie was telling me about. No-nonsense approach, wanting to take the fight right to the enemy...I like you already."

"Glad I could make a good first impression," said Samus, smirking a little as well. "It's good to see you two escaped. Your niece was worried sick about you."

"Aw, Hermione knows I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," said JB, glancing over at Hermione with an admonishing grin. "Of course, those Infernian types said they were planning to let us go once this Dr. Valencia Asara had a chat with us in person. From what Charlie's folks told me, though, she's obviously been too busy to squeeze it into her schedule, and Charlie and I got tired of waiting." Harry found himself admiring this Muggle's daring and wit as well.

"So...how did you escape from Inferno?" asked Ron.

"Well, it wasn't exactly Inferno we were being held in," admitted Charlie. "It's one of the outposts Inferno established topside, nestled in the fjords of southern Norway."

"I suppose that's helpful. Maybe some of the Order can go back and infiltrate it. Unfortunately, we're still no closer to finding Inferno's exact location," grumbled Samus.

"Wouldn't be too sure about that, Samus," said JB hopefully. "During my captivity, I overheard plenty of stuff, and from what I gather, this Inferno is located somewhere in the South Pacific. Sorry I can't give you anything more specific. But in the meantime, let Charlie tell you how we busted loose. He deserves to wow you all, since he did most of the heavy lifting."

"Only because you're not a wizard. If you hadn't suggested I try using wandless magic on those circuits, and overheard the incantation for Asara's trademark spell, we never would have escaped," said Charlie modestly.

"OK, you two lost me. What trademark spell?" asked Hermione.

"It's a charm that creates a lifeless duplicate of whoever you use it on, and it acts as a decoy so you can fake a death," explained Charlie. "Supposedly, she invented it during her Hogwarts days. The incantation is '_Ingemiaceo_'."

As Harry digested this, many things about Valkyrie slowly became clearer. "So..._that's_ how she faked her death after her first duel with Voldemort. A body was recovered from the wreckage, but it was only a decoy."

"And how she engineered that mass exodus from Iraq while still making it look like Saddam Hussein succeeded in gassing the Kurds," added Hermione. "She was right. That charm _has_ to be incredibly dark...wouldn't be surprised if Snape helped her create it..."

"Sneaky little bitch, that one," remarked Ron dryly.

"Luckily, two can play that game," said JB. "After Charlie here did some wandless magic on the electronic array in our cell, we opened the door, overpowered our guards, and made a break for it. I overheard where they stored some quite volatile fuel, so once Charlie got hold of a wand, we ducked in there, created decoys of ourselves, and set off a chain reaction. The charred remains of the decoys threw them off our scent just long enough to make it to the hangar. Charlie grabbed a broom and flew us out of there. Made us invisible, but not before some of the doctor's goons spotted us and flung a few curses our way. And once his folks find a way to make me more...presentable, I've gotta head for the Pentagon."

"Presentable?" repeated Samus. "You look just fine to me."

"Think so?" quipped JB. He slowly turned over, revealing a third arm sprouting out of his back. It began to scratch at his butt. "Hey, enough of that!" shouted JB, swatting away the extraneous hand he apparently had no control over. Hermione let out a whimper.

"I have no idea what those soldiers were trying to do, cursing him like this," said Molly weakly. "Hopefully, I can find the appropriate countercurse for him. It's the least I can do after he brought my son safely home."

"In the meantime, there are other things you'll wanna know, Samus," said JB as he rolled onto his back and his third arm. "From what I gather, the thing this Valencia Asara was after is this alien ghosty thing called Kor-Zor, correct? Something that's the key to unlocking the secrets of dark matter?"

Samus nodded dully. "Yes, and I'm sorry to say she duped me and Voldemort into freeing Kor-Zor for her."

"Shame she wants to use it for such insidious ends," said JB. "I paid close attention whenever the guards mentioned it. I'm game to learn the secret of what makes up a good invisible chunk of the universe myself. But all we overheard a few hours before our escape was that somehow, Kor-Zor's ghost itself is what they're using to collect dark energy and dark matter. You realize what that means, don't you?"

Samus nodded again, but this time with a understanding smile. "I do. That means if we destroy Kor-Zor once and for all..."

"Then we stop Asara from amassing dark energy and dark matter, and the Day of Reckoning is averted," Hermione finished.

"But how are we supposed to do that if even the Hogwarts founders and the Chozo couldn't?" asked Ron nervously. "And how do we get to him if he's hidden deep inside Inferno?"

"At least we know for certain Kor-Zor's _NOT_ in Inferno," said Charlie. "We overheard the guards saying his spirit was being prepped for transport to the surface. We don't know where, but it didn't sound like they were bringing it to that outpost."

"Maybe if some of us head back there, we can bring back one of Asara's soldiers to interrogate," suggested Harry. "Plenty in the Order must be good at Legilimancy, right?"

"Sounds like a good plan to me," said Samus. "But before we try that, I want someone to contact Moody and see if he's done brewing the Polyjuice Potion he promised us. There's this one nagging suspicion of mine I want confirmed..."

xxxxxx

**June 26, 1997 - 5:55 PM Western European Time**

**Department of Mysteries**

Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt strode across the entrance hallway that led into the Department of Mysteries. At least, to anyone they came across, that's who they looked like. They even had their wands, so the security guard in the Atrium thought they were who they appeared to be. But thanks to some Polyjuice Potion, no one suspected that it was really Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley infiltrating the Ministry. And they were not alone.

Following the instructions of the real Kingsley Shacklebolt, who had overheard several Unmentionables describe an impassible portion of the Department of Mysteries, the two imposters went through the appropriate door. If any Unmentionables asked any questions, they simply insisted the Minister had authorized their presence, which thankfully resulted in them timidly backing off. At least Scrimgeour's heavy-handed methods were good for something.

They went into the Space Chamber, where models of planets and distant solar systems floated about in the expansive room. Fortunately, Ron knew his way around this part, and was able to navigate the chamber while keeping his feet firmly planted. Hermione followed him, and the two went through a door on the far side. They wove through a veritable labyrinth of narrow hallways, until at last they came across a dead end that looked like it had caved in. Not only that, some sort of transparent barrier shimmered a few feet in front of it.

The two impostors warily looked around. Once they were certain they were alone, they both nodded. It was then that Harry Potter finally threw off his Invisibility Cloak. His wand was in his front pocket, which had been used to Confund anyone who eyed his friends dubiously. In his left hand, he held a duffel bag that was enchanted so he could carry it no matter what heavy loads were inside. He unzipped it and held it upside-down. Out fell Samus Aran in morph ball mode, who unrolled once she hit the floor.

Samus looked over at the magical barrier and the caved-in debris that lay beyond it. "This looks like the right spot, but are you sure?" asked Samus softly.

"From what Kingsley told us, this must be it," said Ron in Kingsley's deep voice. "But do you really think this is where Valencia Asara got her Phazon?"

"Every bit of evidence we have so far points to that conclusion, but we've got to be sure. And we might find some valuable clues," said Samus as she surveyed the blocked passage. Without her x-ray visor, she couldn't scan for any possible areas to blast through. However, with her lengthy experience of exploring alien worlds, she had developed valuable instincts. One area along the floor looked interesting, a broken tile over a meter wide that seemed to cover something...

"Ron, Hermione, cast Imperturbable and Silencing Charms around the entire hallway. Harry, get back under your cloak and Confund anyone who comes sniffing around here," ordered Samus. Once the charms were cast, Samus fired a blast at the tile and it shattered, revealing a hole large enough to roll into. Smiling to herself, Samus went back into morph ball mode and rolled inside.

As expected, what she encountered was a maze of narrow passages left when this wing collapsed in on itself. Without the spring ball, however, navigating them was excruciatingly slow and difficult. Luckily, she still had her bombs. Samus propelled herself upward with bombs carefully laid at the right times, and blasted her way through obstacles when she was confident the structural integrity would hold. After several long minutes of patient navigation, Samus found herself in a ventilation shaft, then blasted herself out from right underneath a floor. She quickly unrolled, and was greeted by total darkness. Having expected this, she took off her helmet, grasping the wand behind her ear. Hermione had cast an Undetectable Extension Charm on part of her helmet, which she quickly refastened. Concentrating hard, she raised her wand high and yelled "_Lumos!_"

Amazingly, her wand did her bidding, casting a pale glow everywhere. Samus saw that she stood in a wide, circular chamber littered with debris. A thick layer of dust blanketed the chamber. In the center there was a circular space about ten meters wide. The tiles there were a pale, lackluster white, and what may have once been a stone platform. It was now shattered and blasted apart, but Samus guessed it had once been the right length to set down a human body. Lining the circle were what looked like candlebras, only now they were bent and blackened, as if burned by something. Most were bent in such a way that suggested some explosion went off in the middle of the chamber. Samus looked up, seeing a huge window with shattered glass about four meters up. She got the impression that that window was part of an observation deck. The rest of the walls sported deep cracks, and chunks of tiles were missing, as if an earthquake had struck. A door leading out of the chamber had caved in, and there were parts of the wall that looked horribly scorched as well.

_Was this where it happened? Is this where the Unmentionables were studying Phazon, as part of Scrimgeour's Valhalla Agenda?_ Samus wondered as she eyed the devastation. She had been so lost in thought, she failed to notice a message flashing across the bottom of her HUD until just then.

**WARNING: LOW LEVELS OF GAMMA RADIATION DETECTED. POSSIBLE RESULT OF NEARBY PHAZON CONTAMINATION. SUIT STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY AT 96.1% AND HOLDING.**

"I guess that settles it," Samus thought aloud, shaking her head. From what Harry told her, she knew Scrimgeour's methods were incorrigible, but how could he have been foolish enough to use something like Phazon? More importantly, how did he get his hands on it?

Determined to find out, Samus threw her wand through the shattered window. It still gave off light. She jumped onto the stone platform, then jumped toward the window. Without the high jump boots, she had to reach out and grab the edge, barely making it. She quickly pulled herself up and looked around. Two toppled metal chairs lay nearby, horribly scorched. What looked like pieces of parchment that had been blackened and burned littered the place as well. They looked as if they would crumble from the slightest touch.

Exploring the rest of the area proved fruitless. Samus mentally kicked herself for forgetting there would be no computers to scan here. All their information was stored on parchment, and the burst of Phazon energy that had obviously rocked this place fried every piece. Filing cabinets were blown apart, their contents charred and useless. Even worse, some areas were inaccessible due to the cave-in, and Samus couldn't help but think that would be no problem if she still had her power bombs. Her scan visor didn't yield anything useful either, as so many of the magical instruments were permanently damaged due to radiation. Oddly, she found no bodies or any organic remains, but the whole place still had a deathly ambience, as if a silent testament to a grave danger birthed here long ago.

Growling with frustration, Samus jumped back down into the experimental chamber and walked up to the hole in the floor. She quickly placed her wand back behind her ear, refastened her helmet, and rolled back in, carefully retracing her path.

_At least now I know for certain that Scrimgeour's Valhalla Agenda was behind Asara's transformation,_ Samus thought. _Now I have the perfect excuse to muscle information out of the Minister next time we meet._

Unfortunately, that time came _MUCH_ sooner than Samus expected. As soon as she barreled out of the tunnel and unrolled, she was greeted with the sight of her friends backed into the collapsed hallway. Ron and Hermione had reverted to normal, obviously unable to drink more Polyjuice Potion, and all three had their wands out. At the other end of the hallway stood Scrimgeour, Umbridge and a slew of Aurors. Scrimgeour looked ready to explode, while Umbridge's expression was a mixture of smugness and thinly-veiled worry.

Scrimgeour had been yelling at the trio, but his words trailed off as he gaped at Samus reverting back from morph ball mode. "What i-in...w-who the...what m-magic is this!?" he spluttered. But as he glanced at the arm cannon aimed at him, the answer hit him. "Samus Aran! How _DARE_ you have these little criminals smuggle you in here and..."

Suddenly filled with a terrible rage, Samus fired a few power bursts over their heads to let them know she was in no mood to be preached to. They all reflexively ducked. "Don't act all high and mighty with me, Scrimgeour. I just came from what I can only assume was where the Valhalla Agenda was carried out. It's flooded with low-level Phazon radiation. Now I _**KNOW**_ you and Umbridge are the ones who made Valencia Asara what she is. _**THIS**_ is where Valkyrie was born!"

Scrimgeour and Umbridge looked totally dumbstruck. It was Hermione who spoke up first. "Why am I not surprised? You wanted to make Asara the ultimate weapon against Dark wizards, but because of you, she's _replaced_ Voldemort."

"And now he and Umbridge are going to help us clean up the mess they've made," added Samus nastily. "That is, if they want to leave here alive."

"You _dare_ threaten_ US_, you otherworldly freak!?" screeched Umbridge defiantly, but Samus saw her wither under her gaze.

"You're not as stupid as you look," spat Samus as she let a diffusion missile power up. Of course, with most of her other abilities nullified, she couldn't blast around wizards as easily as before. Samus was counting on her friends to back her up. It was strange, how she was so readily falling back on others for support. Her experiences in this era had truly changed her. _Let's just hope I don't end up regretting my changes of heart,_ Samus thought nervously, hoping the trio was up to the task. "Like it or not, Umbridge, we all have a common enemy. I won't have any hope of..."

But Samus was cut off when the Department lurched violently from a tremor. Umbridge and many Aurors were knocked off their feet, and even Samus had to place a hand on the wall to steady herself. The department quaked again and again, and Samus had the distinct feeling that this was no ordinary earthquake, or even an earthquake at all. It felt like the focal points of the blasts came from different directions, very close by...

"What in the...what are you doing, you freak!?" demanded Umbridge. "What's happening to the Ministry!?"

"I have no power like this, but we all know someone who might," said Samus.

"I think Samus is right," said Ron. "If Valencia Asara can create an underwater city from scratch, then burrowing her way into the Ministry would be no problem."

"Didn't she say that the Ministry would be the next to fall?" Hermione pointed out. "She must be making her move."

"IMPOSSIBLE! No one could possibly mount an assault like..." Scrimgeour began. But the hallway lurched again, and Samus swore she could hear something smash apart in an adjacent chamber.

"She crushed Voldemort single-handedly. We can't ever afford to underestimate Asara again," said Samus. "At any rate, we have to get out of the Department of Mysteries, find out how many of her troops have infiltrated the Ministry."

Scrimgeour still looked murderous, and terrified that his dirty secret was finally out. But at least he understood his duty as Minister. "Very well, we call a truce for now," he growled. He turned to the Aurors. "The bounty hunter is right. We find out just what is going on."

Scrimgeour's group ran back for the Space Chamber, and Samus and her friends followed close behind. "Damn, this was supposed to be a simple infiltration mission," spat Samus. "But at least we'll be there to thwart Asara's next major offensive."

"I don't see how the four of us can turn the tide if Asara's bringing the full weight of her military down on the Ministry," said Hermione. "We were better off trying to fight our way through Scrimgeour's Aurors. How are we supposed to drive off an invasion force?"

Once they got back to the Space Chamber, their worst fears were confirmed. A score of men and women wearing the same uniforms McGonagall had described swelled the chamber, and were battling Scrimgeour's small band of Aurors. Though Samus had much to learn about magic, she could tell Valkyrie's soldiers were well-trained professionals. The Aurors would be swiftly overwhelmed if she did not aid them. She powered up a diffusion missile and fired it. It hit the model of Mars floating overhead, and the explosive swirl of mist entrapped almost half of their attackers in ice. Harry, Ron and Hermione got to work bringing down the rest.

From the shocked expressions of the soldiers, Samus knew the four of them were the last ones they expected to be in the Ministry. _But how long will we have the element of surprise?_ thought Samus as she fired a charged blast. It connected with a young, dark-skinned Infernian witch at the same time that Harry landed a Stunner, and it was too much for her armor to cope with. She toppled, but two of her teammates stepped over her. They fired Blasting Curses at the floor that knocked Harry back, but Samus stood her ground. However, one trooper pulled out a small machine gun as fired it in conjunction with curses. The bullets must have been charmed somehow, because the gunfire made her suit's energy tick away. Even worse, the other soldier brandished an electrified whip and ensnared Samus with it. Her energy drained away even faster...

However, they were so focused on Samus, they failed to notice the huge Jupiter model speeding toward them. It knocked them aside, letting Samus free herself. Samus turned to see Umbridge glaring at the fallen duo, then at Samus. Reluctantly, Samus nodded in acknowledgement, then surveyed the scene. Hermione had been wrong. The four of them had at least turned the tide for this fight. Most of the enemy troops had fallen, and only two Aurors were injured. They were already being revived.

"We must get out of here quickly, and rally the rest of the Aurors, and anyone left in the Ministry who can fight!" commanded Scrimgeour roughly. Samus was fine with him giving the orders for the moment; being a leader was still something she found discomforting. Samus, Harry, Ron and Hermione ran after the Aurors, finally making it to the circular chamber with the revolving cylinder of doors.

Unfortunately, it looked like their luck was running out. Many Aurors and Unmentionables had crumpled or had been disarmed by another squad of Infernian troops. Umbridge was blasted back against a wall just as the four of them ran into the chamber. Scrimgeour and a few others were still fighting valiantly, but the troops would overpower them any moment. "Give it up, Minister!" gloated a tall, pale man with a thick Russian accent. "Your Aurors are no match for our well-trained militia. Even if you overpower us, Dr. Asara is leading this attack personally! You know full well she will not let you go this time!"

The thought of Valkyrie personally leading their offensive filled Samus with cold dread, but as always, she suppressed her fear and readied herself for battle. Harry raised his wand, ready to fight as well. But suddenly, his hand flew to his forehead. He fell to his knees and screamed. Then, the most shocking thing of all happened, something neither side could have expected. One of the doors was blasted off its hinges. Samus saw that it was the one that led to the Department's entrance hall, and recoiled with shock as she saw three figures slowly coming their way.

Lord Voldemort had fully recovered. He was imperiously striding down the hall, flanked by Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback. Both of them wore murderous expressions, barely able to contain their rage.

Fighters for the Minstry and Inferno alike stopped to take in this baffling change of events. There was no way of knowing what Voldemort was doing here, or what his intentions were. But the Infernians, being the disciplined soldiers they were, quickly got over their shock and turned on Voldemort. If they were fearful, they did not show it.

Voldemort simply waved his wand, and a protective barrier shielded the trio from a hail of curses and bullets. The Dark wizard then counterattacked, sending out one Killing Curse after another. He succeeded in felling one Infernian, but the others ducked out of the way, desperately trying to keep both Voldemort and Scrimgeour's forces at bay.

"Go. Amuse yourselves," Voldemort hissed to his followers. Bellatrix and Greyback laughed evilly as they rushed into the chamber. Moving with frightening swiftness, Bellatrix swept around the chamber, taking the Infernians by surprise and casting the Cruciatus Curse on every soldier within reach. She laughed with sadistic delight, but it was almost drowned out by the snarls and howls from Greyback, who was savaging hapless troops.

Once again, the tide of battle turned thanks to unexpected arrivals. Soon, every Infernian had fallen. Scrimgeour and his team huddled together defensively, wands raised as they eyed the dark trio suspiciously. Samus stood in front of her friends, determined to shield them until she knew exactly what was going on.

Silence lingered for a few seconds, but Voldemort spoke up, his high, cold voice brimming with impatience. "Minister, I suggest you revive as many of your lot as you can and follow me. As you just heard, your old errand girl is personally leading this assault, and I am your only hope of escaping this place alive." He turned to Samus. "Ah, Aran, Potter...an unexpected boon. No doubt your presence will help turn the tide even more."

Harry finally managed to block out some of the pain, and slowly stood up. "This...you have to be kidding. Voldemort coming to _our_ rescue!?"

"I'm with Harry. Why the _HELL_ should we trust you!?" demanded Ron icily.

Voldemort glowered at Ron, who did not waver. "I thought it would be obvious, you my little blood-traitor. Everyone here has a grievance with Dr. Valencia Asara. And whatever her master plan is, it threatens us all. We've all learned the hard way that none can face her alone, so as much as it pains me to say it, our only chance is to work together."

"The enemy of an enemy is a friend, they say," muttered Hermione. "It turns my stomach that 'friend' might mean 'Voldemort', but right now..."

"He'd sure be handy to have on our side in a fight," finished Ron. "But there's no way we can trust him!"

The Department of Mysteries quaked again, this time so hard that the walls began to crack. "Right now, none of you have a choice! Inferno's forces are closing in, and fast!" roared Voldemort. "Her armies are drilling their way into the Ministry, and the machines they're using somehow set up a dead zone that prohibits Apparition! What's more, Valkyrie and her Reformers mounted a full-frontal assault on the Atrium, sealing off all the fireplaces!"

"Then how do we get out of the Ministry!?" Samus asked, keeping her arm cannon raised.

Voldemort narrow his eyes at Samus and grinned, as if daring her to try something. Then he turned to Scrimgeour. "I think the Minister knows. He's secretly been setting up smaller areas with one-way fireplaces all over the Ministry in the event that my forces ever overwhelmed it. Needless to say, my spies found out. Right now, they're being secured by my Death Eaters, while others are combing the place for people to evacuate. The entire Auror office should be evacuated by now. As for us, we must move quickly before the closest fireplaces are sealed by the enemy."

"Wait a minute, something's not right...how'd you even know Asara was planning this attack in the first place!?" demanded Harry vehemently.

Voldemort grinned again, leering at Harry. "I'm happy to say that some of my followers who apparently defected were loyal to me after all. Unfortunately, Snape and the Malfoys aren't among them, so they didn't dare use Dark Marks to communicate. They only got a message out to me a half-hour ago. I had to move swiftly, and I suggest the rest of you do the same!"

Samus still wasn't sold. "Where would those fireplaces take us?"

"Straight into Hogsmeade. My headquarters has been compromised, so the only option left is Hogwarts. It's the only place left in Britain where we can possibly hope to plan our next move in safety," said Voldemort. "I sent a Howler to Minerva McGonagall, telling her to expect visitors. No doubt she's already there, greeting the Aurors and my Death Eaters. Now if you don't mind, I suggest we go join them. We'll work out what to do with this unholy alliance once we're safely there."

Voldemort's pretentious attitude vexed Samus to no end, coming along as if such an unthinkable partnership had been preordained. But though it churned her stomach to admit it, Voldemort had a valid point. Valkyrie was their common enemy, and now openly declared war on the entire Wizarding world. Samus had to face facts: her only hope was to stand with Harry's sworn enemies. She glanced tentatively over at Harry. Through the pain induced by Voldemort's proximity, a look of understanding peered through, and Samus knew he had reluctantly reached the same conclusion.

"Fine. Let's get moving, and hope your minions are as good as they always boast," said Samus acidly.

Voldemort grinned wickedly, no doubt savoring the moment. "I knew you'd see things my way," he beamed. "I will take point. Bella, Greyback, bring up our flank. Scrimgeour, I trust you've revived everyone from the Ministry who's been knocked out and are ready to move out?" Scrimgeour grumbled mutinously but said nothing as he hoisted a dazed Umbridge to her feet. With that, the unlikely gathering was on the move. Samus stayed close to Voldemort, watching for any sign of betrayal, any hint of using the confusion to his advantage and turn on Harry. Guessing what Samus was thinking, Voldemort said, "Worry not for your little puppet, Aran. Killing him now would destroy all hope of unified opposition to Inferno, and we can't have that, can we?"

Samus remained defiantly silent as they exited the corridor. At the other end was a group of masked Death Eaters, sealing off the elevator. Samus guessed they were to use a nearby stairway to get to the closest secret fireplaces. There was, and it was being secured by even more Death Eaters, who nodded as their master approached. They went up two levels, Samus aiming up the stairwell the entire time they ascended. When they opened the door leading to the seventh level, however, Infernian troops were closing in. Before they could sling a curse or fire a weapon, Voldemort slashed his wand through the air and shouted, "_Sectumsempra!_" Blood spewed everywhere from the troops' deep wounds and they crumpled. Samus's mind reeled again at knowing this bloodthirsty maniac was now her ally, but he was certainly useful in a firefight.

"Our group is too big to move quickly enough," said Scrimgeour, as if trying to assert some measure of authority. "We should split into two groups, cover more ground to look for any stragglers who need help, and rendezvous at the fireplaces."

"I was about to suggest the same thing," Voldemort said smoothly. "Perhaps you, your undersecretary, your Aurors and the bounty hunter will deign to follow me. The bulk of my Death Eaters can escort Harry and his little friends."

Samus was about to protest, not wanting Harry out of her sight. But Voldemort knew he would get the blame if anything happened to Harry, and he couldn't risk their shaky truce falling apart. So she simply nodded, and the large crowd split up, descending into the labyrinthine hallways. Samus caught one last glimpse of Harry as he reluctantly ran off with Bellatrix and Greyback. For some reason, he looked exhausted. Was it his closeness to Voldemort, or something else?

xxxxxx

"Move your little arse, Mudblood! As much as I hate to admit it, our comrades can't hold off those Inferno dogs forever!" bellowed Bellatrix as their group ran down the hallways, looking for any Ministry workers that needed their help.

At least a dozen smarmy comebacks ran through Hermione's mind, but she decided to hold her tongue. She couldn't risk a hothead like Bellatrix Lestrange flying off the handle, not now. In fact, she didn't really trust herself to not curse Bellatrix's face off first chance she got. Ever since Samus's return, it was one unthinkable turn of events after another. But being thrust into a truce with the Death Eaters was the most mind-blowing of all. Hermione wondered how Harry was handling this. When she turned to look at him, he looked worn out, his breathing disturbingly shallow. He seemed oblivious to the fact that Sirius's killer was less than five feet away.

Before Hermione could dwell on it any further, they came across some unconscious Ministry workers. Bellatrix wasted no time reviving them and barking orders at them. _Probably the first time in decades she's ever used magic to help anyone,_ Hermione thought sourly.

As Hermione watched Bellatrix and Greyback rouse the unconscious wizards, another explosion rocked the hall. One side of it was blown apart, scattering debris everywhere and cutting the five of them off from the rest of their group. And through the gaping hole stepped a lone figure. It appeared to be a thin man around Ron's size, clad head to toe in some lustrous ebony armor. It bore many resemblances to the old power suit the SA-X had stolen, with broad, angular features along the armored boots and gauntlets. Some sort of half-spheres covered the shoulders, angling out in a way that reminded Hermione of a bird's beak. The man wore a helmet similar to the ones on her power suit, only the visor was as black and opaque as the rest of the suit, giving him a cold, inhuman look. Finally, Hermione's eyes fell on the chest, where the flaming bird of prey that symbolized Inferno was emblazoned.

The next thing Hermione noticed was some sort of spiky spear was mounted on his back, rising above his right shoulder. Still overcome by confusion, Hermione watched as the armored man reached for his spear and threw it. It soared across the hall and landed near Bellatrix. Electricity arced out and enveloped her, Greyback and the Ministry workers they had just revived. They all slumped down, barely conscious. Hermione turned her attention back to the Infernian trooper in time to see a wand pop out of his right gauntlet. _That wand, I swear I've seen it before._

Hermione raised her wand to defend herself, but the armored man aimed at Harry and nonverbally cast Expelliarmus. Harry was blasted off his feet and his wand landed near Hermione. Enraged, Hermione sent out a Blasting Curse. It only grazed the side of his armor, making it spark dangerously. "Come on, Granger. You can do better than that!" drawled a distorted voice, but it sounded strangely familiar. Ron joined the fray, sending out a Stunner while Hermione lashed out with Glacius. But their assailant jumped aside with fluid grace, pointed his wand at them, and yelled "_Torrentus!_" A stiff gust of wind blasted Ron and Hermione off their feet, and they dropped their wands. Their backsides collided with the wall, and within seconds, their attacker was standing over them. "You've got to be arsing me! After all the times you two showed me up over the years, I was hoping you'd put up a bit more of a fight!"

"The hell are you talking about!? Who are you!?" demanded Ron in an enraged voice. But Hermione had a nasty feeling that she knew.

"Can't you guess?" he asked silkily. His visor slowly became less dark and opaque. Within seconds, his visor looked like perfectly transparent glass, revealing...

"DRACO MALFOY!?" cried Ron disbelievingly.

"Like the new look, Weasley?" jeered Draco. "Too bad you and Granger don't have those new suits the bounty hunter slapped together for you. Maybe then this would've been a fairer fight. Maybe. After all, this suit Asara had built for me has goblin-forged armor plating, a slew of enhancements, along with being reversed-engineered from genuine Chozo technology. Too bad you can't say the same for yours."

"Same old Draco Malfoy, always bragging about the new toys he gets, of simply taking what he's given," snapped Hermione. "And come to think of it, it's really no surprise you jumped ship and joined Dr. Asara…you just want to be on the side of whoever's winning!"

Draco grabbed both her and Ron by the throats. "What would you have had me do!? The old fool might've agreed to help my parents, but no one else in the Order would have! Dr. Asara was my only choice! They're safe now, and we have a chance to start over! Dr. Asara's goals fly in the face of everything I was raised to believe, but I'll go along with it if it means my family can live in peace! Besides, I'm partly responsible for Dumbledore's death! I see his face in my nightmares every night! Maybe by helping his old protégé, I can atone for my part!"

His armored fingers were clamping down hard on their necks, impossible to pry off. He glared at them with a steely gaze that betrayed a mix of rage and a need for understanding. He almost looked ready to cry, but suddenly, a look similar to Draco's old arrogant self crossed his face. "But maybe...maybe you're just jealous, Granger. Jealous that there's a Mudblood out there tougher and smarter than you, and she chose someone like me to be her new knight in shining armor!"

"You...you STILL use that w-word!?" Hermione croaked, desperately trying to pry Draco's fingers off.

"Why not? Dr. Asara even calls herself Mudblood. Blood status is nothing but a joke to her," cried Draco.

"J-Just like how you b-being all self-righteous, trying to j-justify yourself to us, is a laugh and a h-half!" wheezed Ron.

Draco's only reply was an animalistic howl of fury. He let go of their necks, but then grabbed them by their hair. He spread his arms wide, ready to smash their heads together. Hermione shut her eyes, bracing herself. She felt her head swing forward, but suddenly Draco stopped. For many moments, they all remained silent and still. At last, Hermione worked up the courage to open her eyes. Her head was only inches from Ron's.

"No, this isn't what I want," Draco said softly, sounding as if he'd come to his senses. He let go of their hair, letting them drop to the floor. "Dr. Asara would've had my head if I'd...enough, get Potter and my aunt and go," said Draco as Hermione looked up at him. His eyes were unmistakably full of remorse. "I mean it, get moving. I'll feed some story to Dr. Asara. If we're destined to keep fighting each other, I want it to be a fairer fight. Go get your power suits, and be ready for next time."

"W-What in the...what's your game now, Malfoy!?" demanded Ron, not believing he was letting them go.

Draco glared at Ron. "The days of me doing crap like luring you into a bogus duel are over, Weasley. If I still have to fight you, I want you to have no excuses. So take Potter and move it. By the way, why hasn't he done anything? I didn't hex him _THAT _hard."

Hermione looked around and spotted Harry nearby. He was on all fours, quivering and coughing. "What the hell is wrong with you, Potter? Don't tell me you're falling apart after one Disarming Charm," drawled Draco. But as Hermione watched more closely, she noticed something strange was happening to his arms. They slowly took on a sallow color, and seemed to become...scaly? Not only that, his fingers looked like they were transforming into long, razor-sharp ivory talons. Harry was facing the floor, but whatever strange metamorphosis that was unfolding, she could see it was affecting his head too. His hair grew a little, becoming more shiny and spiky. Additionally, two rows of bumpy ridges grew along his back, pushing out against his T-shirt.

"Harry, mate, what's happening?" asked Ron, beside himself with terror. He clearly had no clue what was happening, but Hermione had a nasty feeling she did...

Her worst fears were confirmed when Harry looked up at Draco. His face looked the same, only now instead of flesh it was covered with a weird, chitinous, olive green armor-like covering. His teeth had become sharp, spiky fangs, and saliva oozed through them. His scar was still there, only now it was a ghastly, pearly white, and his eyes were solid obsidian like his aunt's.

Harry stared fixedly at Draco for a moment, who stared back blankly, rooted to the spot. Then, Harry threw back his head and let out a horrible screech. When he threw his head back forward, he spewed out a pale-blue flame with enough force to blast Draco off his feet and into a mound of debris. Hermione could feel the oppressive heat as it rushed past. Harry bounded past her and Ron, heedless of their presence, as if his only thought was to tear Draco limb from limb. In an eyeblink he was upon Draco. Draco was just fast enough to land a punch in Harry's gut, but it sounded like it rebounded off of thick glass. Harry snarled, hot saliva oozing onto Draco's armor as he grabbed his right gauntlet so he couldn't extend his wand. He pummeled and slashed at the armor with his free hand, forming deep scratches in his visor and chest plate.

"Wha-What happened to Harry!? What's he doing!?" asked Ron as he stared at the pair.

"I think this is what Adam meant by his Metroid genes being reactivated by Phazon," said Hermione meekly. "And looks like when he's in that form, he rages out of control! He's going to kill Malfoy!"

Luckily for Draco, he had one trick left up his sleeve. As Harry kept up his assault, Draco reached out with his left hand. At his command, his spear returned to him, flying through the hall and almost impaling Ron. Once it reached him, he plunged it into Harry's hip, and he howled in pain. Draco pulled it out and Harry rolled off of him. Looking dazed and exhausted, Draco held his spear out in front of him, and Hermione gasped as it changed into a broomstick with a pointed end. The new Reformer swiftly mounted it and flew out through the hole he had made.

Harry had gotten up just as Draco vanished from sight. He screeched with unrestrained fury. Taking slow, timid steps, Hermione walked up to Harry, placing an uncertain hand on his shoulder. He whirled about to face her, still snarling and drooling, glaring at Hermione with eyes she could see her reflection in. "Harry, forget it, Draco's gone. W-We've got to make it to the rendezvous, use those fireplaces before Valkyrie puts them out of commission! C-Can you walk?"

For a few agonizing seconds, Harry stared back blankly, and Hermione feared he was still obsessed with fighting Draco...or any enemy within reach. Then Harry looked down at his talons, then at a dull reflection of himself on the tiled walls. "I don't think we'll have to worry about any Inferno soldiers for a while," he said hoarsely, his voice filled with venomous rage bubbling to the surface.

"Harry, here's your wand. You can still use it, right?" asked Ron, running up to Harry and offering his wand back. He stared at Harry with a mix of apprehension and awe. Harry didn't seem to notice it. He simply took his wand and strode forward. Upon reaching Bellatrix, he aimed his wand and roughly said, "_Ennervate!_" Harry didn't so much as let her open her eyes before roughly hoisting her to her feet.

"Wh-What i-in...what m-manner of monster has that M-Mudblood..." Bellatrix began to stammer. But as her eyes fell upon Harry's scar, the truth slowly dawned on her. "P-P-Potter! W-What madness is this!?"

"Madness is right, Bellatrix," snarled Harry, thrusting her walnut wand into her hand. "Make yourself useful and revive everyone else, then get moving. I'm on a _REALLY_ short fuse right now, so don't give me any trouble. I could use extra energy, so if you give me any excuse...well, I don't think I'd lose any sleep if drained the life force of Sirius's killer…."

Hermione thought no one but Voldemort could browbeat Bellatrix like that, but she stared wide-eyed with horror at Harry, knowing full well he meant every word he said. She quickly got to work, reviving Greyback and the others, and soon the group was on the move again. "The Death Eaters who were cut off...I think we can assume they found a way around and already escaped through the fireplaces," said Bellatrix, constantly casting sideways glances at Harry as they ran. "By the way, that thing, did you drive it off? What was it?"

"'Your nephew," spat Ron. "You heard Asara back in that graveyard. Malfoy's her new Reformer, and looks like his initiation's begun already."

Bellatrix muttered something unprintable about Draco under her breath, but Hermione's attitude was a bit more empathetic. She truly felt sorry for Draco. Was he really that guilt-ridden, and did he really think only Dumbledore would have been willing to help his family? _No doubt Asara made it sound that way when she approached him, _Hermione thought sourly. _Asara must've played on Draco's guilt and his obsession with protecting his parents. She's nothing but a predator!_ Her gaze then turned to Harry. _Speaking of predators, I hope we can find a way to get this Metroid form of his under control. He'd never forgive himself if he killed Draco in a fit of rage._

When they reached the double doors that were supposed to be the rendezvous, leading to their floor's secret fireplaces, they found it blasted open. A few Death Eaters were standing their ground as more and more Infernian troops were converging upon them. Seemingly without thought, Harry belched plasma out at them. The troops' special uniforms protected them to a degree, but some still caught on fire, and the whole squadron edged back down the hall. As they did so, however, they were flanked and swiftly cut down. Hermione heard the distinctive sounds of Killing Curses and Samus's charged shots. Sandwiched between their two groups, the Inferno soldiers were defeated within minutes. Samus and Voldemort made their way towards them, stepping over the fallen bodies. Their eyes soon fell over Harry's mutated form, and both stopped dead in their tracks.

"What, why are we stopping?" squealed Umbridge, then she got a good look at Harry. "My God, what now!? What is _THIS_ monster!?"

It was amazing how a few words from Umbridge still made Hermione swiftly lose all control. Amazingly, before she could think of a retort, Voldemort rose to Harry's defense. "It might not be a good idea to call Potter a 'monster', or antagonize him at all, while he's in this form. I speak from experience," said Voldemort coolly.

"But if you want to learn the hard way, like when you pissed off that whole herd of centaurs, don't let us stop you," added Samus. Umbridge opened her mouth to say something, but another tremor rocked the hallways.

"We're running out of time. They keep penetrating deeper and deeper, and this whole area could be swarming with Inferno troops any minute. We'd better start evacuating _NOW_," said Ron nervously.

"The boy is right. Forget about Potter's...condition, Dolores. It pains me to say it, but judging from the hordes we had to fight past to make it here, the Ministry is lost to us," said Scrimgeour somberly, looking fatigued. "Those of us who remain to oppose Asara must flee and regroup."

No one said much after that, as Ministry workers and Death Eaters alike began to use the fireplaces to escape to Hogsmeade one by one. Given how many of the Ministry that the Death Eaters had liberated from the invading troops, and how few fireplaces there were to use, the process was painfully slow. Hermione anxiously stood guard around the entrance with Harry, Ron, Samus, Voldemort, Scrimgeour, Bellatrix and Greyback. When another powerful tremor shook the place, Hermione nervously looked behind her. Her heart sank upon seeing that only about half of them were successfully evacuated. "Hurry up back there!" shouted Hermione fearfully. "We don't have any time to waste! Myrtle could be down here any minute and render the fireplaces useless!"

"Hermione, I think we may have to deal with something far worse real soon," growled Harry in that horrible, raspy voice. Before Hermione could ask what he meant, a powerful burst of energy shot upward from the floor, several yards from where they had set up a defensive perimeter. Hermione's blood ran cold when she heard a familiar crackling sound. A few seconds later, Valkyrie slowly rose from the hole and gently touched down in front of it. Phazon energy arced around her, gazing at all of them with her blazing eyes.

Samus raised her arm cannon and charged a blast, while everyone else raised their wands. "Keep going, all of you! Don't stop the evacuation for anything!" Voldemort commanded. Hermione braced herself for anything, certain an attack from Valkyrie was only seconds away.

But Valkyrie merely looked around the halls, examining the fallen bodies of her soldiers. "I can tell you're the one responsible for most of the deaths here, Tom Marvolo Riddle. Not a good idea, slaughtering the cubs when the big bad momma bear is right around the corner." Hermione could sense the carefully-controlled volcanic rage behind her cool voice, and knew the eruption was coming. "Though at least you've saved me the trouble of hunting you down. Of course, I never would have anticipated you'd stoop to forming an impromptu truce with the Ministry and Samus Aran's group. Or that they would reciprocate, and..."

Valkyrie's voice trailed off as her eyes slid over Harry, and she looked uncharacteristically shocked. "What is this!? You've reverted to your Metroid form!? How's this possible!? What could have..." But her words trailed off again as a look of understanding swept over her face. "Of course. Exposing you to Phazon must have triggered your dormant Metroid DNA. Extraordinary, and unexpected. As unexpected as you being so willing to defend the Death Eaters and Ministry like this. You disappoint me, Harry. After all I've offered you..."

Valkyrie started walking towards them, but Harry bravely flung himself in front of them. "Back, all of you. I think I can take her while I'm like this. I hold her off long enough to let everyone else escape!"

"How disgustingly heroic, like your father," spat Valkyrie. "Why are you still so determined to see me as the villain? The embodiment of everything that you, your mother and Albus fought…is standing a few feet from you, and you're protecting him!? Not to mention Rufus Scrimgeour and Dolores Umbridge, who've conspired to ruin both of our lives!"

For a few moments, Harry said nothing, defiantly pointing his wand at Valkyrie as he breathed heavily, hot saliva dribbling onto his T-shirt. "Yeah, I know about that," Harry said at length. "Samus saw where the Valhalla Agenda was carried out. We know those two are the ones who infused you with Phazon."

"And you still think they're worthy of your protection, knowing that!? You have no idea what their treachery cost me, Harry! What this power has done to me, what I've lost because of it!" roared Valkyrie. "But enough about me...what have these two ever done for _you_!? Besides wanting to use you like a figurehead, or trying to smear your good name! They perfectly represent their corrupt government and the weak-willed masses they serve: jumping on the bandwagon to castigate you, then they kiss and make up when it looks like they need you! You owe these two _**NOTHING**_, Harry! You owe the witches and wizards of Britain _**NOTHING**_!"

Hermione glanced over at Harry, whose breathing was more ragged than ever. His black, lustrous eyes glistened strangely, and his wand arm trembled. A sudden fear overwhelmed Hermione. Was the fury that consumed Harry while in his Metroid form clouding his judgment so much, it made it easier for Valkyrie to sway him?

"Why defend a government and a people who wouldn't think twice about backstabbing you if it suited their interests!? More importantly, why defend your mother's killer against the one who swore a blood oath over her grave to make her deepest wish a reality!?" Valkyrie went on. "I'm sure Albus told you that the measure of a person comes from the choices one makes. This is it, Harry Potter..._MAKE YOUR CHOICE!_"


	19. Paradigm Shift

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 19: Paradigm Shift

6-24-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

As before, it took so much effort to focus and think straight while in his Metroid form, but after Valkyrie's tirade, a storm of thoughts and emotions swept through Harry's mind. For a moment, it was as if Valkyrie was at the long end of a tunnel, holding out a hand, her eyes ablaze with expectant zeal, awaiting him to finally take his rightful place by her side. For a moment, there was no one but her, offering him almost everything he could ever want.

_She's right, _he silently admitted, _what are we doing trying to protect these people!? Samus, Ron, Hermione...Voldemort will try to kill them the second they let their guard down. Scrimgeour and Umbridge despise Samus, and it's people like them who've always stood in the way of people like Ron and Hermione. Until a couple weeks ago, all I wanted was to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes for Dumbledore. Valkyrie can help me do that. Samus was the one worried about preserving the timeline, and now she doesn't sound so sure about that anymore._

"Potter, don't tell me you're actually giving in to this bitch's honeyed lies!?" sneered Voldemort.

"Indeed...after what this monster's already done, you can't possibly listen to her now!" shouted Scrimgeour.

"Call me crazy, but I don't think Harry's in the mood for a heart-to-heart from either of you," spat Ron.

"Ron's right. Whatever happens now...it's Harry's decision alone," said Hermione.

"She's right," added Samus. "We can't tell you what to do now, Harry. You're capable of making your own decisions. Just remember that choices have consequences, and what you choose here can have consequences for all of Earth, and the universe."

Choices.

Dumbledore had told him that choices, instead of abilities, make people what they are. That was what ultimately set him apart from Voldemort. But if he chose Valkyrie's side here, wouldn't that set him apart further? Valkyrie could help him destroy Voldemort forever, and after she tore down the Ministry for good, he could help her erect a better government in its place...one that didn't discriminate against non-purebloods and non-humans. It truly would be taking the first steps to create a Wizarding world that Dumbledore would have wanted.

"What more do I have to say to convince you you belong with me?" demanded Valkyrie. "I'll help you destroy Voldemort for good, reshape the Ministry, help you control this Metroid form and train you up so that no one will ever dare challenge you again! If Draco Malfoy can see the wisdom in joining Inferno, why can't you!?"

Harry shut his eyes and clenched his fists, his talons poking deep into his scaly palms. He trembled as the conflict raged within him. Valkyrie's offer was too good to be true. Here was the best friend his mother ever had, determined to give him anything he could possibly desire. The power to destroy Voldemort, leaving him free to pursue a life with Ginny.

Power.

Dumbledore's words exploded in his mind again, but this time, it was their discussion of what made Harry what he was. The man, supposedly pure of heart and soul, who saw not absolute power in the Mirror of Erised, but the means to keep power from those did not deserve it.

Harry opened his eyes again and looked over at Valkyrie. She held out her bionic arm, hand open, a welcoming gesture of friendship. But Harry was focused mostly on her eyes. Fanatical, cruel eyes that glowed indigo and pink.

And then, another fleeting memory came to him. Another recollection of a madwoman whose eyes glowed with zealous fury. Another perversion of everything that made Samus Aran what she was. Another determined to first destroy in order to create. Another who had tried to sway him, but who Harry saw for what she truly was.

"Perhaps I haven't done enough to convince you," said Valkyrie impatiently. "Was witnessing Voldemort's ass-kicking through his eyes not enough? Here, I'll shove a few more thousand rads down his throat."

Valkyrie's bionic arm shifted into an arm cannon. She pointed it to where Harry knew Voldemort stood, glaring with a vengeful look. The look of someone who ultimately wouldn't care about any innocents harmed by her plans for power and revenge.

And then, Harry finally made his choice.

Harry belched out a ball of plasma at Valkyrie, deflecting her blast. Her shot struck the roof of the hall, making the place tremble all over again. She staggered back, glaring at Harry with disbelief. "You...you're actually _PROTECTING _him!?" she balked.

"Reluctantly," said Harry darkly. "Only because we need him to beat a monster that may be far worse than he ever was." Harry heard Samus, Ron and Hermione all gasp with relief. It was as if they all had expected him to accept Valkyrie's offer. But once again, he showed that Harry Potter did not give in to temptation so easily.

"Harry, I've never been more proud of you," said Samus softly.

Valkyrie stared back at all of them, glowing eyes wide and mouth agape, for once at a complete loss for words. It could not have been plainer that Harry joining her was an integral part of her carefully-laid plans. Now it blew up in her face. However, it wasn't long before Valkyrie's torpor vanished. "You cut me real deep, Harry. You have no idea how much you joining Inferno meant to me. But I can't let your pigheadedness keep me from reigning in Voldemort, Scrimgeour, Umbridge for good."

Phazon energy crackled around Valkyrie. She slowly raised her arms, aiming her arm cannon and wand. Harry immediately began to regret his choice. His Metroid DNA granted resistance to Phazon, but only to a certain degree. They still had no way to block out radioactive energy with magic. But amazingly, Scrimgeour came to the rescue.

"Potter, there's a way to beat back her power. It's a special protective charm...the incantation is _Bangsasunis Chapaprotego!_" shouted Scrimgeour.

"That's the last time anyone turns my work against me, Scrimgeour!" cried Valkyrie angrily, a second before she unleashed a continuous double-blast of Phazon energy.

Acting on instinct, Harry flicked his wand and yelled, "_Bangsasunis Chapaprotego!_" Harry had no idea if he cast the charm correctly; he felt more unfocused and lightheaded than ever. A monstrous headache,forced him to shut his eyes. When he finally opened them, he saw what looked like millions of tiny particles striking an invisible barrier. Not only that, Valkyrie's Phazon blasts were, for the moment, being blocked. Harry guessed that the charm was stopping her attack _AND_ deflecting all the ambient radiation.

"You think even _you_ can hold me back for long!?" screamed Valkyrie. "You've never used that charm before, and it's a charm _I_ invented!? It won't take me long to find where your barrier is weakest, then plow through!"

Harry knew she was right. If Valkyrie was to be beaten back, he had to act fast. He looked around at all the stray radiation hitting his magic barrier. Millions of rays and particles carrying deadly energy...except for those from Inferno, and him.

He didn't know what he was doing, didn't really know how to use Valkyrie's spell, going along with a half-plan that suddenly popped into his head. Concentrating with all his might, he willed the shape of the barrier to reform into a funnel, with him at the center, just beyond it. At once, he felt unbearably hot as incredible power surged all around him. Concentrating again, he stood there with arms outstretched, calling upon the Metroids' powers of energy manipulation….

Valkyrie kept up her assault, heedless of Harry's change in tactics, until she finally noticed the barrier's shape had changed. Moments later, Harry's body began to crackle with Phazon. She broke off her attack, staring fearfully at Harry, finally realizing that unleashing a Phazon attack against his Metroid form was the absolute, drop-dead _LAST_ thing she should have done.

Harry glared over at Valkyrie, delighting in how stunned she looked, right before he raised his wand. Panicking, Valkyrie twirled her wand. "_Bangsasunis Chapa..._"

It was too late. Harry's wand fired a tightly-focused beam of Phazon energy, striking Valkyrie dead-center and rooting her to the spot. She let out a hideous wail, unable to move a muscle as her own power was thrown back at her, paralyzing her.

"Hermione, you were right! She can be hurt by her own power!" exclaimed Ron.

"This is our chance...let's hit her with everything we've got!" replied Hermione.

"Way ahead of you," said Ron. Out the corner of his eye, to his right, Harry saw Ron raise his wand. "_Lumosolis!_"

Hermione stood at Harry's left. "_Glacius!_"

A tightly focused beam of light and a powerful burst of icy wind struck Valkyrie, slowly forcing her back. Harry heard Samus charge a blast, and judging from a sudden burning in his scar, he knew Voldemort was ready to strike. He screamed "_Avada Kedavra!_" just as Samus's charged shot was about to hit Valkyrie. Their attacks smashed into her simultaneously, and Valkyrie was blasted backwards. She toppled over, deathly still.

Which was just as well, for Harry felt as if all his absorbed Phazon energy was depleted. Even worse, the effort itself left him feeling drained altogether. It was all he could do to maintain the magical radiation shielding, should Phazon energy pour from Valkyrie's body. His vision was blurry, and he could barely stand. He felt Samus's arm wrap around him, steadying him. "Harry, you did it! You bought us enough time!" she exclaimed.

"Only a dozen or so left now," he heard Bellatrix say. "But what about Valkyrie? Did your volley finish her, or do we at least have time to polish her off ?"

"Too dangerous to stay and try," said Samus, turning to glare at Bellatrix. "We still have no idea what the extent of her power is. Asara could be on top of us again in seconds, and she'll be spewing radiation again. I'm sure you remember what that means. The only ones immune are Harry, me, and..."

Samus was cut off by an agonized wail from down the hall. Harry looked up, cold dread gripping him when he saw that the rest of Valkyrie's inner circle had seemingly appeared from nowhere. Petunia and Snape were helping Valkyrie to her feet, her eyes glassy and unfocused. Wildflower, Faction and Myrtle stood around them, undisguised horror etched on their faces. Draco was behind them, the expression behind the visor one of shock. Several soldiers were further behind him, and Harry swore he saw Draco's parents among them.

Petunia turned to glare at him, tears pouring down her slimy cheeks. "You...how could you do this, Harry!?" she cried, sounding as horrified as if he had gutted Vernon or Dudley. "She offered you everything you could have ever wanted and needed! _THIS_ is how you repay her!?" Beside her, Snape stared at Harry not with his usual look of disgust, but a speechless look of heartbreak and defeat. It was almost as if Snape had counted on him switching sides as well.

For some reason, Harry found himself cut down by both their accusatory stares. He didn't have long to dwell on it, though, for Scrimgeour spoke up again. "Everyone, out of here, NOW!" he commanded.

Harry managed to look behind him, seeing Greyback and Umbridge both ducking into fireplaces. Scrimgeour and Bellatrix quickly ran to follow them. "Master, forgive me, but we must make a strategic retreat NOW!" Bellatrix shouted over her shoulder.

"You will, but Voldemort will not!" Faction called after her. "We end this, here and now."

"Kago, NO! You can't be serious!" shouted Snape, horrified.

"I'm sorry, Severus. But Petunia is right," said Wildflower coolly. "Val offered Harry and his group her trust and her friendship, and they spat in her face. They've made their choices. If they're determined to stand against us..." She turned to Myrtle. "Tesla, FRY THEM WHERE THEY STAND!"

"I thought you'd never ask," said Myrtle dangerously, electricity arcing all over her. She thrust an outstretched hand forward, and lightning lanced out at them. Voldemort waved his wand, deflecting her bolts. But Harry knew it wouldn't be long before Myrtle built up enough power to throw up an electromagnetic field, cutting off their only escape.

Samus turned around, dragging Harry along with her as she blindly fired missiles and beam shots back at the Reformers. Ron and Hermione dove into a fireplace together and vanished in a swirl of green flame, but some of the electricity was getting past Voldemort. It arced from fireplace to fireplace, and they shattered and broke apart. Harry shut his eyes to shield them from the dirt and debris flying everywhere. But thanks to his scar, he knew Voldemort was nervously backing up, trying to keep electricity away from a fireplace that was miraculously intact.

"YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE OUR VENGEANCE AGAIN, VOLDEMORT!" roared Wildflower. Harry opened his eyes to see Wildflower raising her staff. Mustering the last of his strength, Harry aimed and shouted, "_Expelliarmus!_" Myrtle obviously had yet to establish an electromagnetic field wide enough, for his spell blasted Wildflower off her feet, and her staff flew backwards.

But that last effort drained him completely, in more ways than one. Harry looked down at his wand, and saw that the talons gripping it were slowly changing back into human fingers. He felt his chest change from nuclei contained in a glassy barrier back into a rib cage housing his heart and lungs. Whatever boost he gained from Phazon exposure, he was burned out now.

"Thanks Harry. But it's time to go," said Samus as she fired missiles to distract Faction and Snape. She then charged forward, holding onto Harry while hooking Voldemort with her right arm. Her momentum pushed the three of them into the only intact fireplace. They disappeared into the darkness, and Harry finally slipped into unconsciousness.

xxxxxx

**June 27, 1997 - 6:15 PM Central European Time**

**somewhere in the fjords of southern Norway**

Nestled deep within one of the breathtaking fjords that line the coast of Norway, unbeknownst to the Norwegian wizards and Muggles alike, was one of Inferno's many outposts on Earth's surface. At the moment, it was the only one Samus Aran knew of, but fortunately Norway was not too far from Britain. After successfully evacuating as much of the Ministry as possible and relocating them safety of Hogwarts, Samus was determined to go ahead with her next plan: infiltrate the outpost. But to do that, she had to be stealthy, and using magic would no doubt be necessary. So once again, she found herself working with another in the field….

From what Charlie Weasley and JB Granger told them, an extensive network of tunnels extended for several kilometers along the fjords. It was there that Samus would make her entry. One such tunnel of freshly-drilled earth, lined with metal flooring and fluorescent lamps, was completely barren and deathly silent. That is, until a low scraping noise could be heard along one of the walls. Suddenly, what looked like over a dozen stone niffler figurines, animated with magic, bore a hole about a meter wide through the earthen wall. Once they finished tunneling and clattered onto the floor plating, they all magically merged back into one stone niffler. It kicked its legs feebly before it crumbled into nothingness, its overexertion dooming it.

For a moment, nothing came out of the hole, as if something was waiting to see if the coast was clear. Then, a tabby cat jumped out, looking around. It growled in protest when, a second later, a teal, metal sphere rolled out, almost running over the cat. The cat hissed as the sphere rolled up to it. Then the cat and the sphere transformed at the same time, expanding and rising, until Minerva McGonagall and Samus Aran stood side-by-side.

"Sorry about that, McGonagall," Samus said sheepishly as she looked around. "At any rate, Fred and George's invention worked perfectly. And Charlie's intel was dead-on."

"Indeed. But Samus, let us refrain from talking until we've taken the necessary precautions," warned McGonagall. McGonagall took a bundle of cloth out from her robes and spread it out, revealing Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak. She promptly threw it over them. "Now, for a few charms to make sure no one hears us either. Let's see, this flooring with give us away...I know. _Pedinega!_" She aimed her wand at their feet, then lightly tapped the plating with the toe of her boot. No sound reverberated from it. "Perfect! And what was that charm that Mr. Potter said Snape invented...ah, of course! _Muffliato!_"

Samus watched McGonagall's handiwork a small amount of annoyance. It was not from having to work with someone else again. Her time with Harry and his friends had changed that. Rather, it was her inability to perform magic on McGonagall's level that vexed her to no end. Samus knew it was illogical to expect to reach her level anytime soon, but she couldn't help it. Still, she was grateful for McGonagall's willingness to infiltrate enemy territory with her. She couldn't ask for a more dependable witch to help her.

The two walked closely together under the cloak. For many long moments, neither said a word, but eventually McGonagall sighed and said, "I hope we didn't come all this way for nothing, Samus. It was not an easy broom flight across the North Sea with a passenger as heavy as you. And I hate the idea of leaving Hogwarts alone with Voldemort setting up shop there."

"I'm not too fond of the idea, either, believe me," muttered Samus. "But let's face facts. We'll need the extra firepower, and they know their only hope for survival is to stick with the Order and the Ministry for the time being. They won't dare jeopardize this shaky truce so soon by trying anything underhanded, especially against Harry."

"Speaking of Mr. Potter, I heard about his momentary...transformation. It seems his infusion with your DNA has had more unforeseen consequences," said McGonagall.

"I thought most of those genes would stay dormant forever, now that the X are gone, but obviously I was wrong," Samus admitted. "He was worried about reverting back to that form, too. He considered it a twisted version of himself. But after spuring Valkyrie like that, I think we can all put that notion to rest."

"Indeed. As if we needed any more proof everyone's faith in him is justified. It must have been terrible, knowing that doing the right thing meant working with his sworn enemy," said McGonagall. "I myself am still having trouble coming to terms with this truce. When that Howler of his arrived in the Great Hall, coldly telling me to await evacuees in Hogsmeade...well, I didn't know what to expect. But the reports we've been getting over the last few hours make it all too clear this goes beyond Voldemort. The workplaces of the magical governments of France, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Ireland and Romania were attacked in the same manner as the Ministry, and that's just in Europe! By the time we get back, I'll bet the Sorting Hat we'll have news of our kind in Africa and Asia being under siege."

Samus remained silent, not sure how to alleviate McGonagall's anxieties. It was all too obvious that Valkyrie's offensive against the entire Wizarding world was already underway. Samus couldn't see how Valkyrie could be stopped in time to prevent the unraveling of her present.

And a part of her was still unsure if she wanted to.

Eventually, they arrived at a fork. Samus looked down both paths, using her scan visor to spot anything unusual. Then McGonagall spoke up. "Ms. Aran, listen closely. I believe I hear shouting down the left path. No, not quite shouting, but joyous whooping! And...is that music, too? Can they be celebrating their butchery already?" Samus wasn't sure she would classify Inferno's antics as 'butchery' when they hadn't racked up much of a body count.

After a few minutes, the two stepped out onto the upper walkway of what looked like a docking hangar, with a huge hatch to the left wide-open, letting light from the setting sun pour in. Samus saw many different aircraft, along with many large tanks which undoubtedly stored fuel. In addition, several racks of brooms lined the hangar. No doubt Charlie and JB had escaped on one of them.

But at the moment, the entire hangar was flooded with Infernians, and none of them seemed concerned with maintenance. Samus looked below, seeing many jubilant humans, goblins, centaurs and house-elves celebrating. A partying atmosphere permeated the place, thanks to boisterous music blasting all over the place. It made Samus's insides burn. Did they dare think that total victory was already theirs?

"Samus, if anyone happens to look up while we're on the grating, they'll see us!" McGonagall hissed in her ear. "Quickly, we must make our way to that platform. Besides, there's some sort of computer monitor over there. You can use your visor to extract information, correct?" McGonagall pointed to a solid platform twenty meters over to their right, which was evidently a computer workstation, and luckily it was unattended and active. They made their way over there. Samus hesitated for a moment, afraid that scanning the monitor might trigger every alarm in the outpost. Valkyrie was no fool. After Charlie and JB's escape, no doubt she had everyone be on alert for intruders, even if a party was going on.

Samus glanced back down at the partiers below, wondering if this was the best or worst time to hack their systems. _Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I suppose,_ Samus thought with a sigh. With that, she scanned the terminal, but at once firewalls sprang up, advanced and powerful enough to stop even her scan visor cold. Samus swore under her breath, but was relieved that her attempt hadn't alerted every Infernian in the base.

"My goodness...Samus, look who's down there!" gasped McGonagall with disbelief. Samus turned around and walked with her to the platform's edge, looking to where she was pointing. Down below, there was some sort of raised platform covered in white canvas, surrounded by blue, elastic wires. Two people were in it, wearing some sort of protective headgear and puffy, red gloves, looking horribly exhausted. They carefully circled each other, bounding around, and Samus guessed it was an arena of sorts. Then she finally recognized one of them. It was Dudley Dursley, Harry's cousin. He faced a much taller, leaner, pale-looking man. And outside one corner of their arena, Samus spotted Vernon Dursley, who looked beside himself with dread.

"Captain Granger said he overheard how they were whisked away to here. Goodness, is Potter's family being forced to compete for sport?" asked McGonagall. Samus said nothing, watching curiously. The taller man came at Dudley with a powerful straight, then a left hook. Dudley was knocked into a corner, but he immediately bounded right back before his opponent could close in. Dudley tried to throw an uppercut, but the other man turned aside and tried to throw a hook. Dudley ducked out of the way, then threw another uppercut, this time hitting his mark. While he was stunned, Dudley landed a trio of body blows that knocked his opponent down to the canvas.

At once, a young girl slid into their arena, counting upward. It was Susan Bones. When Susan reached ten, she shouted, "K.O.!" Then she raised Dudley's right hand into the air and triumphantly shouted, "Our champion!" Dudley looked around nervously, clearly thinking he wasn't supposed to win. But to his relief, many spectators burst into applause and cheers, who were the same ones collecting coins from disgruntled spectators. No doubt many bet on Dudley to win. Samus wondered if that was because he was a Reformer's son.

Samus wondered if there was any way to safely get to the Dursleys. Despite all their faults, they were still Harry's family, plus she could weasel information out of them. But as Samus surveyed the crowd again, Samus thought better of it. Many uniformed soldiers were still among them, and Vernon's wife was still in Valkyrie's inner circle….

As Samus considered her options, a booming, gong-like noise resounded throughout the hangar. At once, everyone stopped what they were doing, looking around and muttering uncomfortably. Samus saw Susan rush Dudley out of the arena with an expectant look. Whatever this sound was, it signified something important. Were witches and wizards from a nation they attacked making a counteroffensive? Was Valkyrie coming to inspect the outpost personally?

At the far end of the hangar, Samus saw several Infernians setting up what looked like a series of holographic projectors in a ring on an wooden dais. Sensing how McGonagall was anxiously shifting about, Samus whispered her hunch to her. "They're setting up projectors. My guess is that Asara is about to address all of her outposts this way."

Her guess soon proved correct. The first thing that happened was a huge three-dimensional projection of Inferno's emblem appeared. Its broad, flaming wings reached from one wall to another. Then it faded away, replaced by an eerily lifelike projection of Valkyrie. If she was really in Inferno in front of a projector, she had taken far less time to recover than Voldemort had. But her image was not the only one being transmitted. Faction and Tesla stood at her right, while Wildflower and Ped stood to her left. Samus saw Vernon bristle uncomfortably when he saw the image of his wife, but Dudley looked stupidly confused. Snape's image stood right beside Valkyrie's, looking deeply conflicted. Farther to Valkyrie's right stood Bane, along with the entire Malfoy family. Draco was still in that reverse-engineered Chozo battlesuit. She couldn't help but notice Susan's envious glare.

"My dear friends, everyone who's promised me a degree of loyalty I don't deserve...some of you out there on Earth's surface have been with Inferno almost since the beginning, some have only joined our nation recently," boomed Valkyrie's sickly sweet voice, no doubt amplified. "In that time, I've strived to make Inferno the best possible home I could for those who fled Earth's mercilessness, give you the tools to shape your own destinies. I'd like to think we've come to know each other very well. You all know me as Dr. Valencia Asara, the Valkyrie, but I had many names before that. And now, I must change my name again." She held up her good arm, her hand clenched into a fist, and Samus noticed a metallic glint around one finger. "A few hours ago, I was wed. I am now Dr. Valencia Asara-Snape!"

An explosion of confused whispers swept across the hangar, but it didn't last long, for Valkyrie spoke up again. "No doubt you're wondering why I did this secretly," she said slyly. "The answer is quite simple: it's not my happiness that should be our focus now. I am merely your commander, pledged to lead us into the future I promised! And all our hard work is reaching fruition! This is about all of you, and what you will help create!"

"Oh, she's good," sneered McGonagall. "She was always a pro at weaseling out of trouble in Hogwarts, and she knows she's on damage control after Mr. Potter bested her. I'm starting to see how she's built up this underwater city-state in just sixteen years."

"But I know that some have had doubts as to whether or not such a goal can be reached," Valkyrie went on. "And to that I say, look who I'm now married to! Severus was once taken in by Voldemort, but no longer! He turned on him long ago, and now stands with us! Furthermore, the Malfoys have defected to Inferno, and their son will one day be a full-fledged Reformer! See how people of all walks of life have flocked to us! That people who would've once been repulsed by our goals now stand with us...it's proof enough that we can succeed!" Valkyrie spread her arms, and with the sole exception of the Dursleys, everyone raised their voice to cheer and holler. "So now, without further ado, it's time to hand out promotions and awards!"

For the next few minutes, Valkyrie called out names of Infernian soldiers who were to receive promotions. Samus and McGonagall watched with growing apprehension as Valkyrie's display of military propaganda wore on. No one from Norway's outpost was called upon until the very end. "The twins Honron and Ronhon, for your bravery and brutal efficiency in our recent campaigns in Britain...I promote both of you to the ranks of general, and both of you will be reassigned to new command positions! You've earned it!"

Two stumpy goblins who looked to be identical twins cantered forward, in full uniform, and stood before her projection. Valkyrie waved her wand, and suddenly the collars of the goblins' uniforms changed from orange to a blood-red. Samus took note of that. Knowing what colors signified rank would be vital.

The goblins bowed to the projection, then melted back into the crowd before Valkyrie spoke up again. "And lastly, here's something that's long overdue...Susan Bones, step forward! For your quick-thinking and loyal service these last few months...it's finally time to take your rightful place as a cadet!"

Samus watched as Susan Bones slowly came forward, her face one of disbelief and shock. She reached the projectors just as Valkyrie slashed her wand. A metal chest materialized at Susan's feet, who promptly opened it. She pulled out her new armored vest, complete with Inferno's symbol emblazoned over the left breast, and held it close as if it were a priceless treasure. Samus's heart sank when she saw tears of happiness stream down Susan's cheeks. She remembered Susan from her first trip to this era. To think she turned out like this! Susan bowed deeply, then took the entire chest with her.

"And now, those of you who were partying hard, well, don't stop! Get right back to it!" declared Valkyrie. "Just remember that our operations will soon resume, and we have a long way to go. Rending a few magical governments in Europe asunder is only the first step, and soon, it will be time to openly move against the Muggles! No longer will the rest of the world live in willful ignorance of what they fear and refuse to understand, or allowed to destroy this world and each other! And no longer will the Wizarding world be allowed to selfishly squander their power! We've worked long and hard for this. Don't let the narrow escape of Voldemort and some of Britain's Ministry dissuade any of you. Those were my mistakes, but as you all know, I always take great pains to correct them. We'll dig them out of whatever hole they crawled into just in time for them to witness the end of the world as they knew it! With your training, our advanced magic, our technology and the spirit of Kor-Zor...NO FORCE ON EARTH CAN STOP THE DAY OF RECKONING FROM COMING!"

Valkyrie raised both fists into the air, and the entire hangar erupted into tremulous cheers. It could not have been plainer that these troops would fight with Valkyrie to the bitter end. And it could not have been plainer that even though Harry's refusal to join up disheartened Valkyrie, it wouldn't stop her from pushing ahead.

McGonagall looked crestfallen, about to give up all hope now that she saw firsthand what would soon be unleashed. Samus turned away, unable to bear anymore, and got back to work trying to hack the terminal. She knew they desperately needed any tactical information she could dig up. As she worked, one thing continued to nag Samus. Valkyrie made no mention of what she planned to do with Kor-Zor's soul. And she had a nasty feeling that once Valkyrie revealed it, it would be the worst surprise of all.

xxxxxx

**June 27, 1997 - 8:20 P.M. Western European Time**

**Hogwarts**

Harry, Ron and Hermione patiently stood in one of Hogwarts's inner courtyards, listening for any signs of Adam's approach. Samus's ship was transporting the last of their allies to Hogwarts, but Harry had a sinking feeling that it wouldn't be long before Valkyrie laid siege to the school. She had already torn apart the Ministry and Voldemort's headquarters, wherever that was. Harry wasn't naive enough to believe that Hogwarts was safe, not when Valkyrie also had the Reformers, the Razor Knight and an entire army of witches and wizards behind her. But once everyone was here, they could start putting together a plan to defend it.

At last, Harry heard the distinctive hum of Adam's engines. He looked up into the cloudy, foggy night sky, and spotted the ship's lights peering through the haze. At once, the three of them raised their wands and cried, "_Lumos!_" Their wandlight let whoever was piloting the ship know where to safely land. The ship began its careful descent, the front of the ship eventually touching down right in front of them.

It occurred to Harry how odd this should seem to him. Helping a spaceship, built by Muggles centuries in the future, land safely inside Hogwarts as part of a war effort launched in tandem with Voldemort and the Death Eaters. But so much had happened already, even that last part almost seemed perfectly practical. Almost.

"So, this is Samus Aran's ship," growled a voice behind them. Harry turned to glare at Rufus Scrimgeour. The Minister had insisted on seeing the last of the evacuees arrive, along with a few of his Aurors. As a concession to Voldemort, a few masked Death Eaters were present as well.

Harry said nothing more to Scrimgeour as he and his friends ran under the ship. "Adam, if you've got our suits fully powered and repaired, we'd like them now," he said. "Oh, and I know you don't take orders from me, but try not to deploy your weapons and vaporize everyone else here."

"I will...consider it," said Adam sardonically as harnesses beneath the ship lowered their suits. Harry relished the nervous glare from Scrimgeour and the cold silence from the Death Eaters as he slipped his suit back on, desperate to get the helmet on and the interface working. The sooner his mind was shielded from Voldemort, the better. His proximity already gave him a nasty headache. Plus, with Samus still out on recon, Harry needed something to intimidate him and his followers.

"So, to fight Asara, Samus Aran gave you three suits similar to hers," Scrimgeour said coldly. "I don't suppose any more can be created?"

"Sorry, but no," said Hermione shortly as she fastened her helmet. "And these three are useless to anyone else. They've already adapted to only work for us."

"And I thought this Samus Aran was supposed to be wiser than this. Where's the sense in giving such powerful tools to undisciplined children!?" spat Scrimgeour.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about Harry running amok in it. It's been said that power is safest with those who don't seek it, and Harry's proven he's incorruptible," retorted Ron. Harry smiled, appreciating Ron's vote of confidence, but if only his best friend knew how badly Valkyrie's offer had tempted him.

"Which is more than anyone can say for you, Scrimgeour!" came a raspy voice. Harry turned to see Moody being levitated down along with Shacklebolt, who glowered at his old boss. Soon the rest of the Weasley family came out, including, to Harry's utmost discomfort, Ginny. Thankfully, she looked determined to ignore him with Voldemort so close. Lastly, an unexpected arrival came out: Hermione's uncle, Captain JB Granger. His third arm was completely gone.

"Uncle J! You're still here in Britain!?" cried Hermione as she ran to him, ensnaring him in a hug.

"Hey, watch it while you're in that tin can!" croaked JB as he tried to pry his niece off.

"Her uncle? But I thought Granger is a Muggle-born...you've allowed a Muggle to set foot inside Hogwarts!" demanded Scrimgeour, sounding aghast. Likewise, Harry noticed the Death Eaters stare at JB coldly. Harry half-hoped they would try something, just for an excuse to put them in their place.

"We let Death Eaters back in here, so I don't see what the big deal is," replied Molly darkly.

"Don't worry, Mr. Scrimgeour, I won't be staying for long. As soon as this McGonagall gets back with Samus Aran, we're arranging to go back to America together. I intend to brief the President and the Pentagon," said JB.

"Why hasn't anyone modified this Muggle's memory yet?" muttered Scrimgeour indignantly.

"Wake up and look around you, Minister!" shouted George. "The old rules don't apply anymore! This isn't a fight we can win alone, otherwise we wouldn't accept this godforsaken alliance with You-Know-Who! We're gonna need all the help we can get, and if what half the things I've heard about the American military is true, I'd be glad to have some of 'em on my side in a firefight."

"D'you really think you can convince your countrymen to help us?" asked Arthur, turning to JB with a look of wonder. Harry wondered just how much Arthur had gushed over and questioned Hermione's uncle. After all, who better to tell Arthur about aviation than an Air Force veteran who _trains_ pilots?

"With all due respect Mr. Weasley, you don't know the people of America very well," said JB with a knowing smile. Then his expression suddenly turned sour. "Valkyrie and her Infernian horde attacked an Air Force base and hacked our computers. That won't go unanswered. And maybe I'll have some help from wizards back home to convince the President. Didn't they attack that academy in Massachusetts, too?"

"With the reports we're getting about the ministries of neighboring countries being cut down like ours almost was, our choices of allies is getting pretty slim," admitted Molly.

"At any rate, we've still got to focus on how to defend Hogwarts," Kingsley cut in. "It stands to reason Valkyrie can break through all the ancient defenses around the school single-handedly."

"She won't even need to," said Ron. "Forget about Moaning Myrtle? She can tear down every magical defense we throw up."

"Like Fred said, the old rules don't apply anymore," said JB. "Maybe you people need to think outside the box. Do something this Valkyrie won't expect. Anti-air guns, missile turrets, anything that'll give us a fighting chance if this place falls under siege."

"Uh, I'm George, actually," said George.

Scrimgeour looked ready to shoot JB's idea down, but Hermione stepped in. "Normally I'd agree, Uncle J, but against Myrtle those weapons are equally useless. She can command ferromagnetic metals with just a thought. She'd turn any weapons like that inside-out."

JB looked crestfallen for a moment, but brightened up again. "Well, can't you wave your wand and change whatever metal a weapon is made of? Transfiguration, right? And those aren't the only weapons we could create. I'm thinking, I'm thinking...something more low-tech. Something like catapults. Yeah, we could load them with whatever nasty-ass potions you people could brew up, and..." JB's words trailed off when he noticed everyone eyeing him strangely. Obviously, he was afraid he'd said something wrong.

Luckily, nothing could have been further from the truth. Moody slapped him on the back and said, "How come we don't know more Muggles like this!?" Harry knew a vote of confidence from Moody carried a lot of weight indeed.

At that point, everyone decided they'd spent enough time in the humid night air and headed back for the Great Hall, where those still awake were gathered. Harry double-checked his helmet to make sure it was fastened. He felt a little more confident about being close to Voldemort now, though the very idea of working with him still sickened him to no end. Fortunately, his suit's systems were working fine, because his scar didn't so much as prickle.

As they made their way back, Harry watched JB wondrously take in everything in the castle, from the enchanted paintings to the moving staircases. He sincerely hoped Peeves didn't come along and take advantage of him, since Muggles couldn't see spirits. When they stepped back into the Great Hall, Harry noticed Voldemort was still sitting at the Gryffindor table, glaring at Hagrid, Tonks and Lupin. Bellatrix and Greyback sat beside him. Hagrid looked ready to reach across and snap Voldemort's neck like a twig, no doubt thinking about how he framed him half a century ago. The other Aurors and Death Eaters roaming the Great Hall wisely stayed away.

Voldemort slowly turned to face Harry and the others. Harry smirked at him as he tapped his helmet. Voldemort's lips curled into a sneer. "So, the rest of our happy little family has arrived," he said smoothly. His scarlet eyes fell on JB. "And who, may I ask, is this Muggle scurrying around our school?"

"Oh, don't go there, Voldemort. Seriously, you _DON'T _want to go there," warned Hermione. Voldemort glowered at Hermione, his face unreadable. "Anyway, are Samus and McGonagall back yet?"

"We are now," came McGonagall's voice from the other side of the hall. Harry turned to see McGonagall sweeping toward them. Samus was right behind her, wearing her robe disguise. She had something behind her back. "Unfortunately, not all went according to plan."

"We got in and out safely," said Samus. "But given what was going on at the time, getting to a lone Infernian to bring back for questioning was out of the question. I couldn't dig up any relevant information from their database, either. I'll let Adam have the encrypted data I did retrieve, but...I don't think it'll give us anything useful."

"By the way, Mr. Potter, we saw your uncle and cousin. In case you were wondering, they seem to be fine," said McGonagall quickly. Harry honestly didn't know how he felt about the Dursleys anymore. He was still coming to terms with Petunia being a witch.

"In the meantime, we made a pitstop at Snape's old office," said Samus. "I failed to dig up any useful tactical info, but I haven't exhausted all our options."

"What do you mean by that, Samus?" asked JB, sounding gravely concerned. "If you couldn't find anything in the enemy's base, where else do we look?"

Samus looked a little surprised to see JB in Hogwarts, but unlike Scrimgeour and Voldemort, she regarded him with warmth and understanding. No doubt she identified better with JB than almost any of the wizards and witches present. Samus smiled wickedly. "From the person here who's spent the most time with the enemy leader." With that, she drew Snape's Pensieve from behind her back and slammed it in front of Voldemort.

"Uhh, what the hell is that thing?" asked JB.

"A Pensieve. Witches and wizards can extract their memories and put them in there. Helps sort out and closely examine memories," explained Hermione.

"What is the meaning of this, Aran?" demanded Voldemort indignantly.

"Surely someone as bright as you can figure it out," said Samus hotly. "Memories. Yours. In the Pensieve. Now."

"You DARE order the Dark Lord to surrender his memories so casually, you alien-blooded freak!" shrieked Bellatrix madly. "You DARE try to..."

"Bellatrix, for once, do all of us a favor and _SHUT THE HELL UP!_" roared Harry.

"And for once, your boss should listen to sense," added JB, pushing past Samus to glare at Voldemort. "Look, I already know you are, but news flash...I don't give a flying fuck what kind of rep you have among these sycophantic ass-lickers that flock around you. All I care about is whatever information you can give us, so start spilling."

Harry doubted anyone had ever enraged Voldemort so much. He stood straight up, taking a step toward JB, his scarlet eyes ablaze with indignant fury. "You worthless, filthy Muggle...who are **YOU** to _**DARE**_ order Lord Voldemort about!" he shouted, his voice echoing over the astonished, terrified gasps from the Order and the Aurors.

"Someone who knows a thing or two about winning wars, Voldie!" snapped JB. "You've spent a considerable amount of time with Valkyrie, from what I've heard. That means you know more relevant things about her than anyone else here. That's called tactical information. And that's what wins wars. So if you're serious about bringing that radioactive bitch of a witch down, you'll do what the nice space lady asked...before we force you!"

More livid than ever, Voldemort whipped out his wand, but JB drew a pistol and aimed it right at Voldemort's head. All the Death Eaters present drew their wands, prompting the Aurors and the Order to do the same. "Whoa whoa whoa, let's not lose our heads here!" pleaded Ron.

Voldemort and JB didn't seem to notice any of them, merely staring into each other's eyes as they aimed their weapons, ready to strike. Voldemort laughed softly, a smug, self-assured laugh. "Poor Muggle fool...you really think you can pull the trigger before I snuff out your worthless life?" he asked dangerously. "I can visit horrors upon you beyond all imagining."

"Oh, I've heard all about that telepathy you do just with your eyes," said JB. "But you wouldn't believe the kind of abuse involved with endurance training for pilots. I'm willing to bet I could fight the effects long enough to put a bullet in your brain. And I've seen enough of what your kind can do in the past week. I know the telltale signs of when you're about to fire a spell. But the question you should be asking yourself isn't which one of us can kill the other first."

"Is that so?" replied Voldemort evenly. "Then do tell, what should I be asking myself?"

"What these people you've allied yourself will do to you if you prove more trouble than you're worth," JB shot back. "It's obvious you need this truce, otherwise you wouldn't have come to their rescue. If you're not forthcoming with information, I'll bet they'll have no problem throwing you out and letting Valkyrie have her way with you."

Voldemort's face tensed up, but his eyes remained as defiant as ever. "I've proven my willingness to work with them. I saved the Minister and scores of his minions from Inferno's clutches..."

"And call me crazy, but I don't think that'll make everyone automatically forgive you for fucking shit up in this country for over three decades," interrupted JB.

"These people wouldn't dare try anything against me," Voldemort fired back half-heartedly.

"After how the Harry Potter kid and his bounty hunter friend showed you up time and again? After how Valkyrie took you apart? The fact you came crawling to your worst enemies for help is proof enough that you're afraid. So go ahead. Blow me away and keep being a tight-ass with information. See how long it takes all these Order folks to boot your ass out those doors, and how long it takes for Valkyrie to hunt you down. Your call, punk. Make my day," said JB, keeping his pistol raised, his gaze not wavering for an instant.

The two kept staring at each other for a long time, while it looked like an all-out firefight was about to explode around them. For a moment, Harry was worried Voldemort had used some sort of Legilimancy on JB, and that JB's faith in the Order was a bit too inflated.

But at last, Voldemort pointed his wand away from JB, bringing the tip up to his temple. Never taking his eyes off of JB, he began to extract several memories and deposited them into Snape's Pensieve.

"Uncle J, we got what we wanted from him. Just back off now," Hermione pleaded, pulling him away from Voldemort.

JB gave in, sighing as he holstered his pistol. "See Voldemort, don't things work much better when we all try to get along?" he asked coyly.

"Don't push it," warned Hermione. Harry breathed a deep sigh of relief. He then noticed the Order members around them. They all stared at JB wide-eyed with their jaws dropped, obviously not believing a lone Muggle made Voldemort give in, much less stood up to him. He may have already earned their friendship, but this had earned JB their unquestioning respect.

"Hermione, your uncle is officially the coolest Muggle in the whole wide world," George whispered to Hermione.

"Just one question, though. He told me Tesla dismantled his gun. Where'd he get that one?" asked Charlie. Harry then saw Arthur stare listlessly at the ceiling, whistling innocently.

xxxxxx

Hours later, Harry and Samus walked alone throughout the halls of Hogwarts. They had spent a long time pouring over Voldemort's memories. He wondered if Samus had gotten anything useful out of them, because they only told Harry what he already knew. Valkyrie came off as unbearably carefree and frivolous, but was coldly intelligent and a ruthless duelist. After a long day of helping organize the Order's defenses, all Harry wanted was to get a few more hours of sleep. Hopefully, he could still access Gryffindor Tower. It felt so odd to be back at Hogwarts so soon. He had decided not to return to Hogwarts, determined to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes first. But now, he and Voldemort returned together.

_At least he still has no clue his secret's out,_ Harry thought hopefully. _So when Valkyrie's finally beaten back, it's back to business as usual._ He turned to look up at Samus, who seemed exhausted as well. "Samus, d'you reckon we can both use some sleep? Got a nasty feeling we'll need it."

"I can go for days without sleep, but I suppose I might as well get some rest now," said Samus. "Right now, all we can do is wait. Hope Scrimgeour can get in contact with foreign wizards and organize a counteroffensive, hope Hermione's uncle can convince his country to lend a hand, wait until we can mount an assault on that outpost in Norway, and maybe..."

"Samus Aran, back at Hogwarts! And Harry Potter!? Is that you in that armor, sir!?" came a familiar voice from behind them. Harry whirled around to see Dobby scampering up to them, his huge eyes beaming with joy, but a little fearful.

"Sure is, Dobby. Sorry I never got around to seeing you. We've had so little time for anything since evacuating to Hogwarts," said Harry apologetically.

"Is it alright, sir! Dobby is afraid though. Dobby knows He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is here in Hogwarts, fighting alongside Harry Potter!" squeaked the house-elf. "Dobby knows Harry Potter must have a good reason, but Dobby must know, w-w-where..."

"Are the Malfoys?" Samus finished. "They're gone, Dobby. They abandoned Voldemort to join Inferno."

"Turned out pure-blood supremacy didn't matter as much to Draco as keeping his parents safe," added Harry. "If only Dumbledore had hung in there a while longer, he might have joined the Order instead..."

"DUMBLEDORE!" Dobby barked suddenly. "Now Dobby remembers why he was looking for Harry Potter! Samus Aran and Harry Potter must go to Dumbledore's office at once! It is open, and Dumbledore has an urgent message!" Harry's heart almost stopped. Dumbledore had a message for them! But his euphoria faded when he realized Dobby meant the enchanted painting.

"Err, thank you, Dobby! We'll check it out right away!" replied Samus. She ran back the way they had come, grabbing Harry and dragging him along.

"Please come back to the kitchens any time, Samus Aran!" Dobby called after her. "The house-elves would be overjoyed to see Samus Aran again!"

A few minutes later, they came across the wall that concealed the entrance to Dumbledore's office. True to Dobby's word, the wall had already parted. The gargoyle stood there impatiently, obviously waiting for them to go through so he could close it. Samus and Harry said nothing as they ran through and ran up the staircase, not waiting for it to spiral up, anxious to hear Dumbledore's urgent message. Still, Harry's insides felt icy as the prospect of speaking to Dumbledore again, even if it was through an enchanted painting.

Samus and Harry stepped into the headmaster's office. It looked the same as Harry had always remembered it. It was as if it had been left completely undisturbed since Dumbledore died. But then Harry noticed that Fawkes was still gone, and suddenly the office felt cold and empty.

As Harry was lost in thought, Samus wasted no time and walked up to the desk, standing in front of it. "Albus Dumbledore?" she asked without preamble. "Dobby said you had important information. Is it about Valencia Asara?"

Harry turned around and, with a mix of joy and anxiety, watched as the painting sprung to life, smiling down at Samus. "My dear Samus Aran, you haven't changed one bit, have you? No time for niceties. Still eager to get immediate results. So much like Valencia Asara herself." Then Dumbledore bowed his head. "But if only Val had had some of your moral courage as well, and the will to overcome the tragedies that drove her to such extremes."

Harry timidly stepped forward, not sure what to say to all that remained of Dumbledore. "Headmaster, sir...Slughorn said that you helped bring Valkyrie here from America," he said nervously. "She said she loved you like a father. Except for Snape, you probably knew her better than anyone else."

Dumbledore did not look up. "Every word you say is true, Harry. When I first met her...it reminded me so much of the day I first met Voldemort. Only unlike Voldemort, she was not devoid of the need for love and companionship. On the contrary, she needed it desperately. But still, as with Voldemort, I sensed a brewing fury within her. However, I believed that if the Asaras adopted her, and I could watch over her at Hogwarts, we could help that poor girl. I thought with Val, I could succeed where I failed with Voldemort. But I found out how wrong I was soon before my death, and it nearly broke my heart in two."

Harry saw silvery tears stream down Dumbledore's face, and his anger toward Valkyrie flared up. If Valkyrie could only see how Dumbledore was affected by her treachery. "Speaking of Voldemort, he's here, you know," said Samus. "As unbelievable as it sounds, we have a truce with him."

"I'm well aware of this bizarre turn of events, my dear," said Dumbledore airily. "The other headmasters and headmistresses have been all over the castle these last few hours. I assure you I have been quite well-informed. Is it true that Hermione's uncle boldly demanded that Lord Voldemort turn over his memories about Val?"

For the first time since entering the office, Harry felt like he could smile. "He sure did. The rest of the Order looked ready to crap themselves, seeing a Muggle get in Voldemort's face and live to tell about it."

"JB Granger certainly has grown up into a courageous, intelligent man. He's every bit his father's son," said Dumbledore, smiling.

"Wait a minute, you knew Hermione's grandfather?" inquired Samus dubiously.

"My dear, I certainly did. It's safe to say that without Charles Granger, there would be no Dr. Valencia Asara, no Valkyrie...and that if he were alive today, he too would be heartbroken," said Dumbledore sadly. When Samus and Harry stared at him in confusion, Dumbledore said, "I can see you have many questions, but fortunately, I have the perfect way to answer them. Though I listened to Phineas's tale of Voldemort being forced to surrender his memories with no small measure of amusement, I can give you access to memories that will yield far more useful information. Open the drawer with the Pensieve, Harry, and see what else is stored there."

Harry did as Dumbledore bid. He apprehensively opened the drawer, revealing the Pensieve he and Dumbledore had used so much over the last year. As he fought to keep those memories in check, he noticed something else. A wire rack holding over a dozen vials, full of silvery-blue memories. Samus took out the rack, set it on the table, and pulled one out. "Severus Snape," she said dully, reading the label.

"A good number of these memories are Severus's," admitted Dumbledore. "He had no idea why I wanted them, though. I couldn't yet reveal to him that his long-lost lover was still alive."

Harry's fury over Snape rose again, but it was Samus who spoke up. "Speaking of Snape...Dumbledore, what's the truth behind you and Snape, anyway? He's become as big a mystery as his wife."

"WIFE!?" repeated Harry incredulously.

"Oh yeah, while I was at that outpost, McGonagall and I heard that Valkyrie and Snape got married," Samus said flatly.

There was a long pause, and Harry recognized that look of polite refusal creeping across Dumbledore's face. "Some of his memories will give you clues, but I'm afraid I cannot reveal to whole truth just now. Harry, you must trust me on this. In time, I'm confident Severus will realize his error, and when Valkyrie is defeated and you continue the search for the Horcruxes, Severus will reveal everything when you're close to your goal."

Harry stared blankly at the portrait. Even now, after Snape murdered him, Dumbledore was still defending him! Before he could explode, however, Samus spoke up again. "Look at the other names on these vials! Vernon Dursley, Charles Granger, Gellert Grindelwald...that's the Dark wizard Dumbledore defeated, wasn't it!? And this one, impossible..._Dolores Umbridge_! How did you get HER to surrender her memories!?"

"Wizard's debt," said Harry dryly. "Umbridge owed Dumbledore after he saved her from that centaur herd, and this was what he demanded, I bet." He turned to look at the vials. Some names he didn't recognize, but others jumped out at him. "Firenze? Slughorn? Moody? More of Dumbledore's?"

"Like with our study of Voldemort, there's not enough here to paint the picture of Val's entire life story. It's hard to account for her time spent building up Inferno," said Dumbledore. "But this will give you an idea of how she came to be the one now called Valkyrie."

"How'd you even know she was still alive?" asked Samus.

"All will be explained, once you see these memories," answered Dumbledore simply.

"And...what order do we view these in?" asked Harry.

"Simply dump them all into the Pensieve. They will sort themselves into chronological order, and you can view them all at once," said Dumbledore.

Harry looked dubiously up at Dumbledore, but Samus got to work, flipping open a vial and dumping the silvery memories into the Pensieve. Sighing, Harry reached for more vials and emptied them. Soon, a turbid, silvery mist swirled around in the bowl, beckoning for the duo to dive in. Harry watched the memories swirl around, a little afraid of what he would find. But Samus placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Feeling a bit better knowing he wouldn't be alone, Harry removed his helmet, and the two of them dived into the cloudy mass of memories.


	20. An Angel's Fall

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 20: An Angel's Fall

7-1-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

Harry and Samus clumsily landed on a patch of dirt. The afternoon sun was shining high overhead. Harry quickly got up and looked around, seeing that wherever they were, it was practically barren, with only a few scattered patches of grass and weeds, though ample vegetation was seen along the mountainous horizon. Here and there, there were small buildings, and many people were busily running around between them. A particularly old-looking jeep drove by the pair. They all wore military uniforms, and judging from their accents, most were American. But some of the slang they used...it was unlike what he'd heard Americans say on radio and television. It almost sounded dated. What year was this supposed to be? And for that matter, where were they? Americans were supposed to have military bases all over the world, so he couldn't even guess.

"Harry, I must confess my knowledge of this era of Earth's history is sketchy, even when it comes to military conflicts. Any idea what war this is supposed to be?" asked Samus.

"It may not even be wartime at all," said Harry. "And I don't think it's World War II. Asara was in my mum's year, so that was well before her time. Maybe it's something to do with that thing in Vietnam. She said she came from the Far East, after all." Harry wasn't sure though. He silently cursed himself for being such a dunce at history, Muggle and Wizarding alike.

Unsure of what to do or where to go, Harry and Samus wandered aimlessly among the soldiers in whoever's memory they dived into. Eventually, one American in particular caught Harry's eye. He wore an impressive-looking uniform adorned with many emblems and medals, and looked about the base with a knowing expression, punctuated by many rough wrinkles and several scars. He looked as battle-hardened as Moody. His dark brown hair was beginning to grey, but despite his age, he stood tall, proudly yet somberly. But there was something about him, something indescribable, that seemed so familiar to Harry.

As Harry watched him, one of the troops ran up to the man. "General Granger, got a minute?" said the soldier. Samus whirled around as Harry's eyes widened. Not only was Hermione's uncle an Air Force captain, but her grandfather was a war veteran!?

"Sure thing, Private Kwimski. What's up?" asked Charles Granger.

"Just thought you'd wanna know the UN aid workers are ready to head out for Munsan," said the trooper. "Actually, it'll be a good thing for Branson that they're pulling out. I swear he was getting too smitten with that one British chick."

At once, indignation bristled within Harry, but Charles Granger looked at him even more dubiously. "Come now, private, none of that. We shipped weapons and armor to them well before the Japs blindsided us for good reason. And I fought alongside plenty of British soldiers after the Normandy landing. Daresay I was saved from a stray mortar blast by a Brit in the foxhole more than once," he explained. "And now that you mention it, my youngest always said that girls with Irish and Scottish accents were, how did he say, 'positively mellifluous'. Wouldn't surprise me if he ended up being smitten by an English girl, too."

"When's the last you heard from your family, by the way?" asked Kwimski, sounding eager to change the subject. "Your oldest boy still dead-set on joining the Air Force?"

"Oh yes, little JB spends all his free time building model airplanes and reading engineering textbooks...at only the age of ten!" said Charles proudly. "Oh, that boy will go places with a sharp mind like that. Wouldn't surprise me if he becomes one of those astronauts down the line!"

At that point, another soldier came up to the general, out of breath from running. "General Granger, sir! Scouts just came back with locals! Claim they're refugees trying to escape across the 38th, but for security reasons, I thought you'd want a look."

At once, Charles's expression became serious and dutiful. "Lead the way, private." The three of them ran across the base, and Harry and Samus followed them. The general was led into a tent that looked to be an impromptu military hospital. As Harry and Samus followed them in, they saw a medic pulling a sheet over a woman's deathly still body. Harry caught a glimpse of her face before the sheet fell over it; she was a middle-aged woman of Asian descent.

"It was too late for her, sir. She was suffering from severe dehydration and malnutrition before our boys spotted her. There wasn't anything they could do. She had a husband too, but he died from infected gunshot wounds soon after they were found," explained the medic somberly. Charles didn't look at him, but merely stared at the shrouded woman who just died. Harry saw a quiet fury in his eyes, the same kind he'd often seen in Dumbledore's.

"Were there any survivors?" Charles asked at length.

"Maybe a dozen. They should pull through," said the medic. "But this woman...when our boys found her, she was clutching a little girl, probably her daughter. According to them, she was more concerned about getting her to safety than for herself."

"Where is she now?" asked Charles.

"Right over there," said the medic, turning away to point at a bed whose occupant was sitting up, her chubby legs dangling over the side. The girl was irresistibly cute, looking barely more than a year old. She was wearing a tattered, dirty dress, had short, raven-black hair and eyes as black and cold as Snape's.

Harry realized this cute toddler was the one who'd grow up to start World War III.

Charles slowly walked up to her bed and knelt in front of her, speaking something in a language Harry never heard before. If the girl understood him, she gave no indication. She simply stared into space, her black eyes having a dead look. Harry shuddered, remembering how in Dumbledore's memories, Voldemort was described as being cold and aloof, even as a toddler. Valkyrie also gave off the same warning signs at that age.

Something in the general seemed to break, and she snatched the baby Valkyrie in his arms. She simply let him hold her, showing no sign of awareness. "Oh, what are we going to do with you? After your parents sacrificed everything to get you this far, there's no way you're going back to those commie bastards up north."

"And it's not like we'd be doing her a favor by leaving her in South Korea, sir," the medic pointed out. "Their economy is still in shambles."

"Maybe someone back home could," suggested Charles. "My wife's got her hands full looking over my two boys, but I'm sure I could find a good home for her in the States. Urgh, it's times like this that I wish we had had the will and the firepower to push back even farther eight years ago."

Valkyrie slowly turned her head, staring at him strangely. Her eyes seemed to glisten dangerously. A chill went up Harry's spine when he realized that, even at that age, the mentality that made Valkyrie who she is was already being shaped….

The hospital tent vanished in a silvery swirl, only to be replaced by what looked like someone's living room. Valkyrie sat in the middle of a long couch, now looking to be about five. To her right sat Charles Granger, his hair a little greyer, but one look told Harry he'd lost none of his edge. At her left was a boy a couple years younger than Harry, with long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. He looked extremely bored. When Harry noticed a book about planes was tucked under his arm, he knew this was JB Granger as a teenager. Across from those three on another couch was a middle-aged couple. The man was stocky and balding, while his wife had frizzled, greying curls and a sharp, cruel face that made Aunt Petunia look as warm and caring as Princess Di.

"We've been going in circles for over an hour, Mr. and Mrs. Prime," said Charles. Harry could sense his growing impatience. "I have here an executive order from President Lyndon B. Johnson himself, authorizing your foster daughter to receive federal grants to pay for any college she wants, starting this fall. Being the devout Christians that you clearly are, you must realize that a child prodigy like little Valerie escaping from North Korea to come here is nothing short of a miracle from God himself!"

"When you brought her to this country, you wanted to find a home for her, which we provided! We've been trying to raise her as a proper, God-fearing Christian girl, but she's proven to be obstinate in that regard," said Mrs. Prime sharply. "We don't need any eggheaded professors who think they're so much smarter making it harder. She questions everything taught to her in Bible studies, blathering about fossils and carbon dating and..."

"The fact that a five-year-old even understands carbon dating should clue you two in!" JB cut in. "Obviously your definition of 'proper, God-fearing Christian girl' is a girl who sits around looking pretty and never learns anything worth knowing. Too late for that! You heard what her kindergarten teacher said. While other kids are writing one-plus-one on the blackboard, this kid calculates sine waves! She's been bribing people to give her library books for years, so she could gorge herself can in between you people shoving Bible verses down her throat!"

"Mind your manners around my wife, boy!" snarled Mr. Prime dismissively. "You obviously need a good lesson in discipline, which, judging by that hair, is something your father never bothered to do!"

"He's disciplined enough to earn straight _A_s when I've been gone half his life," said Charles, a hint of danger in his voice. "Besides, he's absolutely right. Little Valerie could be a great asset to our country in the midst of this Cold War, something she desperately wants to do! She deserves this chance. The only thing standing in her way is your pigheaded refusal to listen to let her go."

"Don't think that just because she came your way through the 38th Parallel, you can come here now and tell us what to do with her!" shouted Mrs. Prime. "Valerie Prime is our responsibility."

"A responsibility you've neglected!" roared Charles. "I didn't want to have to resort to this, but you've left me no choice!" Charles stood up and produced an envelope full of photographs. Harry and Samus ran around to get a good look, and recoiled. There were photos of the Primes brutally smacking Valkyrie around, others of them standing over her, clearly shouting, while Valkyrie lay on the floor in tears. "And that's not all," added Charles, pulling what looked like a personal recorder out of his pocket. He hit the button and suddenly Harry heard a little girl screaming, while a voice like Mrs. Prime's unleashed a long tirade in a shrieking voice. Loud slaps punctuated the ranting. "As we've tried to explain, Valerie is far more intelligent than you give her credit for. Secretly placing cameras and microphones in your house for months, surreptitously gathering evidence. Evidence to be used when she knew it'd have the greatest effect," said Charles coldly, his rage barely held in check. "So I suggest you give your foster daughter permission to attend any college she wants and give her your full support, or else."

The Primes paled, undisguised horror etched on their faces in the face of the general's blackmailing. Harry then noticed Valkyrie. She had said nothing the whole time, looking shy and nervous, but now she beamed at her foster parents with a sinister smile, silently gloating...

The living room dissolved and reformed into what looked like some sort of university laboratory. Harry had no doubt this was Harvard while Valkyrie attended as a little girl. Obviously the Primes had caved to blackmail. A middle-aged man stood at a counter littered with all sorts of scientific instruments. Beside him, standing on a stack of books, was Valkyrie, now about seven and wearing a lab coat far too big for her. Harry and Samus walked up to them, and saw they were mulling over a new fossil. It looked like a lizard's skeleton, with wings like a bat's. There were hints of fossilized feathers as well.

"Ryx," breathed Samus. "This fossil is almost exactly like that animal she keeps around her."

"My, you look eager to get started with the analysis, Val," said the man.

"Don't you know it, Professor," said Valkyrie sweetly. "I grew up around people who considered uttering the word 'fossil' to be blasphemy. I'm looking forward to examining one without fear of getting castigated for no reason."

Valkyrie readied her tools, looking genuinely happy. But a pair of students passed by her, and Valkyrie caught their accusatory, jealous stares. When they were a few feet away, one of them whispered, "I tell ya, that wonder kid creeps me out more and more each day."

"I hear you, man," said the other. "I mean, where'd they dig her up? Some refugee camp near North Korea. How do we know she's not some filthy commie spy? Ever see that move _Manchurian Candidate_? The way her face is always plastered on TV and newspapers, one has to wonder..."

Obviously, they didn't want to be overheard by Valkyrie. But Valkyrie's hand had been on an empty notepad, and it curled into a tight fist, crumpling the paper. Her face screwed up in rage as tears began to flow. Harry understood the look on her face. It was the look of someone who despite being famous, received scorn and rejection from almost everyone around her, no matter how hard she worked.

The scene shifted into something that looked unlike anything Harry would expect from a Muggle university. It looked like the inside of some martial arts dogo. Several people in karate gear sat around, forming a ring. In the center was Valkyrie, staring up at a grown man that towered over her. Harry had spotted Valkyrie just in time to see her deliver a devastating kick to the man's shin. The man faltered, and in that split-second of weakness, Valkyrie drove an uppercut into his gut. When he bent over, she delivered a flying kick to his face, flooring him. Hushed conversations began among the other students. Harry wondered if they were fearful of Valkyrie. Not only was she unbelievably smart, but the fact that she had also mastered martial arts must have made many fearful and envious.

"Well done, my child," croaked a voice from across the dojo. Harry turned to see an old man, Chinese from the looks of it, make his way to the other students. Valkyrie walked through the ring of students, but instead of looking proud of herself, she looked annoyed and a little bored.

"So I can topple people twice my size. So what, Master?" demanded Valkyrie. "That's not what I came to Harvard to learn to do! I can't believe I let you talk me into these lessons! Sure sure, no one else here in Cambridge could ever understand the horrors we escaped back east. You've been a good friend because of that. But if we're ever to make the communists pay, it'll be using science and technology against them, not this!"

The old man regarded Valkyrie carefully for a minute. Then he gently placed a hand on her shoulder. Valkyrie was unmoved. "My pupil, I know how important your studies are to you. I applaud you for all your hard work, and I know one day you will help a great many people. But just remember something my father once told me: there is no knowledge that is not power."

Suddenly, Valkyrie's eyes lit up. Harry felt an icy hand claw at his heart. Once again, Valkyrie got the wrong idea from something desperately trying to steer her the right way.

Harry and Samus then found themselves on a crowded sidewalk in the middle of a city. They glanced around nervously, wondering what they were supposed to see, until they heard the name 'Melody Asara'. Harry then saw a middle-aged woman dragging a little girl along; they both argued about something involving Muggles until the girl's mother told her to be quiet. Harry and Samus took off after them, passing right through the other pedestrians.

When they caught up to them at an intersection, everyone else suddenly turned and screamed. A truck was speeding out of control, and it plowed into a bus. Both vehicles crashed into the side of a building as flames engulfed them both. Then, the woman who Harry could only assume was Belinda Asara ran up to the wreck, covertly using magic to smother the fire. Harry and Samus stood with everyone else waiting for rescue teams to arrive, and then watched as they did their job. Eventually, two men carried a girl out on a stretcher, commenting on how the girl miraculously had no injuries. Harry knew it was Valkyrie even without getting a good look, and suspected this was the first time her magic ever surfaced. He saw Belinda Asara and her daughter watch as Valkyrie was loaded into an ambulance.

The ambulance faded away, and soon the street and all the pedestrians were gone as well, to be replaced by the Primes' living room once again. As soon as the new memory was spread out before them, a child's terrified scream rent the air. Valkyrie, still a child, was thrown in between the couches, bawling. Mrs. Prime stood over her, her face contorted with insane rage.

"How dare you come back here!?" spat Mrs. Prime. "After my husband and my sons died on that bus, but you escape, miraculously unscathed? No, it's no miracle. There's only one explanation! I should've realized it years ago! You're nothing but a spawn of the Devil, you vile little witch! And I will not suffer a witch to live!" Suddenly, Mrs. Prime produced a knife. Fearing for her life, blind to everything except her terror, Valkyrie scrambled to escape. But Mrs. Prime slashed her knife, cutting through her coat and making a deep gash across Valkyrie's shoulders as she ran.

Valkyrie fell to the floor again, blood oozing from her gaping wound. Mrs. Prime was about to plant the knife in her back, but was suddenly tackled to the ground by Charles Granger. "I _KNEW_ it was a stupid idea to bring her back here to explain things personally! Should've never let her come in here alone!" snarled Charles. "JB, Marcus...find a phone and call the paramedics _NOW_!" Charles brought a struggling, screaming Mrs. Prime to her feet. Losing all control, he turned Mrs. Prime around and laid her out with one punch, then knelt to examine Valkyrie. "Oh dear God, Valerie, please forgive me. I should've made Mary take you in instead..."

"Valkyrie was right...no wonder she was willing to give Aunt Petunia so much leeway," muttered Harry, horrified. "Her foster parents were much, much worse..."

The Primes' home vanished, replaced by a vast, packed auditorium. Harry guessed they were at Harvard again, and they were looking at some graduation ceremony. "Harry, over here...it's Dumbledore!" Samus suddenly exclaimed.

Harry whirled around, seeing his headmaster in an ensemble of clothes as bizarre as what we wore the day he first met Voldemort. Fortunately, no one seemed to pay him any mind. Beside him sat Belinda Asara, whispering excitedly to him. "Hopefully you can get a good look at Valerie Prime later, perhaps even meet her, now that she's a 'doctor'," said Belinda Asara. "Ever since that day I saw her come out of that wreck, I've been following everything she's done. She's such an amazing, charming girl that's captured her country's imagination. I can easily see the day she takes the Salem Witches' Institute by storm, too."

"I just hope that the news that she's a witch is broken to her gently," whispered Dumbledore. "Being so grounded in the sciences, it may be difficult for her to accept."

"I hear you, old friend," replied Belinda. "That poor girl's been through enough as is. It took her months to recover after that monster of a foster mother tried to kill her."

Suddenly, a man on the dais spoke up. "And now, we have a very special award to hand out to a very special graduate, who would like to say a few words of her own. I'm sure you all know who I'm talking about...so without further ado, here's DOCTOR Valerie Prime!"

Harry and Samus ran down to the dais just as Valkyrie timidly trotted out, now eleven, looking annoyed and ashamed at being expected to be made a spectacle like this. Camera crews and photographers huddled closer, and Harry suddenly realized why Valkyrie thought she understood him so well. Valkyrie peered over the speaker's box, barely visible. "I...I...It's an honor to have so m-many care so much about me graduating," said Valkyrie shyly, glancing down at her prewritten speech. "W-When I think back, it's still so unbelievable that Harvard would want to take in a five-year-old. But I-I am still grateful for the o-opportunity I was given, and the opportunity I-I have now to give back to the country t-t-that took me i-in, and-and..."

But Valkyrie's stammering trailed off as she looked about nervously, as if something was wrong, Harry and Samus looked down, and gasped when they saw smoke rising from the floorboards around her. An instant later, half the dais exploded into flames, and blazing bits of floorboards shot around everywhere, igniting anything they touched. Harry understood what happened: because of her nervousness, her magic raged out of control. In the middle of the inferno, Valkyrie stood rooted to the spot, unharmed by the flames, looking confused and terrified beyond reason. The hall started to empty as screaming graduates desperately tried to flee, but the cameramen and photographers backed up while getting perfect shots of Valkyrie inside the blaze.

However, some people refused to abandon Valkyrie. Harry saw Charles Granger approach the burning dais, clearly determined to help the budding witch no matter the cost. But the searing heat and suffocating smoke was taking a toll. Luckily for him, Dumbledore came to the rescue, catching him with one arm while waving his wand with the other. It wasn't long before his magic smothered the fire. However, the fire had weakened the dais, and the wood beneath Valkyrie started to crumble. But Belinda Asara cast a Hovering Charm on her before she could fall. Valkyrie's horrified gaze shifted from Dumbledore to Belinda, clearly unable to comprehend what she saw them do, and at last she fainted in midair.

The scorched hall faded away and reformed into what looked like some sort of elaborate hotel room. Whether it was a Muggle hotel or something like the Leaky Cauldron, Harry wasn't quite sure. Harry saw Charles Granger lying on a couch, sleeping lightly. Around the couch was a boy a year or so younger than him, a girl who looked ready for her first year at Hogwarts, and two much younger boys. Also among them was the girl called Melody, and Harry realized these were all Belinda Asara's children. Obviously they'd never been around Muggles much, as they all stared at the general curiously.

"Children, give the general some room," said Belinda in a hushed whisper as she strode out into the main room. There was a knock at the door. Belinda rushed across the room to open it, and Dumbledore swept in, wearing his usual ensemble of flashy robes and clutching several newspapers.

"Belinda, my dear, I am sorry I am so late. I have been helping the American Wizarding Union's efforts to cover up Ms. Prime's...flare-up. But I fear they did not listen to all my advice. It's amazing how many of our kind still disregard the growing power and speed of Muggle media, especially television. There is no hope of covering it up completely." He thrust one of the newspapers in front of Belinda, who recoiled. Dumbledore then glanced down at the sleeping general. "I trust that Mr. Granger has been well cared for? But what about Ms. Prime?"

"NOOOO!" came a sharp cry of anguish another part of the hotel. Pots and utensils flew out of one room, obviously a kitchen of sorts. Belinda and Dumbledore rushed in, seeing Valkyrie huddled in a corner and sobbing, a spatula that looked to be solid silver in front of her. Valkyrie stared at it in horror, a look of revulsion on her face.

"Valerie, my dear, what's going on? What happened?" asked Belinda softly, trying to sound as motherly as she could.

"I-I-I, I don't u-understand! I-I just TOUCHED the spatula, and it changed from plastic to METAL! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" shrieked Valkyrie.

Belinda scooped Valkyrie up in her arms. Valkyrie looked more confused than ever. "No no no no no, my dear, it's alright! This is perfectly natural! Remember what we've been trying to explain to you? You're a witch, and you're just learning to control your power."

"NO! I DON'T BELIEVE IN MAGIC!" shouted Valkyrie, shoving Belinda away. "I've spent my whole life learning about science and technology, forsaking all that supernatural garbage the Primes tried to shove down my throat! You expect me to now believe in MAGIC!?"

"It is not so much believing, my young friend, but simply accepting the evidence in front of you rather than adhering to preconceived conclusions," said Dumbledore kindly, kneeling beside Valkyrie. "Is that not the creed of a good scientist?" Harry knew Dumbledore's words hit home. Valkyrie stared at him in wonder. But then, her eyes fell on the newspapers tucked under Dumbledore's arm. He glanced down at them, at once looking shamefaced. Immediately sensing that she wasn't supposed to know about them, Valkyrie yanked one free and looked at the front page. It was a Muggle newspaper, a stationary photograph on the front. It was of Valkyrie unharmed and surrounded by flames. Harry didn't get a chance to read the headline since Valkyrie tore the paper open, looking at the letter column.

At once, Valkyrie burst into tears. "E-Everyone's calling me a-a freak! A child of the Devil! After I've worked so hard, t-they're all turning their backs on me after hero-worshipping me for so long!?" she cried in disbelief.

Belinda moved in to console Valkyrie again, but she pulled away, crying uncontrollably. Harry found it hard to believe this crying jag of a girl would grow up into a warmongerer, but at the same time, it made perfect sense. "What's going on, Val?" came Charles's voice. He had woken up and walked in with Belinda's five children. They all stared sympathetically at Valkyrie.

"Oh Chuck! Everyone in America thinks I'm a freak because of what happened! And if these people are telling the truth about me, THEY'RE RIGHT!" Valkyrie bawled.

"No, Val. These people already explained everything to me, and I swear to you, here's one American who won't turn his back on you," said Charles.

"But nothing will be the same now, Mr. Granger," said Belinda. "The Obliviators acted too late to prevent this from getting to your television stations, and the stills were then used in newspapers."

"That's fine by me. If everyone's turning their back on me...I'm sorry, Chuck, but I'm doing the same to them!" shouted Valkyrie. Her hands clenched around the newspaper, and it burst into flame. Valkyrie let it fall to the floor, but this time she stared at her handiwork with a vindictive coldness. "Let them all think Dr. Valerie Prime is dead. They're dead to me."

"But Val, all your hard work! You're just tossing it aside!?" asked Charles breathlessly.

"I'm sorry, I know all you wanted was to find me a place here in America, but there's no place for me now," said Valkyrie coolly.

"But what will you do now? Where will you go?"

"Perhaps we can help there, Mr. Granger," said Dumbledore. "I'm sure I could arrange for a Wizarding family here in America to take Ms. Prime in. And no doubt that she can attend the Salem Witches' Institute, if she wishes."

"NO! I don't want to stay in this country any longer!" screamed Valkyrie. "I mean, we're only a few miles from where the Salem Witch Trials took place. Obviously NOTHING'S changed over the centuries. If this is how everyone in America still reacts to people like us...SCREW THEM!"

"Then perhaps you can come back to England with us," said Belinda.

Valkyrie looked astonished. "R-R-Really?"

"Why not? I've already got five kids. What's one more?" Belinda's five children crowded around Valkyrie, nodding as if to welcome her into the family. Valkyrie's gaze began to soften as she saw people like her, her own age, offering their friendship. Harry immediately understood the impact this must have made, recalling the feeling of family he had around the Weasleys.

"Val, whatever will make you happy, you go right ahead," said Charles. "I had hoped you'd become one of America's leading scientists, but your happiness means much, much more to me." Valkyrie tearfully looked up at him, and nodded.

"If that is your wish, Ms. Prime, I can pull a few strings and arrange for your emigration to Great Britain," said Dumbledore kindly. "We'll change your name to Valerie Asara, and I'll see to your admittance into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, if you desire it."

Valkyrie stared at him dubiously. "There're...really schools to learn about all this magic stuff?" she asked.

"Oh, indeed there is. I'm surprised you sound so reluctant, my dear. From what I understand about you, what drives you is your thirst for knowledge. Think about the tremendous opportunity you have now. A wondrous new world awaits your exploration! What's more, you'll be surrounded by children your own age, who all have as much to learn as you. No longer must you push yourself to prove your worth among envious adults," said Dumbledore. Again, Harry could tell his words hit home.

"Are you...a part of this Hogwarts place?" asked Charles curiously.

"Oh yes. I am currently the headmaster," explained Dumbledore.

"Then you can see to it that Val's taken care of. I'm feeling a lot better, knowing that," said Charles. "But one question, though. From what Belinda and her kids told me, this thing with magic is inherited. But Val's parents definitely weren't magical, otherwise they would've used magic to blast through the demilitarized zone in Korea."

"Ah, but occasionally, the gift of magic arises in the children of Muggles...that's our word for non-magic folk," replied Dumbledore.

"Well, that certainly hasn't happened with my sons. They're both much older than Valkyrie, and no weird stuff ever like this happens around our house, unless you count some mishaps with JB's remote-control planes..."

"Ah, but perhaps your grandchildren will be a different story," said Dumbledore hopefully.

"Well, if any of them are, hopefully they'll blow through your school while you're still around," said Charles, offering his hand, which Dumbledore firmly shook. Valkyrie then walked over to Charles, and the two hugged. "Goodbye, Val. And good luck."

"Just one thing, though. I don't want to keep the first name 'Valerie' either," said Valkyrie icily. "But I always liked when the few friends I had called me 'Val'. But what else..."

Suddenly, a pot on the stove started boiling over. Valkyrie looked into it, seeing rice being cooked. She turned back to everyone else. "How about 'Valencia'?"

Harry's face fell. "The only Dark Arts master to ever surpass Voldemort named herself after a bowl of rice?" he spat incredulously. Samus just shrugged her shoulders as the kitchen dissolved. This time, however, the setting changed to a place Harry knew very intimately: the huge doors leading to the Great Hall of Hogwarts. He and Samus found themselves in a crowd of first-years as McGonagall swung the doors open, leading the new students inside. Harry looked around for the young Valkyrie, but instead, he spotted someone else eerily familiar: a stringy boy with a curtain of black hair and a hopeless, depressed look. This had to be Snape's memory. He quickly called to Samus, and the two followed Snape into the Great Hall.

While McGonagall ran up to the other teachers to prepare for the Sorting ceremony, the pair stood by Snape, still looking for Valkyrie. Eventually, a taunting voice made Snape's head turn. "Hey Greaseball! Still think the redhead'll be Sorted into Slytherin with you? Don't worry if she gets into Gryffindor, though. I'll make sure she feels at home..." Harry gasped as he saw his father at the tender age of eleven, flanked by a boy who could only be Sirius Black. Snape curled his lip and glared disdainfully, but there was no mistaking the wounded pride in his face. Once again, Harry was torn between contempt for Snape and embarrassment about his father.

But someone suddenly rushed toward James and Sirius, glaring at the two contemptuously. It was Valkyrie, no doubt already feeling she had something in common with Snape, being bullied for no reason. "Hey mophead, I overheard you boys on the train before. Care to tell me what this is all about?" she demanded.

"Oooh, hey Greasy, here's another girl coming to your defense. Funny how yet again, you're not man enough to stand up for yourself," sneered Sirius.

"Ah yes, the overriding vapidness of the male ego. Not that either of you look particularly macho," scoffed Valkyrie. "As for the mophead, I wonder how many more feeble taunts he'll hurl with that broken nose."

"Wait a minute...what broken nose?" asked James, right before Valkyrie floored him with a right hook. Blood gushed out of James's shattered nose before he hit the ground. At once, Sirius turned on Valkyrie, but a foot planted squarely in his gut made him sink to his knees. Valkyrie then tackled both of them to the ground. She had James in a headlock while her legs wrapped around Sirius's neck, hopelessly trapping both of them.

"ENOUGH!" roared McGonagall, running up to them, separating them with a wave of her wand. "Young lady, such barbarism is intolerable at this school! Good heavens, really...you think you can behave like this just because you personally know the headmaster!? A twenty point deficit for whatever House you're Sorted into!" Valkyrie looked unashamed, not withering a bit under McGonagall's gaze. McGonagall quickly healed James's broken nose before running back. The seated students nearest them glared hatefully, no doubt sincerely hoping Valkyrie wouldn't be Sorted into their House. Valkyrie ignored them and turned to Snape, who was smirking now that James and Sirius were keeping their distance.

"I don't think they'll be bothering us for a while," said Valkyrie proudly. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Er, Severus. Severus Snape. And who are you? Do you really know Albus Dumbledore?" asked Snape, sounding impressed.

"Sure do. He's the one who made sure I got into this school, even though I'm not from Britain. I'm sure you could tell that already, thanks to the accent."

Snape obviously wasn't sure how to reply to that, so he changed the subject. "Uh, any special reason you did that for me? I mean, the students in whatever House you're Sorted into will hate you for that. Was it a good idea to become so infamous right away?"

"I think it was worth it. I've already shown I'm not to be trifled with," said Valkyrie coldly, cracking her knuckles. "I tried to be all sweet and innocent at the school I went to before coming here. I won't make that mistake again." Valkyrie smiled broadly at him with an adoring look. "And it's not like those two asshats were worth being friends with."

Snape tried to force a smile, but Valkyrie's adoration was making him uneasy. "Uh, no argument there. But y'know, swinging your fists will only get you so far here. If you want, I could teach you a few curses I know."

"Curses? You mean the Dark Arts? Oh, I'm game for that. Anything that'll give me an edge." Snape was taken aback by her enthusiasm for learning something most of their world shunned. "And maybe I can teach you some kung fu."

"Er, I'm sure you could, but like I said, I doubt they'll be of any use here."

"It's like the one who taught me kung fu said, Severus...there's no knowledge that is not power," Valkyrie said mischievously. Snape stared wide-eyed at her, as if seeing her for the first time.

At last, the Sorting Hat finished its song. "First-years, when I call your name, sit down on this stool and try on the Sorting Hat, and you will be Sorted into your House," said McGonagall. She unrolled the parchment and called out the first name. "Asara, Valencia!"

Valkyrie's beaming joy faded as she nervously walked up to McGonagall. Harry and Samus walked with her. All the students watched anxiously, hoping she'd be Sorted into any House but theirs. At last, Valkyrie sat down on the stool, and half her face vanished behind the Sorting Hat. It only took a few seconds before the Sorting Hat came to a decision. For a brief moment, it looked ready to mouth out 'Slytherin', but an instant later it shouted, "RAVENCLAW!"

The Great Hall melted away into a hazy swirl, reforming into one of Hogwarts's many hallways. It was nearing sundown, and the only two people walking down it was Severus, still in his first year, along with a redheaded girl his age. Harry was taken aback, realizing it could only be his mother.

"Good work with that Engorgement Charm in Flitwick's free study period, Sev," said Lily happily. "That really put that little toerag James in his place."

"How can you be so cheerful about it when I accidently used it on you?" asked Snape, confused. "You tripled in size, and I swear at least one kid was looking up your skirt..."

"But you didn't see the look I was giving James before Flitwick reversed it. Trust me, he got the message. Almost wet himself, I'm sure of it," said Lily. Snape smiled, but seemed at a loss for words. When he finally opened his mouth to speak, though, he was cut off by faint sobbing from nearby. Harry looked around and realized they were next to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. "Oh great, Myrtle's crying again? What could it be this..."

But Lily was cut off when Myrtle's nonwhiny voice was heard. "Oh come on, it can't be that bad."

Lily and Snape looked at each other, then ran into the bathroom. Beside the sink that led to the Chamber of Secrets was Valkyrie, clutching her knees and crying. Myrtle hovered over her, looking sympathetic and confused.

"Val? Val, what's wrong?" asked Snape, kneeling beside her.

"Valencia Asara? The one that clobbered half of Potter's gang before even getting Sorted?" asked Lily.

"Yeah, her," said Snape quickly. "Val, seriously, what's going on?"

"Just that life at Hogwarts isn't going anything like I planned," sniffed Valkyrie. "I thought I could create a reputation of being someone tough and accomplished, and earn respect because of both. Genuinely respected for the first time in my life! B-B-But..."

"But what? In the classes we have together, you don't seem to be doing too bad," replied Lily kindly. "Besides, I've seen you in the library being tutored by that fourth-year looking for volunteer credits. What was her name? Narcissa...something?"

"Narcissa Black, Sirius's cousin. Nowhere near as bad, though," said Snape.

"Speak for yourself. All the Black sisters give me the creeps," said Lily.

"But she wouldn't want to keep tutoring me if she knew the truth about me. None of the other students would respect me either," sobbed Valkyrie.

"W-What d'you mean by that?" asked Lily.

"Oh come on, with that accent of hers, any idiot can tell where she's from!" snapped Myrtle.

"So she's from America, so what?" spat Lily.

"And why d'you sound like such a perfectionist? Like you have to master everything in your first year?" asked Snape sincerely.

"Call it a personal failing. I'm too used to pushing myself to the limit."

"Hey, before we were Sorted, you said something about another school," Snape remembered.

"It was a Muggle school, wasn't it?" asked Lily. "I overheard how you actually gave a lecture to the Muggle Studies professor about something, as if you know far, far more than she does."

Valkyrie nodded dully. "Yeah, I'm Muggle-born, but all I know and learned...I thought it would help me here, but it's like it's holding me back..."

"C'mon, stop talking in riddles. Tell us what's wrong," Snape pleaded. Lily knelt beside him, a pleading look on her face as well. Valkyrie kept looking from one to another, obviously wondering if she could trust them. After a while, she clearly felt she could, for she launched into her story about being a refugee from North Korea, being raised in America, and attending Harvard.

"So you see, knowing what I do about biology and physics and geology, you can understand how some of this stuff is so hard for me to grasp. All of a sudden, I find I have the power to defy scientific laws," sobbed Valkyrie. "The Asaras are the best family I can ask for, but now only my older brother is here, and he's too busy getting ready for his O.W.L.s! And I thought it'd be great to have classmates my own age, but for the first time, I'm lagging behind! I can never go back to the Muggle world, but I can't cut it here either!"

"Well, you don't only have Narcissa Black to help you now," declared Lily. "I'll help you in whatever classes we have together."

"Same here. Ravenclaws and Slytherins started doing Potions together this year, so we'll be partners from now on," added Snape.

"And don't worry about your secret, it's safe with us," said Lily. "What about you, Myrtle?" asked Lily, looking up.

"Don't worry, it's not as if anyone pays attention to me," sighed Myrtle.

Valkyrie looked from Lily to Snape and back, her eyes still full of tears. Sniffing again, she lurched forward to hug them both, relieved that she at least had two loyal friends.

The bathroom faded away and reformed into a car on the Hogwarts Express. From the sound of it, the train had yet to depart. Harry turned around to see Valkyrie and Snape sitting alone in a compartment, looking no older. Were they heading for their second year? Snape had his nose deep in some old book, no doubt about the Dark Arts. Valkyrie was reading too, but occasionally looked up to gaze dreamily at Snape. Suddenly, Lily stumbled into the compartment with them, her eyes full of tears. Snape shut his book and sighed. "Lemme guess, your sister _again_?" he asked, sounding bored.

Lily nodded dully. "I can't believe how much she's changed! Her jealousy is eating away at her! We used to get along just fine, but now...oh, sometimes I wish I'd never been born a witch!"

"You don't mean that!" gasped Snape, but Lily just continued to cry.

Now Valkyrie shut her book and spoke up. "He's right, Lily. Wishing that such a gift like ours would go away is foolish. But...maybe there's another solution."

Lily wiped her eyes and looked at Valkyrie dubiously. "W-What are you talking about?" she asked, clearly mystified.

"Petunia's right about one thing. It's grossly unfair how one sister was born with this great evolutionary advantage while the other wasn't. That goes for all Muggles. They miss out on so much," explained Valkyrie. Snape lazily rolled his eyes and leaned back, but continued to listen. "But since magic is clearly something genetic, perhaps there's a way to change your sister."

Snape looked aghast, and Lily looked horrified as well. "Y-Y-You want to experiment on Petunia, mess with her DNA?"

"You cut me deep, Lily, making me sound so cold. But what if it's possible? I've been experimenting on cell samples of myself and other students all summer. I think one day, I can isolate all the genes responsible for magic, and if I can, what's to stop me from splicing them all into Petunia?"

Lily had a spellbound look, no doubt imagining herself with Petunia in Hogwarts, happily practicing magic together. Snape now looked a little intrigued, but doubtful at the same time. "Val, I won't pretend I know more about genetics than you, but...there's got to be more to magic than just genes and evolution. What about magical cores, and..."

"Please, Sev. I know there are many hurdles, but I wouldn't be telling Lily this if I didn't think I could pull it off one day." Valkyrie turned back to Lily. "I don't make promises I know I can't keep. You've been such a good friend to me, Lily. I promise you that one day, Petunia Evans will be a witch!"

The Hogwarts Express dissolved into a swirl of multicolored mist, reforming into a room back at Hogwarts. It looked familiar, but it took a while for Harry to put his finger on it. All the people crowding around him and Samus, the celebratory atmosphere and party-like decorations finally clued them in. "A Slug Club party," Harry whispered to Samus. "All three of them had to be favorites of Slughorn."

They looked around for anyone familiar, eventually spotting Valkyrie and his mother, who now looked to be fifteen or sixteen. Both were sitting among the partying crowd. Lily looked rather annoyed, wearing a frilly red dress, while Valkyrie wore a revealing, short black dress. It was odd, seeing Valkyrie wear something so overtly feminine, but at the same time it showed off her athletic physique...and the long scar across her shoulders. No doubt she hoped to catch Snape's eye. And Snape just happened to be the topic of their conversation. "Oh come on, Lily, just _TALK_ to Sev. It's all he really wants! Can't believe how stubborn you're being about this, just because of some slip of the tongue last year..."

"It's more than being called a Mudblood, Val! It's the other company he keeps, how he's sunk deeper into the Dark Arts!" retorted Lily.

"I'm no stranger to the Dark Arts, yet you haven't shut me out of your life," Valkyrie pointed out. Lily's eyes seemed to soften a little, but she still looked defiant. "Besides," Valkyrie went on, "if you're truly worried about Sev sinking into total darkness, what better way to sway him back than with the love of good friends? That's what Albus is always saying. You going to dispute the brightest wizard of our time?"

Lily glared back at Valkyrie scornfully, knowing she had backed her into a corner. "Fine. If you're so convinced you can keep him from going down that dark path by kicking his hormones into overdrive with that getup, go right ahead," she scoffed.

"Like you even have to ask," Valkyrie said with a grin. "But this isn't over, Lily."

She turned on her heel, facing where Snape had been eavesdropping from a few yards away. He turned and tried to shuffle off. Before taking off after him, Valkyrie ran up to the wireless radio and smacked it. Another song started playing, upbeat and boisterously loud, perhaps something that later inspired the Weird Sisters. Then Valkyrie bolted after Snape, grabbing him by the wrist just as he reached for the doorknob. She dragged him back into the center of the partying crowd, holding both his hands and forcing him into a dance.

"Just relax, Sev. At least look like you're enjoying this, which I know you are," she whispered as she twirled them around. The music went on while others watched the two dance, some even cheering them on.

Egged on by their encouragement, Valkyrie whirled them around the room even faster. At one point, Valkyrie spun Snape around and shoved him away. She then leaped over him, rapidly spinning like Samus always did. Snape looked up just in time to hold out his arms, catching Valkyrie. Not giving Snape a moment's rest, Valkyrie took Snape's head in her hands, pulling him toward her for a deep kiss. Whoops and catcalls filled the room. Lily's expression was unreadable, while some disgruntled boys muttered about Snape having nothing they didn't have. A younger Slughorn was there as well, looking both shocked and impressed. When Valkyrie broke the kiss, she leaned forward to whisper in Snape's ear. "Get us someplace private, will you?" Snape nodded dully, awkwardly carrying Valkyrie away while other students called out with encouragement behind them.

Harry, already feeling nauseous, feared that the next memory would be in the Room of Requirement, with Snape and Valkyrie boffing each other like wild animals. Thankfully, the scene shifted to the Astronomy Tower, with Snape and Valkyrie looking out at the night sky. Valkyrie still wore that skimpy dress, so Harry guessed this was right after the party. As he glanced back at the would-be couple, he noticed Valkyrie was occasionally glancing down at a book. Harry realized it was Snape's Potions textbook, marked as belonging to the Half-Blood Prince. Silence lingered between them, but Valkyrie eventually broke it, saying, "I see you've taken my pet name for you to heart. But looking at this, maybe Lily's worries about you and the Dark Arts aren't unfounded. What's this one? Sectumsempra? Oh, I can guess what that one does. But you never shared that one with me. Why? I've shared my best inventions with you. Ingemiaceo, Bangsasunis Chapaprotego..."

"Err, well, I just came up with it last week," said Snape weakly. "Besides, after how Potter and his gang learned about Levicorpus, I've been a bit more careful about flaunting our inventions."

"Hmmm, I guess you're right about our best spells falling into the wrong hands," admitted Valkyrie. "But what about those other friends of yours who can't wait to bunk with Voldemort? You're not going to share my inventions with them, are you?"

"Err, no. Why would I? I mean, what use would they have for radiation shielding?"

"Ah, but decoys for faking deaths would be quite useful for a Death Eater, wouldn't it?" asked Valkyrie slyly.

"No, I won't share Ingemiaceo with anyone. You have my word."

Valkyrie smiled broadly. "Lily thinks I'm wasting my time with you. She thinks you're irredeemable. But I just know I'm making progress. You feel like you're being pulled in all directions. All I have to do is pull harder." She sauntered up to him, close enough to embrace one another, and kissed again.

After they broke the kiss, Valkyrie looked back down at the Potions book. Smirking, she grabbed a quill, pulled out her wand, and began to scribble in it. "Val, what are you doing!?" demanded Snape, sounding horrified.

"We're a team, remember? If you're jotting down all your secrets in here, I might as well add mine." For several long minutes, Valkyrie flipped through the pages, scribbling faster than the eye could follow. Then she slammed the book shut, stood up, and jabbed her wand in the center. "_Corbomallis!_" she cried.

"What did that do?" asked Snape.

"Concealed all the ink I just wrote with. This is all my secret knowledge, my gift to you, and for no one else," explained Valkyrie. "When you want to reveal what I've written, stab it with your wand like that and recite the incantation backwards."

The Astronomy Tower vanished, and suddenly Harry and Samus found themselves in an open area, the sun starting to set. Harry immediately noticed some smoke. Turning around, he saw it was coming from the wreckage of what must have been an enormous mansion.

"Oh no, Harry! Look up!" cried Samus, sounding horrified. Harry craned his neck up, and recoiled when he saw the Dark Mark hovering overhead. "This must be when Asara found her..."

"Val? Val, please talk to us!" came Dumbledore's anguished voice. They turned to see Dumbledore and a Moody whose face was largely intact standing over Valkyrie, who was on her knees in front of the wreckage. She stared at the smoking wreckage, tears streaming down her face.

"What's there to talk about? The only real family I ever had...GONE!" shrieked Valkyrie. She stood up and shoved Moody and Dumbledore aside, then raised her wand. "_Flatundo!_" The shockwave ripped through what remained of the Asara's home, sending wood, glass and dirt flying everywhere. Valkyrie stared at it a little longer before turning to Moody. "Looks like my career path's been chosen for me. Alastor, I know the Ministry started an accelerated training program to get more Aurors out in the field. I want in, Moody. With your recommendation, I'm sure to get accepted, and in a few months I promise I'll be out there, dragging as many Death Eaters back as I can!"

"Asara, listen! You're far too young for this, for fighting a war, and..." Moody began, but Harry could tell he didn't really believe what he was saying.

Valkyrie ignored him, turning to Dumbledore. "And your secret organization, the Order of the Phoenix, I want in! I deserve to be on the front lines!"

Dumbledore looked down at Valkyrie with a somber expression. "Valencia, are you sure this is what you want? You seem better suited for research, healing...not the life of a warrior."

"Albus, I once turned my back on a conflict, the Cold War heating up. I don't have the luxury of doing that again. I've invested too much in the Wizarding world to just run away again!" pleaded Valkyrie. "I can be a valuable asset, and you know it! You people NEED ME!" Moody and Dumbledore stared at the fuming Valkyrie hopelessly, knowing they'd have no choice but to agree.

Suddenly, Harry and Samus found themselves in what looked like a dimly-lit basement. Several people stood around a table, on which sat a single oil lamp. There was Dumbledore, Moody, Snape, his parents and Valkyrie. Lily was holding a sleeping infant that Harry knew for sure was himself. Dumbledore looked as serene and polite as ever, Snape was staring at the floor, and everyone else looked mutinous. "We're supposed to just believe Greasy over here just upped and switched sides!? And believe that You-Know-Who's suddenly targeted my family, on his say-so!?" demanded his father.

"James, I understand your reluctance to trust Severus, but I have my own reasons to believe his offer is genuine. And so do you. It was thanks to him that we knew of the Death Eater's Muggle attack at the Eiffel Tower," said Dumbledore calmly.

"And there's no way it was an act, just to get us to trust Severus," said Lily. "That look on You-Know-Who's face when the Order arrived in full force...even he's not that good an actor."

"If Dumbledore says he's for real, then I'll put aside my doubts and give Snape a chance," growled Moody. "If he's telling the truth, we'll have inside information, be able to plant false trails...it's an opportunity we can't pass up. But do forgive me if I keep sleeping with one eye open."

"Then it's decided," said Dumbledore. "James, take your wife and son and hide out at Remus's for a while. I'll meet with you shortly. Alastor and Val should head back to the Ministry, and Severus, naturally, must return to the Death Eaters soon."

Moody and James shot distrustful looks at Snape before leaving the basement. Lily looked determined not to meet Snape's eye. Valkyrie had been quiet the whole time, but when everyone else left, she turned on Snape. Snape seemed to wither a little. "Well, you got anything to say to me?" Valkyrie demanded.

"I'm sure nothing I can say will placate you, Val," said Snape weakly.

"Damn straight. You know me too well. Words won't convince me, but action will. Giving us the inside scoop on one Death Eater attack was one thing, but I'll need a little more."

"You must know why I'm here...the prophecy I overheard. Dumbledore shares everything with you. You know I couldn't stand by and let the Dark Lord hunt down Lily..."

A withering glare from Valkyrie silenced Snape. "But what about the slaughter of the Asaras!? Didn't that convince you that Voldemort wasn't worth following!?"

Snape shivered at the mention of Voldemort's name, but still dared to look Valkyrie in the eye. "You must believe me when I say that tragedy struck me deeply, and the Dark Lord going after the Potters convinced me to switch sides at last. In the end, Val, you were right about me," Snape said in a pleading voice. He took a step toward Valkyrie, holding out a hand, but she slapped it away.

"Don't come back to me expecting everything to be the way it was before, Severus!" shouted Valkyrie. "You've got a long way to go before I _**EVER**_ trust you with my heart and soul again!"

"I never betrayed your secrets, Val. Whatever reason the Dark Lord had for ordering the attack on the Asaras, it wasn't because he knew they adopted a Muggle-born. And I never revealed any of your invented spells to another soul. I kept my promises to you, Val," explained Snape.

"Well, if you're telling the truth, that's a start," replied Valkyrie. "But don't come around here expecting to get some, not for a long time."

Valkyrie and Snape flittered away, but the basement remained. Snape reappeared, sitting at the table in the center, busily brewing a potion. Harry walked up to him, carefully studying his face. Just who had he been loyal to back then? Was it Voldemort, like he desperately wanted to believe? Or did Dumbledore really have good reason to trust him? Was he actually remorseful about placing his mother in danger? Or was he determined to win back Valkyrie?

Harry was so focused on Snape that he was startled when someone burst through the door. He turned to see his parents, along with himself in Lily's arms, now over a year old. His heart jumped into his throat as he realized this memory must be right before that fateful Halloween. Snape looked up lazily, then went back to brewing his potion, ignoring James's angry glare. "Dumbledore won't be here for another hour, Potter. Though why you foolishly insisted on seeing him personally after all our efforts to hide your family...never mind."

James looked ready to throttle Snape, but Lily held him back. "Enough, James! It's been over a year. I'm sick of how you two still bicker like little kids when we're supposed to be on the same side."

"I still don't trust him!" James hissed to his wife.

"Well I do!" declared Lily. "Think of all the Muggle attacks we've thwarted since he turned spy for us! All the Death Eaters that've been thrown into Azkaban! Whatever his past mistakes, he's earned his place with us!" While his parents argued, Harry noticed Snape staring strangely at his younger self, who stared back dully with sleepy, green eyes.

"Even I'm forced to agree with your wife, Potter," growled Moody, who walked in with Valkyrie in tow. "We just came back from a surprise ambush on Death Eaters in downtown London. Three more put away."

"And like it or not, Potter, it's all thanks to our double-agent here!" added Valkyrie, who cartwheeled across the basement, then jumped up, spinning, only to land onto the table, causing Snape to shove his chair back in alarm.

"Val, please, that batch of Amortentia must be perfect! Mundungus Fletcher can use that to bribe some of Voldemort's contacts in Spain!" warned Snape as Valkyrie did a boisterous little victory dance on the table. At once, Valkyrie jumped off and took a good whiff of the potion.

"I can smell freshly-melted agar already. Just add some ground Ashwinder eggs and it can sit for a few hours. Long enough for us to fuck like wild animals to celebrate," said Valkyrie, grabbing Snape's wrist and leading him out. Harry grimaced. Obviously Valkyrie hadn't held out for very long.

"Wait, Val! I wanted to remain for when Dumbledore briefed the Potters!" Snape protested. "We were going to discuss setting up a Fidelius Charm to keep all three of them safe. And then there's our little plan which doesn't involve the headmaster..."

Valkyrie stopped just as her hand was over the doorknob, turning back to the others with an embarrassed blush. "Silly silly me. How could I forget? With Voldemort getting more and more desperate, we've got a shot at putting ol' Snake-Eyes six feet under ourselves!"

"I still don't like this idea you, Snape and Moody cooked up," muttered James dejectedly. "I swear, this whole 'Avenging Angel' business is getting to your head..."

"Stow it, James!" snapped Valkyrie angrily. "Even if we get a Fidelius Charm set up, that's no guarantee, especially if you use someone obvious like Sirius Black as Secret-Keeper, which we all know you will! I'll be perfectly honest with you. I thought you a slimy little flobberworm the first day we met and my opinion hasn't changed, but I won't sit by and let your wife and son be slaughtered. And no way I'm sitting on my ass when we have a chance to end this war!"

"It'll work, Potter. We just have Snape lay a false trail, and I can organize an entire squadron of Aurors to spring on You-Know-Who when he comes sniffing around," said Moody. James still looked doubtful and mutinous, but Lily laid a hand on his shoulder, silently begging him to back off. James sighed and relented.

"Good. That's settled. Alastor, Sev and I will get back to you. Swing by Spinner's End in a few hours," said Valkyrie, finally dragging Snape out of the basement, which promptly dissolved and reformed into the inside of a Muggle office building at night. One that was in total disarray. Loose paper, pens, chairs and cubicle walls were messily spread all over the place, and smoke was starting to spread out. As Harry looked around for the source of the fire, Samus pointed to something else on the floor.

"This is obviously their bungled attempt at trapping Voldemort," muttered Samus. Harry turned to see the lifeless, mutilated bodies of Aurors sprawled all over the place. Then, Harry caught a glimpse of Moody in a far corner of the office, eyes hazy from pain, unable to stand. His tried to focus on something across the office. Samus and Harry turned just in time to see a flaming filing cabinet fling itself at something. It split apart in midair, and Voldemort stepped through a cloud of shredded paper, his scarlet eyes glistening evilly. Harry looked to where he was glaring and saw Valkyrie, sporting several cuts and bruises, clearly exhausted but prepared to fight on until her dying breath.

"An inspiring performance, and unsurpassed boldness, but fortune does not always favor the bold," said Voldemort coolly. "And truthfully, I expected better from a plan hatched by a Ravenclaw who almost made it into Slytherin. But then again, such a foolish girl ruled by a lust for petty revenge..."

Valkyrie snarled as she unleashed a volley of curses, but Voldemort lazily flicked them aside and counterattacked. Valkyrie cartwheeled out of the way and kept firing curses, keeping Voldemort at bay. Harry was impressed. Even without Phazon, she was perfectly capable of holding her own against Voldemort. The duel dragged on, giving the appearance of a stalemate, but Harry could tell Voldemort was wearing Valkyrie down. Furthermore, flames continued to consume the office building, and their stray curses were causing it to crumble. At one point, Valkyrie clearly got overzealous, boldly going on the offensive, and Harry knew what was coming a split-second before it happened.

"_Sectumsempra!_" shouted Voldemort, and Valkyrie had no time to dodge or block it. The curse struck just under her left shoulder, severing her arm. It spun across the office, spraying blood everywhere, until it idly plopped into Moody's lap, who still could not move. Moody stared at her arm, then at Valkyrie, who was screaming and clutching her ghastly wound, instinctively trying to curb the flow of gushing blood.

Voldemort raised his wand to finish Valkyrie, but suddenly the entire building shook. Thinking that its collapse would finish Moody and Valkyrie, he flew out without a word. Moody was able to move again, and he crept toward Valkyrie with a slow hobble, clutching her left arm. But before he reached her, a chunk of the ceiling fell on her, pinning her legs. With a wave of her wand, Valkyrie blasted Moody through a crumbling wall, sending him to safety.

Harry turned back to Valkyrie, hoping to see her use Ingemiaceo. But with Moody out of the building, that would've been impossible, and the scene promptly changed. Harry and Samus were now in a hall deep within the Department of Mysteries, walking along as a group of Unmentionables rolled a stretcher along. Harry gasped and felt his cheeks redden when he saw Valkyrie lying on it, completely naked, in a coma and missing her left arm.

"So this is the girl who convinced Alastor Moody to organize a group of Aurors to trap He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" came a saccharine, sly voice. Harry's stomach churned as he looked up, seeing Umbridge walking with them, along with Scrimgeour. Both looked a little younger, but the sight of them was still as sickening as ever. "Such a foolish girl. Why did you admit her in the first place?"

"We were desperate for new recruits, and this girl showed promise. She showed boldness in trying to trap the Dark Lord, but unfortunately not the brains she's supposed to be famous for," said Scrimgeour dismissively. "Thankfully, with everyone in Dumbledore's Order and the Auror Department believing her dead, we have a perfect new test subject for the Valhalla Agenda."

They came to thick double-doors made of metal. "Lead, I'm sure of it," commented Samus, sounding like she knew what was beyond them. When they swung open, a huge circular chamber lay before them, one with a stone platform in the center, on which to rest a single body, surrounded by candelabras. "Harry, this is the place I found ruined in the Department of Mysteries! This is where Valencia Asara became Valkyrie!" she cried as the Unmentionables transferred Valkyrie's still body to the platform. Then they took something out from under the stretcher, folded suits of some kind, made of dragon hide from the look of it.

Umbridge and Scrimgeour then left, and knowing that it was Umbridge's memory they were in, Harry and Samus followed her. Soon, they were in the room with the observation window Samus had described, but someone was waiting for them. A short woman, possibly around thirty, with shoulder-length red hair an a few extra pounds. She looked like she might have had some Asian descent, but definitely was not full-blooded like Valkyrie. Curiously, she wore a white, Muggle lab coat, and when Scrimgeour addressed her, it was clear she was actually a Muggle.

"Dr. Kasumi Hinada, are all your preparations complete?" asked Scrimgeour roughly. "Crouch is anxious to have a new agent out in the field, one that'll yield results," he added dangerously. Harry's loathing of Scrimgeour increased tenfold. The Auror Department had sunk to kidnapping Muggles as part of the Valhalla Agenda!

"E-E-Everything is r-ready, Mr. Scrimgeour," stammered the scientist. "B-B-But I can give no real guarantee of s-success, and we've had so many failures already..."

"Right now, in the short-term at least, we must proceed with Valencia Asara," Umbridge cut in rudely. "And it looks like everyone down there is ready." Harry and Samus forced themselves to look down into the chamber, and recoiled at once. The Unmentionables were wearing protective, dragon-hide suits that had headpieces like the ones medical researchers wore in hazardous zones. On three of the candelabras, they had set chunks of Phazon, pulsating with alien power. Harry could see a flickering field around Valkyrie's naked body, possibly her own protective charm?

Harry noticed Samus staring strangely at the Muggle scientist. "Kasumi Hinada...that name sounds familiar," she muttered.

The Unmentionables spread out, forming a circle around the candelabras, and raised their wands. They began to chant. The protective barrier around her suddenly dropped, and at once, noxious tendrils shot out from the Phazon chunks, digging into Valkyrie's flesh. Their glow got fainter and fainter as the aura around Valkyrie became brighter. At one point, through the bright, purple glare, Harry saw Valkyrie's eyes snap open, a horrified, pained look in them.

There was a loud bang and the Unmentionables were thrown back. Nothing remained of the Phazon chunks but withered husks. Valkyrie stood up, blankly looking around, then stared down at herself. She stared in horror at the stump that was once her left arm, then noticed the faint, indigo glow coming from her body. It was then that Harry noticed her eyes were no longer black, but a bright indigo.

"Whoever you are, poor girl, please forgive me," muttered Dr. Kasumi Hinada, leaning against the protective glass and crying.

The scene shifted to a wide chamber in another part of the Department of Mysteries. Umbridge and several Unmentionables were watching Valkyrie, clad in Auror's robes once more, testing her new power on some large concrete blocks. With a flick of her wand, she levitated a block that had to weigh over twenty tons with no obvious effort. With another flick, Valkyrie shattered it into thousands of pieces. Umbridge and the Unmentionables instinctively ducked and covered their heads, but with a wave, Valkyrie transfigured many of the chunks into vampire bats, hawks, doxies and a swarm of dragonflies. They all circled around her, reminding Harry of Hermione and her canaries.

After a while, Umbridge looked up and spoke up. "Well, I see you're...progressing nicely. Much better than any of our...volunteers."

Valkyrie whirled around and glared at Umbridge through the horde of circling flying creatures. "Don't speak to me of volunteerism. You subjected me to this experimentation against my will. I've always been anxious to find out if any alien life existed, but so long as it stayed outside my skin," spat Valkyrie. "And this Phazon...it hasn't made me all-powerful as you hoped. Nothing I can do with this enhanced power will ever bring my best friend back. Nor will I ever be able to undo this." Valkyrie pulled back her left sleeve, revealing a skeletal bionic arm, the metal a dull, bronze color. It looked horribly primitive compared to the tool Harry knew she'd create years later, and it was nowhere near as flexible.

Umbridge stared at her arm contemptuously. "Why bother using such pathetic Muggle toys, when you could have created a magical prosthetic?" sneered Umbridge.

"Because it was something to occupy my mind in between these little training sessions, cooped up here, not yet allowed to tell anyone I'm still alive," replied Valkyrie curtly. "Ah, but it's no surprise you value your ignorance of Muggle ways and wear it like a badge of honor. I'm sure France's Aurors felt differently last year, when I contained that radiation leak from the Death Eater's attack on that nuclear plant. And no doubt the Unmentionables used that same spell of mine with their work here."

Umbridge looked ready to fire back, but Scrimgeour stepped in, along with a tall, hooded figure. "Dolores, do not antagonize Asara. She's been through enough already," he ordered.

"Let's see, I get many of my fellow Aurors killed, I lose my arm, lapse into a coma, awaken to find Voldemort got to my best friend, and to top it all off, I became the guinea pig for your little super-soldier project," said Valkyrie icily as she Vanished all the transfigured animals. "I mean, what's the point if Voldemort mysteriously lost all his power after trying to off Lily's son? Was there any real need to continue this Valhalla Agenda?"

"The Dark Lord may be gone for the moment, but he may return one day. Your old friend Dumbledore seems to think so," replied Scrimgeour smoothly. "Furthermore, many of his most notorious followers are still at large. In fact, that's why I'm here. You were friends with the Longbottoms, correct? I'm sorry to say that some Death Eaters tortured them into insanity, looking for information on the Dark Lord's whereabouts, shortly before your procedure."

Valkyrie bridged the gap between them in less than a second, grabbing Scrimgeour's robes with her bionic hand. "Your next sentence will be your authorization to turn me loose on the psychopaths that hurt the Longbottoms," she declared dangerously.

To Harry's surprise, Scrimgeour grinned broadly. "That was my intention, because this goes much farther than two of our best Aurors being incapacitated. It turns out those same Death Eaters are responsible for breaking out Gellert Grindelwald. My guess is they want to use his knowledge of the Dark Arts to find and resurrect their fallen master."

The mention of Grindelwald seem to spark something in Valkyrie. "Whether they succeed or not doesn't matter to me. Voldemort owes me a rematch anyway. But I'll find them all, drag them back and throw them into Azkaban myself!"

"Good. That's what I want to hear," said Scrimgeour. "How ironic that you mentioned France earlier, though, because all our intelligence suggests this group of Death Eaters has fled there. Thankfully, we have someone here who's volunteered to help you find your way around her home country. Her name is Isobel Maxime."

Harry couldn't believe his ears. "_**MAXIME**_!?" he blurted out. "Don't tell me...Wildflower and Olympe Maxime are related!?" But the person beside Scrimgeour removed the hood, revealing a horribly pale woman with short, white hair, narrowed scarlet eyes and sharp fangs.

Valkyrie cocked an eyebrow. "A vampire? Interesting."

"Is that going to be a problem?" asked the vampiress coldly.

Valkyrie smirked. "I've worked with half-giants and werewolves in my time. Teaming up with a vampire won't be too much of a stretch," she said wryly. Harry caught Umbridge's disparaging glare.

All the people in Umbridge's memory melted away, as did the entire Department of Mysteries an instant later. Harry and Samus found themselves outdoors again, but the scene that unfolded before them looked nothing like France. They were in a field of brightly-colored flowers, and Harry could see patches of farmland all around him. Mountains dotted the horizon, and the sun was just rising over the ones to the east.

"Urk, sun rising," Harry heard Wildflower mutter. Harry and Samus turned to see Valkyrie and Wildflower walking together, along with a black man wearing robes escorting them. Wildflower pulled her hood over her head. "Ugh, at least our hunt for these Death Eaters didn't lead us across any oceans. A vampire and millions of metric tons of flowing water, bad."

"You're not fooling anyone, Isobel. Flowing water and sunlight aren't lethal to you," said Valkyrie dismissively. "Anyway, you gotta give these Death Eaters some credit. Taking us across two continents, all the way here to South Africa. But we're closing in, and those bastards will be brought to justice. Everyone back in England is screaming for their blood."

"And somehow my involvement will be overlooked amidst all the hoopla, of course," spat Wildflower. "I've volunteered for missions for the English and French ministries for years, but no matter how hard I try, no one seems willing to accept that my desire for repentance is genuine."

Valkyrie turned to Wildflower, wide-eyed with surprise. "We really do have a lot in common," she said at length. "Believe me, I know the feeling. Working your ass off, desperately trying to prove yourself, and having nothing to show for it. Look at me now. Part of some blasted Ministry experiment."

"At least you're still technically human," said Wildflower. "I'm doomed to forever live with this thirst. And Voldemort actually believes immortality is desirable!? No matter how hard I fight to keep it in check, everyone is still distrustful of me."

"Short-sighted humans are always distrustful of anything they don't immediately understand," said Valkyrie. "Anyway, we're nearing the next village. We can ask around and look for clues." She pointed to an array of huts in the distance. Harry saw many people scuttling about in the village. Some looked deathly ill, others on the verge of starvation. None of this was lost on Valkyrie. "The blind prejudices and desire to hoard power are not limited to wizards oppressing non-humans, Isobel. Here we see the horrors of legalized apartheid and greed. It's times like this when I loathe all those secrecy degrees. As much as I distrust Muggles, they don't deserve to suffer like this. We could use our power to alleviate all this starvation and disease, perhaps even manipulate the political climate in this nation. I once had a friend who thought that way too, and dreamed of going even farther."

Wildflower nodded in approval. "And with your enhanced power, you could do it. There's no limit to what you can do now. I must admit, you're making me feel foolish. These are things I should've thought of doing, a more surefire and useful way of achieving my penance."

"Stop talking like that. It reminds me of all those religious fanatics I grew up with, always spewing that bullshit about hellfire," snapped Valkyrie.

"Speaking of fire...is that smoke coming from the village?" asked Wildflower, pointing at the huts. Sure enough, billowing smoke rose from some unseen blaze.

Valkyrie sighed. "Come on, Isobel. Time to do our good deeds for the day." The two of them bolted for the village, their guide huffing along behind them. They fought their way past panicking villagers, and eventually found the hut that was set ablaze. The fire was jumping to others huts at that moment. Without any regard for secrecy statutes, Valkyrie pulled out her wand and used Aguamenti. Wildflower produced her magical staff and did the same, dousing the fires started on the other roofs.

"Any idea what caused these fires?" asked Wildflower, nervously looking about. Harry understood why. Sunlight merely weakened vampires, but fire was most certainly lethal to her.

"Just a hunch, but I think it's that kid over there thrashing about uncontrollably, with flaming rocks and wood orbiting him," said Valkyrie dryly. Harry and Samus rounded the corner of the hut with Wildflower, getting a glimpse of a pitifully thin African boy, looking about four or five years old. He looked to be having a seizure, and blazing objects were whipping about around him. Furthermore, several of his fellow villagers saw what was happening, screaming something about witchcraft and sounding ready to degenerate into a murderous mob. "Isobel, do something about those superstitious shitheads, but be gentle," ordered Valkyrie, sensing what was coming.

"Done," said Wildflower simply. She held her staff like a rifle. With a bright burst of light, the villagers were blasted backwards, flailing, but lost consciousness before hitting the ground.

"Such recklessness! Our liaison assured us that the witches being sent would abide by all the South African Wizarding Council's decrees!" croaked their guide.

"Sparky, either shut up and make yourself useful, or I'll shut you up myself," remarked Valkyrie coldly, never turning from the trembling child. For a moment, she reminded Harry of Dumbledore whenever he seemed to x-ray someone with his gaze. After a moment, she charged forward, knocking away all the flying, flaming debris until she reached the boy. She scooped him up with her bionic arm and held him close. He shook violently in her grasp. Undeterred, Valkyrie brought her wand up to him, the tip touching his forehead. Sand swirled about, and whatever incantations Valkyrie was chanting, the noise swallowed them up. However, Harry could clearly see that Valkyrie was dragging her wand across his head, bisecting it. Sparks flew from the tip, and Harry saw she was leaving a faint scar.

Once Valkyrie was done, the boy's trembling ceased, and he slumped against her, out cold. Silence lingered for many moments, until Wildflower curiously stepped forward, staring at the sleeping boy. "What was that all about?" she asked at length.

"Isn't it obvious? The boy is a wizard," said Valkyrie.

"But there is no record of any wizards coming from the villages in these parts!" protested the guide.

"There was no record of witches coming from the poverty-stricken hellhole in North Korea my parents hailed from, but here I am," retorted Valkyrie. "But this kid had it even worse. He was suffering from a seizure, and his magic raged out of control."

"H-How did you cure him?" asked Wildflower.

"With his magic out of control, I had to do something fast. My guess was that the problem was his corpus callosum, so I performed a little impromptu brain surgery," explained Valkyrie. "I severed his corpus callosum, effectively slicing his brain in half. Drastic, but given the circumstances, I had little choice." Valkyrie looked down at the boy nestled against her, and her eyes seemed to soften. It was as if her maternal instinct was kicking in.

As Harry stared curiously at the two of them, something dawned on Samus. "Harry, that boy...it's Kago Asara! That's Faction as a child!" she cried. "And the brain surgery she just did..._**THAT'S**_ how he uses two wands at once!"

"Uh, Valencia, what now? I don't think any villagers will be willing to talk after something like this," Wildflower pointed out.

"We'll let the SAWC handle the Obliviating duties. Our search must continue," said Valkyrie, never looking up from Faction. "As for the child...I suspect he'd be better off coming with us for the moment. And if I see that his own parents, assuming they're alive, are anything like my foster parents, I'm taking him away from here."

"Have you no respect for the law, woman!?" demanded their guide. "You cannot come here, flaunt your magic, take a South African citizen, and..."

But Valkyrie rolled her eyes and pointed her wand at him. There was a flash of light, and suddenly the memory faded away. _She's was already letting her power get to her head,_ Harry mused as a new memory took shape. Suddenly, Harry and Samus found themselves in a large shack, long after night had fallen. Around him, he saw four robed, unmasked Death Eaters. Harry recognized them all. They were the same Death Eaters from Dumbledore's memory, where the Longbottoms' torturers were sentenced. Harry's blood boiled as he looked upon the younger Bellatrix Lestrange, striding across the shack toward an old man, barely more than skin and bones, tied to a chair.

"I'm starting to think you've led us astray on purpose, old man!" sniped Bellatrix. "I was certain we picked up the Dark Lord's trail once we got to Egypt, but now we've crossed the entire continent on your say-so...with nothing to show for it!"

The old man did nothing but flash a toothless grin, earning a backhand from Bellatrix. "Miserable old goat! We freed you, and this is how you repay us!? You ungrateful..."

Bellatrix was cut off by startled cries from her companions. She whirled around to see vines sprouting out from the floorboards, ensnaring the other three Death Eaters. It wasn't long before Bellatrix got over her surprise and raised her wand to free them. But the window across the shack shattered. As the glass shards flew toward her, they reformed in midair into a wire-mesh net, which pinned her against the opposite wall.

Valkyrie stepped through the shattered window, surveying the scene and smirking at the bound Death Eaters. Wildflower stepped through a moment later, holding Faction close. She walked over to Bellatrix. "Go ahead and feast on Bella if you wish, Isobel. Scrimgeour didn't specify if we were to bring them back dead or alive," said Valkyrie aloofly.

Wildflower glowered at Bellatrix, who stared back with a petrified look. "I'm not that thirsty," spat Wildflower. She smashed her head into Bellatrix's, knocking her out.

"Very well. Just remember to do a Memory Charm on her, touching that nerve I pointed out. As for Gellert Grindelwald..." Valkyrie slashed her wand, and the ropes binding the old man snapped apart. Grindelwald hobbled forward, but even though he was defenseless, Valkyrie aimed her wand and smashed him against the wall. For a moment, it looked like Valkyrie would crush him to death. But Grindelwald wasn't quite helpless. He snapped his bony fingers, and Valkyrie staggered back a little, her charm blasted away.

That one last effort, though, drained him, and he sagged to the floor. Grindelwald chuckled to himself. "No doubt your Ministry masters told you I must be rendered unconscious before bringing me back. And no doubt they hoped your hatred might lead you into killing me out of anger."

"Oh please, anyone who's opened a history textbook has good reason to despise you," Valkyrie shot back, rising to her feet.

"Ah, but you especially. You are Albus Dumbledore's favorite pupil, are you not?" asked Grindelwald innocently.

Valkyrie dashed across the room and pinned Grindelwald to the wall with her bionic hand. "Damn straight I am! And he told me all about what happened between you two, well before your duel!" she snarled as she tightened her grip, slowly crushing his windpipe.

"Valencia, wait!" cried Wildflower. "How could he possibly know about your relationship with Albus Dumbledore? He's been cooped up in Nurmengard since that duel!"

Valkyrie glared at Grindelwald intently, but slackened her grip. Grindelwald wheezed a good long while before he could speak again. "I know many things, Valencia Asara. Things your masters in the Ministry don't want you to know. Tell me, why did they say I had to be unconscious? Some dread power, some spell cast with only my voice perhaps? Or Legilimacy that no Occlumens could hope to resist?" Valkyrie said nothing as she stared down the ancient Dark wizard, who continued. "They wanted me incapacitated before having a chance to speak, to tell you that's these young fools did not break me out of Nurmengard. I haven't been there for over a year."

"Then where were you!?" demanded Valkyrie impatiently.

"In your Ministry, your Department of Mysteries. Tried to coerce me into helping solve your newest Dark wizard problem. Specifically, they sought my insight into this Valhalla Agenda that created you. Very reluctantly, I assure you, because no one deserves the slow, agonizing death that the Valhalla Agenda sentences its subjects to."

"What's this all about? Are you saying all the other survivors, who were part of the Valhalla Agenda...they're all dead!?" gasped Wildflower in disbelief.

"That's exactly what I'm saying, my lovely mistress of the night," said Grindelwald. "This alien power utterly consumed all the others over time, and that Muggle woman they captured to help them was powerless to stop it. But you, Valencia Asara...they were eager to get rid of you. Always causing a stir, advocating openly using magic no matter what, all the politicians you rubbed the wrong way...

"Didn't it you find it funny, how a high-profile case like the assault on the Longbottoms was handed to a new secret agent? It'd be too embarrassing if it ever got out that the Ministry sought help from Gellert Grindelwald, wouldn't it? Bring back the perpetrators in secret, modify their memories, then throw me back into a dark hole, and by then, the damage done to you by this Phazon is irreversible. Use you one last time to round up some high-profile fugitives, make sure their dirty secret stays buried, study your corpse, try to find out where they keep going wrong, and start all over again."

For long moments, Valkyrie and Wildflower stared at Grindelwald, horrified. "Why are you telling me this!?" demanded Valkyrie. "More importantly, how do you know all of this!?"

"Some of the Unmentionables weren't too choosy about what they discussed around where I was being held. As for the first question...Albus Dumbledore did defeat me. Since you're the closest thing he ever had to a child of his own, to the victor goes the spoils, I suppose," Grindelwald replied innocently. "But there's one last thing you must know."

If Valkyrie was fearful of the news that the Phazon was slowly killing her, she didn't show it. She betrayed nothing but vindictive fury. "Go on," she said at length.

Grindelwald looked up at Valkyrie curiously. "I can see that you, me, and dear old Albus...we're three of a kind. We only wanted to make a better world. I was willing to make any sacrifice for the greater good, while Albus had his scruples. Only time will tell which one of us was right. I don't know which of us you are more like, my dear, but I suspect we'll soon find out."

Harry leaned forward to listen closely, but suddenly Grindelwald, the Death Eaters, and Valkyrie's group disappeared. He and Samus were now in the hallways of the Department of Mysteries. Scrimgeour and Umbridge were walking down the entrance hallway, along with many Aurors and Unmentionables. "Asara should've been back by now. She has to come back before she ends up like the others," muttered Umbridge.

"Patience, Dolores. Valencia Asara is too good an Auror to let her quarry get away, and too stubborn to let Phazon get the better of her so soon," replied Scrimgeour. He and his entourage stepped into the cylindrical room. "In the meantime, I must speak with Dr. Kasumi Hinada. With the Dark Lord gone, we should find other uses for this Phazon."

"Don't worry, I'll find another use," came a cold voice. "And I'm afraid that Dr. Kasumi Hinada is no longer in. You'll have to settle for Dr. Valencia Asara." The door leading to the Space Chamber swung open, revealing Valkyrie, her indigo eyes blazing with hatred. Instead of her Auror robes, she wore a button-up cloak that touched the floor.

"Asara? You're back? What of the Death Eaters and Grindelwald? And what is this about Hinada not being here?" demanded Scrimgeour acidly.

"Grindelwald went without a whimper back to Nurmengrad. As for the Longbottoms' attackers, I dropped them off in Azkaban, with their memories modified, where they'll await trial," said Valkyrie tonelessly. "As for Hinada, she doing me a...favor."

"A favor?" repeated Umbridge incredulously.

"Oh yes. She's babysitting Kago Asara. You see, while tracking those Death Eaters through South Africa, I came across a young wizard and adopted him."

"Oh, we're sooo happy for you," Umbridge shot back sardonically.

"Don't pretend to care about my happiness," spat Valkyrie. "You see, Grindelwald told me everything. About his involvement in the Valhalla Agenda, about the fate of your other guinea pigs...and funny we should mention children. I know about that too," she finished, a sharp edge to her voice.

Scrimgeour made some hand motions, no doubt signaling his Aurors to attack. But Valkyrie sensed something was amiss and slashed her wand. Over a dozen witches and wizards were sent flying, their backsides smashing into the circular wall. At the same time, Valkyrie's bionic hand morphed into a sort of gatling gun, spewing bullets that toppled the rest of Scrimgeour and Umbridge's group. Strangely, blood didn't go flying everywhere.

"Rubber bullets," said Valkyrie dryly as she kept firing. "You see, unlike you two, I won't condemn people to death simply because they're in my way." Soon, only Scrimgeour and Umbridge were left standing. They raised their wands, but Valkyrie pointed her left elbow at them. A jet of chemical flame spewed forth. "I don't even desire the death of you two. But I want you two to suffer. A lot."

Their robes ablaze, Scrimgeour and Umbridge rolled around, desperately trying to smother the flame. As Samus and Harry watched, a cool mist shot out from behind them, extinguishing the flames. "Don't make them too hot to handle, Val. I can't drag them anywhere if they're on fire," came a voice even more icy. The mist parted to reveal Wildflower, now wearing the same dragon-hide hazmat suit used by Unmentionables, stowing away her staff behind her back.

"Isobel Maxime!? You're turning on us too!?" cried Scrimgeour, shaking and sporting several burns.

"No, not Isobel Maxime. I no longer wish to use my family surname. I don't deserve it. I like the new name Val's chosen for me..._**WILDFLOWER!**_" The vampire hoisted the future Minister to his feet as she pulled out a syringe from her belt strap. She plunged it into Scrimgeour's neck, injecting him with something, then repeated the process with Umbridge.

"What have you done to us, you conniving little..." Umbridge began, but Valkyrie's gaze cut her off.

"Worry not. Those potions won't harm you. On the contrary, they will ensure you two enjoy many, many years of fruitful life. They also were grant you temporary protection from Phazon," said Valkyrie. When her prisoners' eyes widened, Valkyrie laughed coldly. "Oh don't worry, I'm not subjecting you two to your own experiments. Some might say that it'd be poetic justice, but even such a slow, agonizing death couldn't equal the pain you've caused me." She looked from one to the other, seething hatred boiling to the surface. "You thought I'd never find out, but Grindelwald told me everything. You infused me with that alien mutagen while I was less than a month pregnant! I never even knew I was carrying Severus's child! But you knew, and pumped me full of Phazon anyway, causing a spontaneous abortion!"

The root of Valkyrie's vengeful fury suddenly became clear. This was why she didn't reveal herself to Snape until the last possible moment. At that moment, it was hard to feel anything but sorrow for her.

"You sent me after those Death Eaters, thinking I'd die soon after bringing them back, just like the others! Too bad you didn't realize I knew a thing or two about radiology and biochemistry myself. I stabilized the runaway mutations and stopped the deterioration! But some things I can't reverse...the Phazon left me barren! Severus and I can never have a child now! And how can I ever go back to him, now that I cost us both Lily and our unborn child!?" She looked to Wildflower. "C'mon, let's take them down to the chamber."

Helpless against the vampiress's strength and debilitated by severe burns, Wildflower dragged them into the Space Chamber. When they came across more Unmentionables, Valkyrie quickly dispatched them with Stunners and rubber bullets. Soon they were at the window overlooking the experimental chamber. Radiant light shone through it. Harry and Samus looked through it and quivered, seeing that every candelabra had a large chunk of Phazon resting on it.

"Everything's ready, Val. The place is cleared of Unmentionables. By the way, I came across a strange artifact earlier. Had a weird bird's head, and an obelisk with reliefs of the Hogwarts founders' familiars. The plaque on the case said something about it possibly being extraterrestrial. Anyway, all the Phazon that Dr. Hinada thinks your body can safely handle is down there, waiting," said Wildflower as she forced Scrimgeour and Umbridge into chairs. With her staff, she conjured ropes to bind them.

"I saw her notes and figures, and I think her calculations are on the money," said Valkyrie. "What'd you do with the rest of the Phazon?"

"Neutralized. All the remaining Phazon with reside safely within you," replied Wildflower.

"What's this!? You're going to infuse yourself with even _more_!?" cried Scrimgeour in disbelief.

Valkyrie grabbed his face with her bionic hand. "Why not? The damage done to my uterus can never be reversed, so I might as well suck in every last bit of Phazon my body can assimilate. You wanted to create the ultimate Auror. You're about to get your wish."

"You're mad," said Scrimgeour breathlessly. "You're just as power-hungry as Lord Voldemort!"

"You're hardly one to preach about values," sneered Wildflower. "I've strived for decades to atone for my sins, but you two won't even acknowledge your own!"

"But he's right, Wildflower. I do hunger for power. For years I've lived by the words of my old kung fu master: There is no knowledge that is not power. I've strived to amass as much knowledge as I can, to do as much good as I can. But today I learned the most important thing of all: those of the Wizarding world are just as corrupt as the Muggles I sought to escape!"

Valkyrie turned their chairs around and shoved them against the window, guaranteeing them a good view. "So if the people of this world won't let me serve among them as an equal, I will stand over them as their superior!" roared Valkyrie. "You say I'm like Voldemort? You're more right than you know. Just like him, I've decided on a new name. Wildflower and I are going to pool our family fortunes and build a new world for ourselves. There must be millions out there who've suffered as we have. Millions with no power, no hope, no control over their own destinies. I'm the crowning achievement of the Valhalla Agenda, so it's only fitting I take a name from Nordic mythology. Like Odin's maidens, I'll gather millions upon millions of souls who'd otherwise be doomed, and prepare them for Ragnarok! And I want you two to live, to spend every minute of every hour of every day wondering when you'll hear my name again. Remember it, you two...remember _**VALKYRIE!**_"

And with that, Valkyrie and Wildflower left them on the observation deck, only to reemerge monents later below. Valkyrie stood on the stone platform and tore off her coat, revealing that she had nothing underneath. "Do it," she said breathlessly, nodding to Wildflower. Wildflower nodded back, then pointed her staff at the candelabras, running around the ring. As she passed each candelabra, the Phazon chunk resting on it shot out at Valkyrie with slimy tendrils that dug deep into her flesh. Soon dozens of grotesque growths were digging into her, transferring their radioactive energy.

Valkyrie writhed and screamed, and suddenly a shockwave rushed out, making the entire Department of Mysteries quake. The observation window shattered, knocking Scrimgeour and Umbridge over. Dangerous radiation washed over them, but thanks to Valkyrie's potion, they were temporarily immune. Somehow, it caused the ropes binding them to snap off. They gingerly rose to their feet, but another tremor almost made them fall again. They ran for it, and Harry and Samus followed, knowing there would be nothing more of Valkyrie and Wildflower to see in the memory.

Onward they ran, until they reached the hallway Samus and Harry recognized: the one that had been collapsed in their time, necessitating the use of morph ball mode. And just as Scrimgeour and Umbridge burst through the doorway, it collapsed in on itself as a final tremulous shock rocked the Ministry. It took a long time for the dust to settle, and for long moments, Scrimgeour and Umbridge stared at the blocked passage in silence, no doubt wondering if Valkyrie and Wildflower survived, or trying to convince themselves they hadn't. But Valkyrie was a master of trickery and misdirection. She had ensured their survival, and almost sixteen years after this, Harry and Samus would be caught in the middle of her private war.

Scrimgeour and Umbridge were still staring at the debris when the whole scene began to dissolve. For a moment, Harry assumed that this was the end. That made it all the more unnerving when he found himself floating a few dozen feet above the ground. After calming down, a quick glance revealed he was hovering above the Forbidden Forest, a few miles from Hogwarts.

"So why did you call me out here?" came Myrtle's voice, for once deadly serious. Harry and Samus whirled around to see Moaning Myrtle a few feet from them. Idly hovering in front of her was Valkyrie, now into her thirties and wearing the outfit she wore in present day.

"To make you an offer," said Valkyrie simply. "This whole mess with the Chamber of Secrets, what's finally just come to light...well, call it a sign. It made me think of you, and how lonely you must've been in the half-century since Voldemort callously snuffed out your life, and what can be done about it."

"'Done about it?'" repeated Myrtle dubiously. "Look Asara, you were always so smart it was scary, but...you can't bring me back from the dead."

"No, but I can do something almost as good," replied Valkyrie, smiling. "Did you know that the victims of a basilisk's stare...their bodies are remarkably well-preserved? That their bodies decay at a much slower rate? I can use that to our advantage. Your remains can be exhumed, billions of cells still intact, any of which I can use to clone you a new body."

Harry then understood why Myrtle Maxwell had been sorted into Ravenclaw, for she caught on quickly. "You're telling me you can make me a body for this ghostly form to possess?"

"Absolutely! A few carefully-brewed dark potions are all I'd need to make any cloned body a perfect vessel!" exclaimed Valkyrie. "And perhaps, I can do even more."

"Even more?" repeated Myrtle.

"Think back to our time in Hogwarts together," said Valkyrie. "Remember that prank, when Lily switched out the shampoo bottles in the boys' dormitories with shampoo that had iron flakes? Just enough to let you grab their heads at dinner, after I juiced you up with electricity? I can take that even farther. You could command an electromagnetic field of astronomical proportions. And my experimentation has led me to believe such an intense, localized field can actually cancel out magic. Voldemort's followers are always boastful of magic and believe they need nothing else. How fun would it be to face them again and take it away?"

Myrtle scratched her chin, obviously still suspicious. "And...what would you want from me? No one offers power like that for free."

Valkyrie smirked again. "Oh, you were a fellow Ravenclaw, alright! What I'd want from you is to occasionally return to Hogwarts as a ghost and act as a spy for me. Ever since Harry Potter came to Hogwarts, monitoring him has been quite difficult. I'd like you to keep me informed. Plus, when Voldemort eventually returns, I'll also need someone to keep me apprised of the Order's movements. But wouldn't that be a small price to pay for essentially having a second chance at life?"

Harry could sense Myrtle's suspicion and reluctance ebbing as the thought of being all but resurrected took hold. Myrtle was about to ask another question, but a snort from below interrupted her. Harry and Samus looked down to see Firenze and a number of other centaurs, including Bane.

"Ah, what perfect timing!" exclaimed Valkyrie happily, her mood the polar opposite of the disgruntled centaurs below. "Have you had time to think over my offer?"

Bane snorted. "Not a chance. We need nothing that a human could offer!"

Valkyrie rolled her eyes. "And Isobel insisted it was next to impossible to recruit goblins! Anyway Bane, don't sound so high and mighty. Everyone has their price, and what I have to offer is something your entire race would be fools to refuse! I intend to halt the destruction of South America's rain forests. They will need new stewards to start the recovery after decades of decimation by Muggles. Who better than the centaurs?"

Firenze still gazed contemptuously up at Valkyrie, but Harry could tell her offer was tempting some of the other centaurs. "You may sway some of my brothers, Valencia Asara, but I could never serve someone with such dark desires, someone who'd toy with fate so recklessly. Not to mention that vampire underling of yours..."

"Isobel has helped millions upon millions working with me, Firenze!" snapped Valkyrie. She looked back up to Myrtle. "They'll come around, eventually. In the meantime, we've got some work to do, don't we?" Myrtle just shrugged her shoulders, and the two of them flew off.

As Harry watched them fly off, Samus said, "So we've seen Wildflower, Faction and Tesla. The only Reformer left is..."

Harry's heart froze up as the Forbidden Forest vanished, knowing who he would see next. Harry and Samus found themselves in a hospital room. Dudley was lying unconscious in a hospital bed, an array of IVs and breathing tubes hooked up to him. By his bed was Vernon, confined to a wheelchair, both legs bound in casts. Petunia was there, the only one looking perfectly healthy. Harry had no idea what was wrong with Dudley, but judging by the way his aunt and uncle were agonizing over him, the prognosis was not good. Harry suddenly felt ashamed. He had no idea anything like this happened to his cousin. Why not?

The scene was like this for several moments, until a voice came for the doorway. "It's sickening, really. You remember Arthur Weasley? He was recently attacked by Voldemort's snake, and is receiving the best of care. But your family, Petunia? Left out in the bitter cold."

Vernon and Petunia looked up, aghast and astonished, to see Valkyrie walking in, still wearing the same outfit worn in the present. Vernon's piggy eyes fell on her bionic arm. Valkyrie had already made it clear she was a witch, but something like that was unlike anything he'd seen before. It was just like when Vernon saw Samus's arm cannon. Petunia, however, stared fearfully into her indigo eyes. "W-W-Who are y-you!?" she demanded, stammering.

But Harry saw the light of recognition in her eyes, something Valkyrie picked up on. "I think you know. You see, we've met before, back when we were children. And your sister and I, we talked about you often. There was something I promised I would one day do for you...and it looks like today's perfect."

Vernon looked mutinous, his face purpling, but Petunia just kept staring curiously. "V-V-Valencia Asara, right? T-That girl my s-s-sister brought over every summer?"

"The very same," said Valkyrie, nodding.

"I don't care who the hell you are! The likes of you aren't needed during a family crisis like this!" bellowed Vernon.

Valkyrie immediately pushed past Petunia and grabbed Vernon by the throat. Petunia squealed. "Listen up, pork-ass! I've watched your family ever since Harry Potter landed on your doorstep, and to this day, I wonder what possessed me to go with Albus's plan and leave him in your care! The only thing that's keeping me from dishing out some payback on Harry's behalf is remembering that _my_ Muggle foster family was far worse!" Valkyrie then released Vernon and turned back to Petunia. "Honestly, that's one thing you and Lily have in common, unfathomably bad choices in husbands. But I know you're not the same as him. Your resentment stems from envy, not intolerance."

"W-What are you talking about?" demanded Petunia. "Why are you here?"

"To make you an offer. Y'see, Lily and I always talked about how unfair it was that she was born a witch and you weren't...and what could be done about it." She glanced over to Vernon and Dudley. "That car wreck did a number on both of 'em. Vernon may never walk again, and the damage done to Dudley's nervous system could be progressive, possibly fatal. But I'm in the position to help both, right now."

"Oh, you wanna wave your wand and make it all go away!" Vernon roared suspiciously. "At what price? What d'you want from us?"

Valkyrie's eyes narrowed. "From you? Nothing. It's something I want from Petunia. I simply want her to volunteer for an experiment. In exchange, I promise you and your son will make full recoveries."

"How do we know you didn't cause that car wreck, just so you could make this offer to my wife!?" demanded Vernon.

Valkyrie looked ready to throttle Vernon again, but all that happened was that her eyes glowed. That silenced Vernon at once. "If you knew _ANYTHING_ about me, Vernon Dursley, you'd never accuse me of that." She turned back to Petunia. "Perhaps you're more open to reason. Your volunteerism for your family's recovery, that's all. Considering what the experiment is for, who I once made a promise to, and who's made it possible, it's only fitting you be the first one to try it."

Petunia's lip quivered, conflict raging within her. At length, she asked, "W-What's this e-experiment about?"

Valkyrie opened her mouth to speak, but cast a furtive glance back at Vernon. She took out her wand, raised it above her and Petunia, and yelled "_Muffliato!_" She then whispered something into Petunia's ear, her face so close it was impossible to read her lips, even if Harry knew how. Petunia's eyes widened with terrified surprise, but there was a hint of longing in them, too.

"Y-Y-You can do that!?" Petunia cried out.

"Stick with me long enough, Petunia, and you'll learn there is little I _cannot_ do," said Valkyrie proudly. "But for now, I'll settle for volunteerism. Where you go from there, well, we'll decide on that later." Petunia stared back in awe, still looking conflicted. Valkyrie took note of this, and said, "Of course, I can't ask you to make such a decision right away. Your son is in no immediate danger, so I'll give you twenty-four hours to think it over."

With that, Valkyrie turned to leave, but Petunia called after her. "No! I've made up my mind already! I'll do it! Just help my family!"

Valkyire looked over her shoulder, smirking insufferably. "I rather thought you would see things my way." She pressed something on the palm of her bionic hand, and several men and women Apparated into the hospital room. They all wore white coats, like a doctor's, but they bore the emblem of Inferno.

"Ahhh, what's going on!?" demanded Vernon, unnerved by this overt display of magic.

"I anticipated Petunia accepting my offer right away, so I had my best Healers on standby," explained Valkyrie. "It shouldn't take long to completely mend your legs, but healing Dudley will take a great deal of preparation. Maybe an hour or two, plenty of time for Petunia to undergo her own procedure and me to be back. I will oversee your son's operation personally."

"Wait a minute, we're to do this right away?" asked Petunia timidly.

"Why put it off?" asked Valkyrie innocently. "After all, if it's a success, you'll get what you've always wanted! And think, you'll never need the Order of the Phoenix to protect your family from Voldemort again. If you wish, I'll train you so you can do it yourself." Valkyrie slung her bionic arm around Petunia's shoulder, who merely bowed her head, surrendering to fate as Valkyrie led them out of the room.

"NO! PETUNIA, DON'T LISTEN TO HER! DON'T DO IT!" Vernon called out desperately, trying to wheel his chair after them. But he was held back by Valkyrie's Healers, and his wife vanished behind a wall of white coats. It wasn't long after that when the entire hospital room vanished, replaced by something dreadfully familiar to Harry. His insides froze when he found himself along the same cliff wall that hid the entrance to Voldemort's secret lake. It was close to sunset, and waves were violently crashing against the cliffs. And there, examining the rocky wall, was Dumbledore, perhaps only a few scant months before they returned here together.

At one point, Dumbledore looked up, as if sensing something amiss. For a moment, Harry foolishly thought Dumbledore could see him, but a shaking along the wall told him it was something else. No doubt it was some magical defense, but Dumbledore had been too slow. Suddenly, a geyser of water shot out from directly underneath him, propelling him several dozen feet upward. Harry and Samus found themselves rushing up to meet him. Dumbledore had lost his wand, helpless as he fell back to Earth, about to crash into the jagged rocks below.

That was, until, from out of nowhere, Valkyrie swooped in and grabbed Dumbledore's good arm with her bionic arm. She already had Dumbledore's wand between her teeth. Dumbledore looked more shocked than Harry could ever recall. "Been a long time, Albus. Good thing my friends and I were in the neighborhood," said Valkyrie over the ocean's roar, as if it were only natural that an Auror left for dead over fifteen years ago should miraculously come to his rescue.

As they rose higher, the sound of the ocean grew fainter as another noise replaced it: a jet's engine? Harry looked up to see the Razor Knight hovering up above. Valkyrie carried Dumbledore over the cockpit window. Harry caught a brief glimpse of Wildflower at the controls, with the other three Reformers standing behind her. Harry noticed how nervous Myrtle and his aunt looked. They feared being recognized. Harry realized that this brief glimpse was all Dumbledore needed to track down some of these vital memories.

Evidently, Valkyrie was unconcerned. She brought them over the Razor Knight and set Dumbledore down on top of it. Valkyrie landed in front on him. Without preamble, Dumbledore asked, "Val my dear, care to explain to me what this is all about?"

"Is that the thanks I get after saving your hide?" Valkyrie asked dismissively, tossing his wand back to him. "To be truthful, though, I've been watching your movements. You're searching for something of Voldemort's, I'm certain of it, and I've got some good ideas as to what."

"Forgive my boldness, Val, but if you're so concerned about Voldemort, why have you not come forward? Rejoin the Order and the Aurors?"

"No one in the Order but you would want me back. They all considered me too hotheaded, too radical, and they'd have more reason to now," replied Valkyrie. "As for the Ministry, you wouldn't suggest I'd rejoin the Aurors if you had any inkling of what Rufus Scrimgeour did to me fifteen years ago. No, I've been keeping busy all this time with...other things."

"And what might these 'other things' be? From the tone of your voice, I must wonder if I'll like the answer," said Dumbledore.

"Oh, I've taken many of the things you've taught me to heart, I assure you. Preparing for a day when not only Voldemort will be gone, but the things that allow monsters like him to thrive will be changed forever."

"That sounds most noble, but I sense that some of the other things I tried to teach you will fail to temper your methods," said Dumbledore gravely. "Not only that, I sense such bitterness in your voice. Can you honestly tell me that, whatever it is you have planned, it's purely for altruistic reasons?"

"Oh, I won't deny I have some payback in mind," Valkyrie said slyly. "But I'm doing this for the people that meant the most to me. You, for one thing, and Lily Potter, for the dreams she shared only with me and..."

"Severus Snape," Dumbledore finished for her. "That's the thing I'm having the most difficulty grasping, my dear. If you were alive all this time, why not tell either of us, if we mean so much to you? Especially the man you love?"

Valkyrie's face fell. "I have my reasons, Albus!" she snapped. "One day, I realize I'll have no choice, but for now...you MUST NOT TELL HIM!"

"Val, you have no idea how much he's suffered since that dreadful week," Dumbledore pleaded. "He's needed you, perhaps now more than ever..."

"He doesn't need me to tell him that, because of my screw-ups, I cost us both Lily and the life of our unborn child!" Dumbledore was taken aback by this revelation, and Valkyrie continued. "Your promise, Albus! You will not reveal me to anyone, especially Severus! You owe me a wizard's debt, and I'm collecting now! I want your word!"

For a moment, Dumbledore merely stared Valkyrie down in that way he had with Harry so many times before. Finally, he said, "Very well, Val, I give you my word. Now, unless there's anything else you wish to tell me, and I suspect you want to keep your secrets clutched close, perhaps I may return to..."

But Dumbledore's words trailed off when he noticed Valkyrie staring at his withered arm, horror in her eyes. She reached out and took his withered hand in her bionic one, examining it closely. Valkyrie's eyes screwed shut, filling with tears. "No, Albus. Get back to the castle. Take care of yourself, don't push yourself...just go back to Hogwarts! Go! Go, before I make you go!" she shouted hysterically, pointing her wand at him.

Harry looked from one to the other in confusion, wondering what was going on, knowing there was something significant about this, but unable to figure out what. Dumbledore, meanwhile, stared down the unhinged founder of Inferno, showing no sign of fear. Dumbledore looked ready to protest, but then bowed his head and sighed. "Very well, Val. I will return. I just hope that, before you go through with whatever you have planned, you think long and hard."

"I've thought long and hard for over fifteen years, Albus. It can be no other way," said Valkyrie somberly, as if she knew they were speaking for the last time. Dumbledore nodded solemnly, then Disapparated.

At once, the memory dissolved, and Harry and Samus were hurled up out of the Pensieve. They lay sprawled out behind the headmaster's desk, gasping, their brains numb from witnessing so many memories, from so many people, at all once.

At last, they had some answers. At last, they knew the reasons for Valkyrie's vengeful hatred, and why her four Reformers all served her so loyally. Some nagging questions remained, though. Harry still wasn't sure what to make of Snape. But the thing that weighed most heavily on him was that Dumbledore had hoped these memories would yield clues as to what Valkyrie's ultimate goal was, and if need be, how to stop her. Now Harry realized he and Samus had to fill in for his headmaster and figure it out themselves, before it was too late.


	21. The Next Mission

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 21: The Next Mission

7-9-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

Samus grabbed hold of the desk to hoist herself up, still gasping. She had no idea how long it was since being thrown out of the Pensieve. Her brain still felt fuzzy and sluggish. She already understood that Valkyrie was like no other enemy she ever faced. Now she saw just how different, and how similar she was to her and Harry.

It was no wonder Valkyrie viewed them both as kindred spirits. Like Valkyrie, they lost her parents at a very young age and sought to fight back. Like her, many she once took orders from viewed her as a disposable nuisance. And like Harry, the countrymen Valkyrie once thought she could count on turned on her in an instant.

Like them, Valkyrie sought to make a stand against what she viewed as intolerable. Unlike them, however, she was willing to go to unprecedented, perhaps insane, lengths. After bearing witness to her life's history, it was hard not to sympathize with her, as it had been with Melissa Bergman. It took a while for Samus to remind herself that she still had Kor-Zor's power at her command, and no one could be trusted with that.

"No wonder she feels there's no hope for either the Muggle or Wizarding world," Harry groaned as he slowly rose, grasping for his helmet. "There's no way we'll ever talk her out of this. Or any of her closest friends, either. No wonder she felt she could convince me to join her, after she's recruited so many others by giving them exactly what they wanted." Samus felt she detected a faint trace of doubt in Harry's voice, as if unsure he'd made the right choice. Before she could say anything, Harry turned to Dumbledore's portrait. "Don't suppose you'd care to shed any more light about Snape's part in all this?"

Dumbledore flashed a thin smile. "As I told you before, you'd have to make do with the clues you were given, until the day Severus chooses to reveal everything himself," he said firmly but patiently. "For the moment, however, the main focus should be Val. After our fateful final meeting, I realized she had changed much since I last saw her, and could pose a great danger, though the revelation broke my heart. So I scrambled for any memories that might yield clues, but it is too late for me now. Hopefully these memories will give you what you need."

"They may yet prove useful. Like Valkyrie kept saying, there's no knowledge that isn't power," Samus said knowingly. "However, we're still missing something important: what she plans to do with Kor-Zor. We don't know where he is, how Valkyrie is using him, or how to destroy him once and for all."

Dumbledore smile faded a little, which disheartened Samus. During their time together, his unusual mannerisms had grown on her, and she felt buttressed by the underlying strength the man gave off. It was devastating to see him like this. "My dear, I cannot help you with the first two. But the very last...perhaps another can tell you something." Dumbledore's sparkling eyes were fixed on something behind her. Samus and Harry turned to see what it was.

Dumbledore was gazing at the Sorting Hat, still perched neatly on his shelf.

"Of course! The founders created the Sorting Hat!" exclaimed Harry. "The knowledge about Kor-Zor was obviously meant to be handed down to their descendents, but if Voldemort's any indication, it was lost over time. But maybe the Sorting Hat still has what we need!" Samus approached the withered, old hat, expecting it to spring to life in protest as she reached for it. However, nothing happened as she took it off the shelf. She offered it to Harry. Harry hesitated, then reached to take it. However, Dumbledore cleared his throat and spoke again.

"Samus, perhaps you should try it on. As we all know, you are perhaps as much a witch as every other girl who ever walked these ancient halls, so it will respond to you. And since you share the Founders' desire to rid the universe of Kor-Zor, the Sorting Hat may be more willing to entrust its secrets to you," he said knowingly.

Shocked by the suggestion, Samus glanced at the portrait, then at Harry, who just shrugged his shoulders. Seeing no harm in Dumbledore's suggestion, Samus jammed the hat onto her head.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Samus was about to take it off, but then she heard a buzzing...a sort of humming, inside her mind! _Hmm hmm hmm, never have I peered inside a more perplexing mind_, said a voice._ But oh, how fortunate that, as a child, you never entered these halls. Not even dear Mr. Potter was as difficult to place as you would have been. A drive to better yourself just like Salazar Slytherin, as well as his conviction to achieve victory no matter the cost. A sharp, analytic mind as great as Rowena Ravenclaw herself. A profound sense of honor and duty befitting any of Helga Hufflepuff's students, and of course, unfathomable courage that would do Godric Gryffindor proud. Kor-Zor may be free, but the souls of those four can rest easy, knowing a woman who embodies all they stood for is on the hunt!_

Samus frowned, growing weary of the Sorting Hat's rambling. _So you know about Kor-Zor_, she thought testily._ Do you know of how the Founders sealed him away, or anything that can bring Valkyrie's plans for him to a grinding halt?_

_Oh, what knowledge I have of their tremendous deed a millennia ago will be of little use to you,_ said the voice gravely. _What they achieved, they achieved with the full might of the Chozo people behind them. No doubt Dr. Valencia Asara had taken steps to ensure the Chozo were not alerted to Kor-Zor's breakout. You cannot hope to seek them out among the stars and rally them in time._ Samus's heart sank, feeling this one last hope slipping away. _But,_ came the voice again, as if sensing her despair, _the Founders were nobody's fools. If it ever looked as if Kor-Zor would break free, and the Chozo unable to return, they had a backup plan..._

xxxxxx

Ron sat uneasily at one of the tables thrown together in the room behind the Great Hall, where Harry was thrust into after his name came out of the Goblet of Fire. The thought of Harry made him wish his best friend was there, but he and Samus hadn't been seen for hours. Harry was always modest and easygoing, never thinking himself as important, but Ron knew his insight would be much more valuable than his. Another meeting was going on between the Order, the Death Eaters, and what remained of the Ministry. Hermione sat beside him, but didn't know why he bothered staying with her. His futuristic power suit was the only thing that made him useful, unlike Hermione's brains.

Sighing deeply and fidgeting with his helmet, Ron stared at the strange device resting on one of the tables. It looked like a metal ring with a red, crystal lens in the center. Adam provided it, letting him communicate and relay his findings as he kept monitoring Muggle television, radio, and this new Internet thing. It had speakers so he could talk, as well as project holographic images of television reports he'd found. And new ones kept flowing in.

"As you can see, Inferno's forces have started to move openly," Adam's voice droned. "People with camcorders recorded Infernians on broomsticks descending upon the Panama Canal, casting spells to freeze the water solid. Their soldiers on broomsticks were also spotted all along the Indian Ocean's coastline, no doubt the cause of stronger seasonal monsoons. And reports keep flooding in from all over Africa, of people walking into hospitals in poverty-stricken areas, healing hundreds as if by magic."

"This makes no sense. All of Valkyrie's moves seem erratic and random," said Bellatrix, standing and pointing at a holographic projection of a television story on the Panama Canal. "I could see how freezing that canal could disrupt things, but...why heal all those wretched Muggles in Africa? How does that help her?"

"You still don't get how Dr. Asara thinks, Lestrange," said Hermione tersely. "World conquest isn't her goal here, it never was. She admitted to us that she wants to steer humanity's evolution, and make it so the Muggle and Wizarding worlds can't ignore each other anymore. That's why she's making her people openly use magic, to announce our existence to the entire world."

"And she's succeeding. No amount of Obliviators could hope to keep up with...this," muttered Lupin sadly, pointing at another scene of a violent monsoon making landfall.

"But these childish pranks are distracting us from our real focus, stopping that foolish woman from using that alien spirit's power!" snarled Voldemort. "Whatever her master plan is, it can't be good for any of us." His cold voice chilled Ron's blood. Despite the common threat, he still couldn't believe McGonagall willingly let him and his followers into Hogwarts.

"We still don't know where this Kor-Zor is being kept," Moody pointed out. "All we know, thanks to Captain Granger, is that he's not in Inferno or their Norwegian hangar."

"Still, we should find this Inferno and destroy it, all the same!" snapped Bellatrix. To Ron, she sounded too quick to dismiss a Muggle's contribution, and too willing to annihilate a city-state with millions of people. Surely, not all of Inferno's citizens were taking part in Valkyrie's mad scheme. "As much as I hate to say it, maybe we should borrow a few tricks from the Muggles. Those atomic bombs, for instance. Can't those underwater machines of theirs drop a few of them on her city and be done with it?"

"Even when forgetting how I'm a bit iffy about indiscriminately killing millions of people, Lestrange, there's a couple problems with that plan," said Hermione delicately, unfazed by the death glare she earned from Bellatrix. "First, even if we knew exactly where in the South Pacific it is, it's probably far too deep for any sub to reach without getting crushed like an egg. Secondly, I'm sure Dr. Asara has taken measures to protect her life's work from a nuclear attack."

"She's right. If there's one thing we've all learned, it's that Val is nobody's fool," Moody growled in agreement.

"There must be something we can try!" protested Bellatrix. "Perhaps use some of Valkyrie's own science against her... Is Inferno not supposed to be near underwater volcanoes? If we could somehow trigger one..."

"How? Could even your boss create a charm powerful enough to affect an entire underwater fault line?" Adam chimed in. Ron had to suppress a smile. Even a computer program was openly doubting Voldemort now. "And there's still the problem of finding and actually getting to Inferno. If it's too deep, I doubt even our ship could reach it, and I suspect Valkyrie would not build her city-state in a volcanically active area if she could not ensure its safety."

"Right now, we can't even worry about Inferno itself," said Moody, ignoring Voldemort and Bellatrix's mutinous stares. "Our focus should be finding the rest of her topside bases. Then we can better track their movements, and hopefully later learn where Kor-Zor and Inferno are."

"We may have some luck there, now," came McGonagall's voice from the doorway. Ron turned to see McGonagall standing there, looking horribly exhausted, with JB Granger. "Captain Granger and I just returned from Washington, D.C., where we spoke directly with President Clinton, along with several representatives from the American Wizarding Union."

"We explained everything that's happened. The President was skeptical at first, but after I showed him what I recorded on my camera, and what Samus Aran recorded with her visor at that Norwegian base, he came around," said JB proudly. "As far as he's concerned, attacking Hickam Air Force Base was an open declaration of war. As of right now, the United States military is at DEFCON 2."

Voldemort glared at him. "Meaning?"

"Meaning that they'll be ready to aid us once our kind is ready to move against Inferno's forces," said McGonagall. "Say what you will about Muggles, Lord Voldemort, but the United States commands vast resources that we don't. They and their other Muggle allies may be our only hope. And in the meantime, President Clinton has asked Captain Granger to serve as an official liaison with the Wizarding resistance here in Europe, since he has family here and has become quite familiar with us." JB said nothing, now looking completely neutral and unconcerned. Ron then noticed Scrimgeour and Umbridge, who had been quite quiet and passive, giving JB scything looks.

Hermione shook her head. "Oh my God, I can't believe how this is turning out."

"What d'you mean?" asked Ron, turning to Hermione.

"Remember how Samus and Adam said that over time, Muggles eventually learned about us, some time before humanity reached the stars? We'd become urban legends of some sort, while secretly working with the Galactic Federation?" asked Hermione somberly. "Call me naive, but I'd always hoped there'd be a good, noble reason for it. But could this be the real reason? Were we forced to reveal ourselves because one of our kind became so drunk with power, even more than Voldemort, we had no choice?"

Ron had no idea how to reply to that. He had never given the vague future Samus described much real thought before, seeing as how she knew next to nothing about the future of Wizardkind. But now, whether Valkyrie won or lost, it was all too obvious nothing would be the same. _But I wonder, could this be one of those temporal paradoxy things from those Muggle books Hermione sometimes mentioned?_ he mused.

"Hermione, neither Adam and I can say if that's the case," came Samus's voice from the doorway. Ron gasped when he saw the Sorting Hat nestled on her head. She was also holding the key to Kor-Zor's prison. Beside her stood Harry with his helmet still on, and still smugly beaming at Voldemort through it. "But at least we now know how Valkyrie turned out the way she did. Good thing Captain Granger and I coaxed memories out of Voldemort instead of Scrimgeour. We'd have wasted time. Thanks to Dumbledore, we know everything we need to know about how Scrimgeour made Valkyrie what she is."

Ron had no idea what Samus was talking about, but relished how Scrimgeour and Umbridge both paled.

"What is this about?" demanded Voldemort. "Dumbledore is dead, how could he..."

"Dumbledore's gone, but well before he died, he was gathering clues about Valkyrie, including memories," said Harry. "We know how she grew up, and what Scrimgeour did to her to make her snap."

"You two must've known this would eventually come out," spat Samus, eyeballing Scrimgeour and Umbridge fervently. They seemed to shrink into their seats, unable to utter a word. "And frankly, in a way, it makes me truly wonder who's worse...Voldemort or you two."

And so, Samus launched into a long explanation of Valkyrie's childhood and the Valhalla Agenda. He already knew about what drove her to the Aurors and her first duel with Voldemort, but the story of her childhood perfectly explained her hatred for the Muggle world. But what shocked Ron the most was the Valhalla Agenda and how Scrimgeour and Umbridge callously used Valkyrie. However, the only words he could get out to break the long silence that followed was, "Wow, Snape's boys could swim? Who knew?"

Hermione shot him a withering glance, but all other eyes were on Scrimgeour and Umbridge. Moody, in particular, looked ready to splatter them across the wall. Even Voldemort looked surprised.

"Call me crazy, but I'm sympathizing with Snape, too. No wonder he went ballistic on you two back in Hogsmeade," growled Moody.

"Wow, suddenly it like we're not the most reviled bunch in the room," growled Greyback, who had been standing by the wall. "At least I let kids grow up a little before I tear 'em apart, letting them be reborn as werewolves. But _this_..."

"It's little wonder Valkyrie believes what she does, and why she'll go to any lengths to tear everything down and rebuild it all from the ashes," added Samus.

"I don't believe this...no one tells me anything!" snapped JB. "That little girl my dad helped get into Harvard...SHE'S the one behind all this!?"

"I'm afraid so, Captain," said Samus. "Your father had high hopes for her, I know, but she let all these tragedies warp her mind."

"One thing still bothers me. Where did the Department of Mysteries get that Phazon from in the first place?" Harry thought aloud. "It won't be discovered for centuries, thousands of light-years away..."

Ron looked back over to Scrimgeour, but Hermione was glaring at Voldemort. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Voldemort glowered at Hermione. "What are you demanding of me, Mudblood?"

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Hermione innocently. "You're the best Legilimens here. Scrimgeour's not going to give us any more damning evidence willingly, and finding the source of that Phazon could be crucial. So feel free to take what we need from him."

Voldemort looked to Scrimgeour, who was clearly fearful yet still defiant, then back at Hermione. Ron, meanwhile, was shocked that Hermione would suggest such a thing. But Hermione's face was like stone. She clearly felt nothing for Scrimgeour, now convinced that little separated the Minister and Lord Voldemort, and would happily let the two have a go if it meant getting more crucial information.

But just as Voldemort rose, wand drawn, Samus spoke up again. "Wait! I think I already figured it out." She turned to look at the holographic projector, and spoke directly to Adam. "Adam, the scientist that the Minister incarcerated...her name was Dr. Kasumi Hinada. It sounded so familiar. Could she possibly..."

"Be a researcher from our time?" Adam finished for her. "You are correct. That name should sound familiar to you. She was the one who created your Phazon Enhancement Device. Dr. Hinada was the Galactic Federation's most renowned biophysicist and engineer, and worked tirelessly with the Phazon recovered from Aether. Shortly before the fall of Phaaze, she vanished without a trace. It was always assumed the Space Pirates or Dark Samus kidnapped her, but now..."

"Err, someone care to explain what all of this means?" demanded Bellatrix impatiently.

"Ask your boss, Lestrange," said Harry. "Scrimgeour used the same spell that Voldemort did to summon the X to this time."

"But instead of me being chosen as the one most capable of eliminating Phazon, instead it was the human scientist who spent the most time studying it," added Samus. "And now I get why this secret project was called the _**Valhalla**_ Agenda...I bet your spell actually brought back pieces of that gutted battleship!" she went on, glaring hatefully at Scrimgeour.

"Then Scrimgeour found Dr. Hinada and forced her to work on the Valhalla Agenda, but she couldn't stop the Phazon from slowly killing test subjects," said Harry. Ron could sense Harry's hatred for the Minister reaching a fever pitch. "Then you tried it on Asara, but with Hinada she figured out what kept going wrong, and then she stole the rest of the Phazon for herself. Thanks to you, the one person who might've stopped all of this is probably still Asara's close ally! Nice going, Minister!"

"I-I was d-doing whatever I could to fight a war, boy!" roared Scrimgeour, finally finding his voice. "I had a chance to create an army of Aurors capable of resisting the Dark Lord! His influence was spreading everywhere, I had to take action..."

"And your solution was to using a forbidden potion and charm, then use what you snagged to perform illegal experiments, while extorting a Muggle? I don't think even Hermione can keep track of all the laws you must've broken!" spat Ron. "And worse, just like Voldemort, you couldn't control what you brought back...so we're all gonna pay for your screw-ups!"

"All hope isn't lost, Ron," said Samus evenly. "I've beaten monsters nurtured by this toxic stew countless times, so I can fill in. Our main problem is still Kor-Zor. We don't know what Asara's using him for, but thanks to Hogwarts's founders, we may have a way to destroy him for good."

"How!? All my ancestor and his companions could do was seal him away," said Voldemort.

"Perhaps I should let someone else explain that part," said Samus. "Or rather, something else." She poked the Sorting Hat with the artifact's obelisk, and it sprang to life.

"Oh, sorry my dear, I was just too absorbed with looking into your head. Quite a fascinating mind, never saw anything like it..."

"Just tell them what you told me and Harry," said Samus sternly.

"Oh, very well very well," said the Sorting Hat dismissively. It cleared its throat, and launched into a song.

_As you all now know,_

_Exactly one thousand years before,_

_The founders of this legendary school,_

_Fought a frightful, secret war._

_A malevolent spirit from the stars,_

_Found refuge here on Earth,_

_Slowly building up his strength,_

_Eventually all would feel his wrath._

_My makers soon learned of this,_

_But they weren't the only ones, oh no._

_Three once again become four,_

_And joining them were the Chozo._

_A race of peacekeepers from the stars,_

_They tracked the renegade here,_

_Only by working together could they hope,_

_To turn back this tide of tyranny and fear._

_For months the war dragged on,_

_All across the globe did the spirit run,_

_But those brave souls tracked him down,_

_And after a terrible battle, they won!_

_But they could not destroy this malicious soul,_

_They could only hope to seal it away,_

_And the nagging fear remained,_

_What if Kor-Zor broke free one day?_

_The founders and Chozo worked together still,_

_Pooling their collective skill,_

_Together they forged a weapon,_

_With which one could move in for the kill._

_But frightened were the founders,_

_Fearing their weapon's destructive power._

_They reasoned in the wrong hands,_

_It could herald an even darker hour._

_What's more, to use their creation,_

_Kor-Zor's seal need be undone,_

_After all they had fought and suffered,_

_They dared not open his prison._

_So while the Chozo and founders worked,_

_Creating a tomb to house the wretched horror,_

_The Chozo also built four sanctuaries,_

_Each one honoring a different founder._

_Within each of the four,_

_A quarter of their weapon was hidden away,_

_Should it ever look as if Kor-Zor was breaking loose,_

_Their founders' descendents would be ready for that day!_

_To their kin the responsibility was passed on,_

_The burden placed on their lot._

_But over time, this fantastic tale,_

_Faded away into myth, and the knowledge was lost._

_But now, one thousand years have passed,_

_And Kor-Zor is free once more._

_If you want to stop him for good,_

_Seek out the sanctuaries of these four._

_Retrieve the four pieces of their weapon._

_Combine them all for the win._

_Only in this way will Kor-Zor be felled._

_Your next mission now begins._

The Sorting Hat lapsed into silence, and the silence that followed was deafening. Ron's mind was reeling, wondering just what kind of weapon would be horrific enough to force the Chozo to scatter and hide the pieces. Eventually, Samus sheepishly said, "I honestly had no idea this thing was going to use a song."

"So, what does this mean? There are four...ancient structures, where pieces of a magical superweapon are hidden?" asked JB.

"That's exactly what the Hat's saying," said Harry. "And if the Chozo built them, no doubt they're filled with all sorts of traps and puzzles and robotic guards and stuff. Getting to these weapon pieces won't be easy."

"Not to mention we have no idea where these four sanctuaries are!" snarled Voldemort. "If even I, who've strived to learn as much of this school's founders as possible, knew nothing of this secret war, we have no hope of finding them!"

"Not quite, Riddle," said Samus. "Valkyrie made a big mistake, leaving this relic with us. Not only does it open Kor-Zor's prison, it can give us the location of each sanctuary."

Ron stared at the relic, thinking it too good to be true. "I don't believe it. If Valkyrie had this relic all that time, she would've learned of this and assembled that weapon herself," noted Bellatrix.

"I doubt it. She may not have even known about the specific instructions the Sorting Hat gave me, and nothing we've seen or heard indicates Valkyrie is even aware such a weapon exists. Call me hopelessly optimistic, but I think this is our one chance to surprise Valkyrie with a crippling blow," said Samus."

"Luckily, the Sorting Hat was willing to tell Samus exactly what she needs to do," said Harry hopefully. "According to the hat, it requires a lot of mental concentration, quick analytical thinking, and should respond as well to someone with Chozo DNA as it would a founder's descendent."

"You speak as if one needs to cast a charm on it, something she cannot hope to do," sneered Voldemort.

Samus said nothing as she rested the relic on a table. Harry cast a charm so that it levitated above it. "We'll see, Riddle, we'll see," said Samus dismissively as she pulled out Valkyrie's wand. Ron's ire rose as he saw the disdainful glares from Voldemort, Bellatrix and Greyback, as well as the shocked, indignant looks from Scrimgeour and Umbridge. Samus approached the relic, her wand's tip inches from the Chozo head's beak. The stone beak opened, and Samus promptly thrust her wand into it.

At once, Samus gasped and shut her eyes tightly. No one said anything as her face screwed up in concentration, her teeth gritted. Ron swore he could see blood vessels dilating all over her face, but whatever she was doing, she refused to quit. Suddenly, Ron felt more worthless than ever. He felt he failed at making a stand against Valkyrie and the Reformers, and hadn't been able to do anything useful since, unlike Harry and Hermione. He suddenly felt unworthy of wearing his power suit. If only he could help Samus some way.

As Ron was still brooding, Samus cried out and fell on her back. The relic spit out her wand a second later, and the obelisk beneath it began to spin. Harry and Ron helped Samus rise to her feet, but everyone else's eyes were on the relic. Ron looked back to it, and saw the obelisk was slowing down. Eventually, the relief of the snake's head faced the same direction as the Chozo's gaze, and its maw parted. A stream of filtered, lime-green light shot out from it, acting much like Adam's holographic projector. A greenish, transparent version of Earth appeared, and all around it swirled ancient, runic symbols. At first, Ron was afraid they were Chozo symbols; with Samus unconscious, no one could possibly read them. Ron breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Hermione's eyes deftly follow the swirling symbols.

The projection faded just as Samus's stirred, her eyes fluttering open. He was so intent on helping Samus, he failed to notice Voldemort was beside them until just then. Ron's anxiety faded, however, when it looked as if Voldemort had been focused on the projection instead. "Ah, so the first sanctuary was built in honor of Salazar Slytherin, eh?" Voldemort muttered to himself. "It shouldn't take me long to process the Ancient Runes the relic spit out, and decipher..."

"I could give you the exact coordinates, but let's just say Slytherin's sanctuary is hidden somewhere in a swamp near Louisiana's coast, back in the United States," said Hermione quickly, cutting Voldemort off. Voldemort glared daggers at her, but strangely, it filled Ron with boisterous pride instead of fear.

"Well Adam, better get ready for yet another trip across the Atlantic," said Samus evenly.

"What the...Samus, you intend to go after the first piece of this weapon yourself?" asked McGonagall nervously.

"Why not? The Chozo built these four sanctuaries, and no one's more familiar with their technology and architecture than I am," replied Samus. "Besides, I'm not really much use here."

"Samus, how can you say that about yourself? You've done so..." Arthur began.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but fighting as part of a larger army isn't exactly what I'm meant for," said Samus. "I've been a one-woman-army for far too long, and this mission is where I can put that to the best use. McGonagall and Voldemort can do a better job of organizing this nation's witches and wizards, and planning a defense for this castle, than I can."

"I...suppose she's got a point," Moody admitted. "I mean, she and Potter wrecked the Dark Lord's space station all by themselves." Voldemort glared at the grizzled ex-Auror, but said nothing.

"But Samus, aren't you forgetting something?" asked Harry admonishingly. "You're not exactly a one-woman-army anymore. I'll be coming with you."

"And it doesn't just have to be you two anymore," added Hermione. "Now that Ron and I have these suits, there's no reason we can't come along."

At first, Ron was a little annoyed that Hermione had volunteered him, but then mentally kicked himself for it. His best mate was heading for a storehouse built for the nutter that created the Chamber of Secrets. No way he could let Harry go without being there to watch his back.

"Absolutely not!" bellowed Molly. "You three..."

"Mrs. Weasley, let's not get into that again," said Hermione. "Both Ron and I are of age, and Harry's only got about a month to go. No one in the Order or the Death Eaters or the Ministry can be spared, but I think Hogwarts will get along fine without us three. Samus still knows too little about magic. If the four founders had a hand in designing these sanctuaries, she'll need us."

Molly goggled at them, the way Ron knew his mother did whenever anyone had her pinned. It took a while before she could find her words, but as she was ready to speak, a blaring klaxon came from the holographic projector.

"Everyone, we've got big trouble," said Adam gravely. "Through my uplinks to several satellites, I've detected what looks like a continuous magic spell, taking the form of a beam of light, being cast from somewhere in Russia's Ural Mountains."

"Adam...what are you...what's the spell's target?" demanded Samus, at once sounding nervous. Ron reasoned that she knew Adam well enough to know what if he was talking like this, it was bad news.

"The spell left Earth's atmosphere minutes ago, and its trajectory is carrying it across space," replied Adam. As he said that, he projected an image of the solar system and the first few planets. A thin, sky-blue beam of light could be seen coming from Earth, heading directly for the sun. "As you can see, the spell's target is the sun. It's traveling at the speed of light, and I project that it will make contact with the sun's corona in less than two minutes."

Lupin gasped, looking ready to pass out, but rushed out of the room instead, no doubt hoping to alert any witches or wizards in the area. But Ron knew there was no hope of stopping that spell in time. He turned to Hermione, whose lip was quivering. That made him fearful as well. "Hermione, d'you have any idea what's going on? What d'you reckon that spell's going to do?"

"I have a good guess. Pray that I'm wrong," said Hermione, pointing at Adam's projection. Ron gulped. The spell was coming dangerously close to the sun.

When it finally struck the sun, Adam urged all of them to be patient, claiming he was hacking into other satellites, telescopes and any other monitoring equipment he could find. Many long, torturous minutes passed before he spoke again. "Hermione, I'm sorry to say that your hunch was 100% correct. From every bit of data that I've scrambled to collect...I can indeed confirm some odd magnetic activity has occurred on the sun's surface."

"I have no idea what Aran's computer friend just said, but I know it's not good," said Greyback.

"You don't know the half of it. Oh, there're times I hate being right," muttered Hermione. "Only Valkyrie herself could've done this...she's triggered a solar flare!"

"Perhaps one of the biggest ever recorded in this solar system," Adam confirmed gravely. "With the equipment available to me, I cannot give you a real-time view of the approaching solar flare. I can, however, project its relative size and estimated time of arrival."

Ron looked at the image of the solar system again. The blue beam vanished, and Adam projected a rendition of huge, ribbon-like bands of energy being belched from the sun, slowly drawing closer to Earth. Adam also displayed a countdown timer. Less than fifteen minutes remained until this solar flare reached Earth.

"That's one probably packin' enough x-rays and UV rays to fry power grids and disrupt communications all over the planet! And who knows how a solar flare of this magnitude can screw with magic!?" barked JB, staring in horror. Ron paled. Earlier they were debating if Voldemort could affect an underwater volcano, but now Valkyrie could cast charms on the sun!

The tension in the room grew thicker as minutes ticked away, everyone helplessly watching Adam's projection. "It's almost reached Earth!" screeched Umbridge. "What the...I mean...someone has to do something!"

"If you know of any magic that can block a burst of energy in excess of sixty septillion joules, now's the time to tell us!" snapped JB as they all stared. Minutes passed as the flare crept towards Earth, until at last the countdown reached zero. Everyone was still silent as the projection showed the deadly energy getting caught up in what Adam called the Earth's ionosphere, no doubt wreaking havoc on all of Earth's technology. Even the projection started to flicker.

"My connections with many of Earth's systems and satellites have now been compromised," said Adam. "There is no way to estimate the extent of the damage. Furthermore, some ejected coronal mass is following in its wake, which will cause more devastation in a day or two."

For a few moments, no one said anything, still in awe of Valkyrie's destructive power and the way she had just used it. McGonagall finally broke the silence, whispering, "Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Ms. Granger, go with Samus Aran and get the first part of that weapon _now_."

"On it, McGonagall," said Samus resolutely. She dropped the Sorting Hat on the table, picked up her wand and swept out of the room. Harry followed her without hesitation, but Hermione stuck behind for a moment before running after them. Ron then hurried after her. He had had enough of feeling useless. Hermione was right. With their power suits, they were the best backup Samus could ask for.

The four of them marched down the halls, heading for the courtyard where the ship was docked. Samus said nothing, but Ron could sense her steely determination. That thing with the solar flare obviously spurred Samus on.

"Hold it!" cried Hermione suddenly, grabbing Samus's wrist and pulling her to a stop.

"What is it, Hermione?" asked Samus impatiently. "We really don't have any time to waste now."

"Just thought of something we might need, or rather someone. I'll meet you at the ship!" With that, Hermione ran off without any other explanation.

Samus watched her go, her brow furrowed in annoyance. Then Harry spoke up too. "Um, Samus, there's something I'd like to grab before we take off. We might need it." Then he too took off without giving Samus any time to protest.

Ron wondered what his friends were running off for, but the sheer aura of impatience radiating from Samus made it hard to think. "Come on, Ron. We'll wait for them in the ship as we prep for takeoff," she said sternly. Ron fell in step beside her without a hint of protest.

It wasn't long before they boarded the ship. As Samus was pushing some buttons on the cockpit panels, Ron made some last-minute adjustments with equipment in the back, being walked through it all by Adam. It was amazing, how easily he was grasping all this Muggle stuff. Before, he was no better at doping out his own era's Muggle technology than his father, but with Samus and Adam's tutelage, repairing all this gear was getting easier and easier.

Soon, Hermione rose up into the ship, but Ron was surprised to see she wasn't alone. Her uncle and his brother George were with her. "Captain Granger, George...Hermione, care to tell me why you've brought them in here?" Samus demanded politely.

"Well, from what Hermione tells me, your ship's AI still has no manual control. She figures that in the event your ship is attacked while you go exploring these sanctuaries or whatever, you'll need a skilled pilot to get it out of dodge," explained JB slyly.

"Oh, is that all?" Samus asked dubiously.

"Well, she also doesn't want me hanging around the castle after I torqued off the Death Eaters' commander," added JB with a grin. "I'm not the type to just run from a bully, but..."

Samus glanced at Hermione. "You're very persuasive, aren't you?"

"How else you do think I went along with taking an eight-year-old niece into a flight simulator?" asked JB with a barking laugh. "Besides, after that solar flare, I'm sure I'll better be able to stay in touch with the Pentagon and the White House while on this ship than if I stayed here. Adam can let me coordinate and communicate with all of them."

Samus regarded JB for a moment and nodded, then turned to George. "What about you?"

"Hermione also figures you'd want a wizard to stand guard," said George. "Fred and I are pretty much only reserve members for the Order, so losing me won't be a big deal. Tried to convince Fred to come along, but he doesn't understand the importance of protecting our greatest warrior's ship," he finished with a mirthful, self-assured grin.

Samus looked him over. Ron had no idea if she still found George fawning over her charming, or if she'd had her fill. At length, she sighed and said, "Make yourselves comfortable. We're leaving as soon as Harry..." But the instant she uttered his name, Harry was levitated up into the ship, a triumphant look in his eyes. "Never mind. Everyone, prepare for takeoff."

"Uh, Harry, where were you?" asked Hermione.

"Room of Requirement," was Harry's airy reply.

"The Room of Requirement? Mate, what could you possibly gotten out of there that'll help with this new job?" asked Ron, thoroughly puzzled.

Harry had something behind his back. When he produced it, Ron gasped, seeing that Harry was holding the Potions textbook that once belonged to Severus Snape. "When Samus was explaining what we saw in the Pensieve, she left out how Valkyrie wrote down all her early inventions in here, and Snape left it lying around for anyone to find. For now, what Voldemort doesn't know won't hurt him," he said silkily.

xxxxxx

After taking off and heading across the Atlantic Ocean once again, Samus let JB sit in the pilot's seat. Samus and Adam talked him through the basics of piloting the ship, while George hung behind them, listening closely in case he needed to pilot the ship again. Meanwhile, Harry sat on the biobed near the back, clutching Snape's old book in both hands. Despite his bravado earlier, he was slightly apprehensive about opening it. He had been devastated to learn it was actually Snape that helped him so much last year. He wasn't sure what to expect from Valkyrie's early work.

"Harry, we'll be back in America soon. Let's pour over some of these old spells before we land," Ron urged, moving up beside him.

"I'm with Ron. You saw what Valkyrie did with the sun. Any more insight we can get into Valkyrie's old work could be crucial," said Hermione in agreement.

Harry sighed, resigning to the inevitable. He popped his wand out, stabbed the book with the tip, and shouted, "_Sillamobroc!_" Then he cautiously flipped through it, and at once realized there were scribblings he never remembered seeing, all with different handwriting...the same as that on the Muggle photo of his mother and aunt.

He kept flipping through it, but suddenly Hermione's hand reached out to pin down a page. "Harry, wait! Look at the writing here...the incantation...Bangsasunis Chapaprotego!"

"The radiation blocking spell?" asked Ron, suddenly excited. They skimmed over Valkyrie's writing. "Oh, bookmark that one! This has all the instructions on how to focus it, shape it...this is perfect! Next time we run into Valkyrie, we'll be ready!"

After carefully reading the spell's instructions, Harry turned to the next page, and once again struck gold. In the upper left corner was the word 'Ingemiaceo', and below it were instructions for casting it.

"Wow, the spell that fakes deaths. This'll be handy once everything gets back to normal and we have to throw Voldemort off the scent," said Harry.

"I dunno about that, mate. Samus hinted at it while explaining Valkyrie's life story. He may realize you'd learn how to do it, too," Ron pointed out.

"Still, it could be useful," said Hermione.

"Even though it's technically Dark Magic?" asked Ron delicately.

Hermione bit her lip. "It's not something I'd relish using, but...I guess there are times you have to fight fire with fire."

"I still don't get why Snape left a book with his old secrets, AND his girlfriend's, lying around in Hogwarts for anyone to find," said Harry, staring at the book, perplexed. "I still don't get him. How could Valkyrie claim he still loves her when Snape threw out her greatest gift to him?"

"Or maybe he couldn't live with a reminder of what he lost," suggested Ron.

"My, you sound quick to defend Snape. That used to be my job," Hermione pointed out.

"Well, I guess after hearing how Snape went bonkers in Hogsmeade and why, we can't deny he's got something like a heart buried somewhere," Ron admitted. "Let's face it, finding out your girlfriend's unborn baby was sacrificed...any real man would go mental after hearing that."

Harry noticed the strange, longing look Ron was giving Hermione. Hermione immediately felt uncomfortable and tried to change the subject. "Anyway, let's give this spell a try," she suggested. She looked over the instructions again and brought the tip of her wand to her forehead. "_Ingemiaceo!_" she shouted.

She pulled her wand away, and a strange, noxious, flesh-colored mist was dragged away from her body. Hermione pointed her wand at the floor, where the mist swirled and converged, reshaping into a lifeless corpse that eerily resembled Hermione. In fact, it looked EXACTLY like Hermione. But Hermione, who usually mastered any spell instantly, had somehow made a crucial error.

The decoy was supposed to be clothed. Hermione's dead double was completely naked.

Harry and Ron stared blankly at Hermione's handiwork, too shocked to feel horrified by the fake corpse. But Ron, in particular, seemed to be staring at it a little too intently, something Hermione got wise to. "HEY! Those are MY breasts down there that you're staring at!" she cried indignantly, and with a swift kick, she knocked Ron's armored body halfway across the ship.

The ship lurched as JB glanced back with a stern look. "Anyone care to tell me what that was all about?" he asked sternly.

"Don't ask, Uncle J, don't ask," Hermione said quickly.

After incinerating the decoy, the trio decided not to try any more spells, settling for just reading over Valkyrie's handiwork. Soon, Adam announced that they were nearing the coordinates Hermione gleamed. Ron glanced out the cockpit window. "I can't believe this is the same country we've visited twice before. First a city, then a desert, now a swamp?"

"And it's pouring, not to mention it's still the dead of night here. Finding this first sanctuary won't be easy," said Harry.

"JB, that patch of land looks like a suitable landing spot. Take us down," said Samus. Harry was surprised she was willing to let JB land the ship. But JB proved to be as able a pilot as Hermione claimed. The ship touched down without any trouble. "Good work, Captain. Adam, you help George and the captain in any way possible. It's time to get this mission started," said Samus as she undid her robes. She retrieved her wand from it, put it behind her ear, then slapped on her helmet.

JB turned back to Hermione, who was just putting her helmet back on. "Hermione, before you go, I just want to..." he began.

"Uncle J, if you're going to try to talk me out of this, forget it. Wherever Harry, Ron and Samus go, I go," said Hermione resolutely.

"I get that, Hermione. Believe me, I do. It's just that...if your grandfather was still around, he'd be so proud of you," said JB, putting a hand on her armored shoulder. Hermione smiled, then hugged her uncle before joining the others to be levitated down.

The pouring rain thudded into the marshy ground as lightning streaked the sky. Most of the area around them was covered with slimy water, and trees seemed to be growing everywhere, forming impassible walls in places. Harry wished he'd thought to bring his Firebolt to scout around. He popped out his wand and used Lumos to get a better view, but even with light, the rain made it hard to see.

Samus, Ron and Hermione walked ahead of him, carefully surveying the area. Behind him, Harry thought he heard something like squishy footsteps. He turned around, startled to see the ship turn invisible, but saw nothing usual. Looking under the ship, he saw no footprints. Harry reasoned he must have imagined it, but something was telling him otherwise. Then he heard another noise, a sort of slithering...

"How are we supposed to find this first sanctuary and retrieve the first piece of this anti-Kor-Zor weapon?" Hermione thought aloud. "I doubt the ship's scanners will work. It's probably cleverly hidden under the swamp."

"And me without my gravity suit," said Samus sarcastically.

"This is as close as Adam could pinpoint those coordinates the relic spat out at you," said Ron. "I see what you're getting at, though. This thing's been hidden for a thousand years. If we only had some sort of clue..."

"There's a large, marshy lake about half a mile to the north, where a lot of animals have always sensed something funny. That's a good place to start looking," said Harry suddenly. The other three turned around to see a small coral snake slithering around Harry's armored feet. Harry shrugged his shoulders innocently.

"Uh-oh...didn't Valkyrie say something about using a rattlesnake Voldemort talked to as part of her plan to free Kor-Zor? What if this is yet another way of Valkyrie getting us to do her dirty work?" suggested Hermione fearfully.

"I dunno, I don't think she's the type who'd recycle tricks like that," said Ron.

"Besides, that wouldn't make any sense. If Valkyrie knew about this weapon that could potentially undo Kor-Zor, she'd have assembled it well before going after Kor-Zor himself," added Samus.

"In any case, we should be on the lookout for any of her goons," said Harry. "Valkyrie knows she can't use Myrtle anymore, but she'll be watching Hogwarts all the same. The ship leaving won't be missed for long."

"Agreed. The ship's safe with JB and George, so let's head for the lake," said Samus. And with that, they began to trudge through the swampy waters. Some areas, however, were far too deep to safely pass through. Harry could sense Samus's annoyance, and knew she lamented the loss of her gravity suit and space jump. Fortunately, many tall trees with sturdy branches hung overhead; Samus still had her grapple beam, while the rest of them could use Carpe Retractum to swing across. They steadily made their way north to the lake. All the while, the rain made Harry recall Samus's stories of how other missions started. It was pouring on Tallon IV's surface when she first landed there. That mission was the beginning of her struggle against Phazon. Would this mission finally end it? And acid rain was pouring upon returning to Zebes for the last time. Would this mission also end tragically?

Eventually, the four of them made it to a lake surrounded by tall, marshy trees. Lightning illuminated the area once they reached it; in that brief instant, Harry estimated the lake was over a mile wide. And who knew how deep it was? Did they have to dive into it to find the entrance? Harry tentatively crept up to it, then waded waist-deep in it. Some instinct was telling him that something was here, waiting for a wizard clever enough to unveil it, but he had no idea how. "Dumbledore told me about magic always leaving traces, but he never showed me how to detect them," mused Harry.

"There are many things the crooked-nosed fool never bothered to teach you, but he was correct in essentials," said a familiar, cold voice. "And you'd be right...this lake has known magic. It's cleverly masked, but I can sense it all the same."

Harry whirled around to see a hooded figure standing in the rain, and he caught a glimpse of those familiar scarlet eyes underneath that hood. His heart almost stopped. If he had blabbed about WHERE Dumbledore had explained that, so much would have been ruined.

"VOLDEMORT!? What're YOU doing here!?" demanded Samus. Ron and Hermione both flanked her, their wands out.

"The same as you. Seeking out the four pieces of this ancient weapon," Voldemort replied coolly as he removed his hood. Raindrops streaked down his white face. "And this first one belongs to my noble ancestor...I will not miss this opportunity."

"So what's about the war effort back at Hogwarts? The whole reason we agreed to keep you around was because you were to help with that," said Samus suspiciously.

"Bella is perfectly capable of handling things in my absence," replied Voldemort dismissively. "Besides, it's not as if you're making much progress here. Since we've seen that these structures respond most favorable to the founders' direct descendents, I have a sneaking suspicion you four will need me."

Harry snorted. "So it was you I heard earlier, Disillusioned..."

Voldemort glared at him quizzically. "What are you talking about, Potter? I flew after you, but touched down elsewhere."

"Enough, Voldemort. If you intend on tagging along, I suggest you make yourself useful," said Samus tensely. "You claim you can sense where and how this sanctuary is hidden. Then go ahead and reveal it."

Harry expected Voldemort to fire off a sharp, imperious retort, but amazingly, he flashed a thin smile and said, "I thought you would never ask." Voldemort waded into the water, far too close for Harry's comfort. He spread his arms while angling his wand toward the lake's center, and chanted something in Parseltongue, far too quick for even Harry to follow.

Voldemort finished and lowered his arms. Harry wondered if that flashy display accomplished anything, but as he was about to tell Voldemort off, a tremor rocked the entire swamp. Harry yelped and jumped back toward the others, but Voldemort remained in the water, laughing at him.

And then, Harry saw it. Something was rising from the lake. Tall, thin spire-like towers were knifing their way up through the lake's surface, and then Harry could make out the sloping roofs of some expansive, ancient-looking mansion. The tiles on the spires and roofs were blood-red, while the mansion walls were a metallic grey that glistened due to being slimy and wet. It certainly didn't look like anything the Chozo designed, but Harry had a hunch the inside was littered with technological trappings.

Soon, the structure stopping rising; it was almost like a castle, no, a fortress, had risen in the middle of the lake. The side facing them was about a hundred feet away, and looked to be a solid, blank wall...except for a stone relief of a gigantic snake, covered in slime molds. It stretched and coiled across the entire side, emerging from the center. Suddenly, water cascaded off of it as it came to life, uncoiling and lurching everywhere. Harry instinctively took a few steps back, and a moment later, the entire snake relief stretched across the lake. Its head slammed onto the shore, kicking up mud and water. It opened its mouth, revealing a passage all of them could walk through.

"Ask and you shall receive," remarked Voldemort slyly as he waded out of the water. Before anyone could get over their shock, Voldemort moved to the entrance, prepared to get a head start. But before he could enter, the stone snake's forked tongue rose, its tip thrust in front of Voldemort.

Harry's first, foolish thought was that it was as if a keyboard was thrust in his face, demanding he put in a password. He soon found out his guess wasn't that far off, for a horrible, booming hissing noise came from the giant relief, which Harry understood perfectly. "_**What is the security code?**_" hissed the relief in Parseltongue.

Voldemort stepped back, bemused. "What security code!? What's this nonsense about!? I am the last living descendent of Salazar Slytherin, and…."

The relief obviously didn't acknowledge anything he said, for though the tongue fell back down, allowing passage, the hissing voice boomed again. "_**Failure to give the security code has resulted in ALL defensive measures going online. The gravest perils await any but those who can give the codes passed down from the Hogwarts founders themselves. Continue if you dare.**_"

Voldemort stared blankly down the tunnel, now a little apprehensive. "What's this about needing security codes!?" He turned back to Samus as the four of them walked down. "The Sorting Hat mentioned nothing about codes, did it? Nor did the relic..."

"Whatever these codes are, they must've been lost along with all other knowledge about these places," mused Ron.

"And that means our job is going to be a lot tougher," said Samus. "We have no idea what we'll be facing in there."

"When you say 'we', don't tell me you plan on letting HIM come along," huffed Hermione. As usual, Hermione ignored Voldemort's death glares completely.

Samus regarded Voldemort for a moment before flatly saying, "He comes."

"Uh...any special reason?" asked Ron nervously.

"Much as I hate to admit it, we would never have found our way in without him," explained Samus. "And we have no idea what's in there. We may still need a descendent of Slytherin, and I have a hunch an extra Parselmouth will come in handy anyway."

"I knew you'd see reason," said Voldemort haughtily, bowing and indicating the entrance with a wave of his hand. "Ladies first."

Samus's response was to punch Voldemort square between the eyes, sending him sailing into a tree trunk with a noisy crash.

"A little pointer, Voldemort. Only one person gets to call Samus a lady, and he's a computer," Hermione called out to him.


	22. Level One

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 22: Level One

7-17-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

Without bothering to look back, Samus marched into the snake's head. Harry took a hint from her and followed, Ron and Hermione following suit. While running through the passage, however, Harry heard angry, ringing footsteps behind them. Harry smirked to himself, relishing how they could all needle Voldemort and, for the moment, how he wouldn't dare do anything about it.

It was almost pitch black inside the snake relief, but eventually, faint light could be seen from the winding tunnel's end. The four stepped out into a large room with a high ceiling. All the walls were of the same uneven, jaggy, small grey slabs. Stone reliefs of serpent heads jutted out of the walls, open jaws issuing forth torchlight. A vast array of bronze pipes lined the walls and ceiling. The whole place looked insufferably damp and muggy. Condensation was even forming on their visors, which Harry absentmindedly wiped away. It all looked very ancient, as if time had left this hidden mansion untouched...except for the familiar bubble door at the far end, horribly out of place.

As Harry surveyed the scene, Voldemort caught up with them. Even with the suit's jammers separating their minds, Harry could sense Voldemort's brewing fury, but he guessed he was still taking in what was built in Salazar Slytherin's honor.

Voldemort's didn't have long, because faint rumblings could then be heard. Harry looked to the floor; boggish water seemed to be burbling upward, all over the place. An instant later, several long, slender things shot out of the floor like missiles. They fell back down and coiled up; Harry saw they were giant, metal cobras. They rose over seven feet in the air, ready to strike, and hissed as they closed in.

"Well, here's some of the security those old codes were supposed to disable," said Ron nervously. Harry nodded, instinctively knowing Parseltongue wouldn't matter one jot here.

Samus got right to work, firing a missile at the nearest one. It flew apart in a flurry of frozen, cleaved metal, and she then charged a shot for another. By then, everyone else was taking action. Voldemort slashed his wand, and two cobras were slammed against the wall. Harry used Reductor Curses on the closest cobra; it took a few hits, but it eventually shattered. But another was closing in. It lurched forward and sprayed what looked like poisonous water. Harry dashed aside, but even the mist drained his suit's energy on contact. Thankfully, Ron and Hermione blasted it apart for him.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and looked around. They had dealt with the first wave in short order. The whole room was littered with the mangled forms of shattered statues. But Harry noticed something odd. Above some of the remains, small, purplish spheres seemed to swirl and converge. His friends noticed this too. Hermione asked, "Samus, what's this I'm seeing? Some sort of big, purple orbs..."

"Your visors are letting you perceive energy sources that your suits can use," explained Samus quickly. "Those suits were reverse-engineered from Chozo technology, remember? Sometimes, I could leech energy from fallen creatures or destroyed machinery. Looks like you three can, too."

"Along with anything that was enchanted," Ron pointed out. "If we needed any more proof these suits were to let GF Marines fight in the Wizarding World, we just got it." That struck a nerve with Harry. Were the Muggles in Samus's time so suspicious of his kind, they worked on power suits to let their Marines fight them? It almost made Harry think Valkyrie had a point, shaping the future herself...

Harry shook his head, putting it in the back of his mind as he walked up to a fallen snake. A large, pulsating purple orb hovered above it. It eerily resembled Phazon. Taking a deep breath, Harry thrust his hand into it, and suddenly, he saw his suit's energy return to full power.

They went through the bubble door, stepping into another chamber. It was much like the first, except that along with a bubble door on the opposite wall, another was positioned high above on the right wall. A series of stone pillars, which had snake reliefs wrapped around them, rose and fell while spinning around. With patience, they could be used as platforms to reach the upper door.

But at the moment, they had other concerns. More metal cobras shot out of the ground. Not only that, odd, gigantic winged insects, with bulbous eyes and snapping jaws, swooped down on them, bearing powerful claws.

"Reos!" shouted Samus. "Watch out, they take a LOT of hits before going down!"

Harry fired a charged shot at a descending Reo. It backed off for a second, but soon dived again. Harry rolled aside. The Reo missed him completely, but then he heard the scraping sound of a slithering cobra. One was ready to spray him with toxic water. Harry dashed aside, taking cover behind a rising pillar. Once the sound of gushing water ceased, Harry jumped out from behind cover, ready with a charged blast. His visor's targeting system locked on, helping him aim. He fired, instantly blowing the snake apart. Sighing heavily, Harry looked up, expecting to see more of those bugs coming down. Instead, Voldemort was whipping up a miniature tornado, which ripped the Reos apart. Looking around, Harry saw his friends had made short work of the remaining enemies.

"Ugly buggers, those Reo things," commented Ron.

"Just wait. I bet there's way worse stuff the deeper we go," added Hermione morosely.

"In any case, we better decide where to go. I say we try the door up top. Whatever's there must be important if it takes so much effort," said Samus.

No one suggested otherwise, not even Voldemort. So the five of them began the long task of hopping from pillar to pillar. It took a few minutes, but they made it to the ledge with the bubble door. Samus opened it, but as she and Harry were about to go through, Hermione pointed something out. "Hey Samus, that wall over there...it looks different somehow...the tiles are looser and a different color."

Harry turned to look, and indeed, a rectangular area of tiles along the far wall were a paler grey. Voldemort imperiously walked to the ledge's edge, waved his wand, and yelled, "_Agnitepota Revelio!_" At once, the slabs began to magically move, the same way the bricks concealing the entrance to Diagon Alley did. They revealed a smooth mural with Chozo runes. It seemed to ripple and shimmer. Harry turned to Samus, who, judging from how her left hand was pressed against her helmet, was scanning the mural.

"I think this was something written by Salazar Slytherin himself, and translated into ancient Chozo," said Samus. "It goes like this: _Much have I learned in these months I worked with my three old friends and these otherworldly beings. So when designing this sanctuary, it was constructed to reflect the new knowledge I am privy too. My world, and its ancient ways of magic, could not triumph alone. Just as you, our descendents must use the tools our alien allies have left behind to reach your goal._"

"Wonder what ol' monkey-face meant by that?" Ron thought aloud. Voldemort glowered at him, but a scything look from Samus ensured he kept his mouth shut.

"I suppose we'll find out soon. C'mon, let's keep moving," urged Hermione. The five of them finally went through the open door, stepping out into a massive courtyard, teeming with plant life perfectly adapted for a swamp. The rain had abated somewhat, but it still poured down. Lightning occasionally streaked across the night sky, illuminating the area further.

High above, along the adjacent walls, Harry saw serpent heads that spewed out water continuously. Most were angled downward, and the water was hitting some structure jutting from the wall, which diverted the flow to make a nearly horizontal rush of water. The water funneled into troughs, which were connected to a series of large gears. The constant rush of water turned these gears, and deep beneath the tiled floor, Harry swore he heard more smoothly operating machinery. A ridiculously tall iron gate barred access to another courtyard, but there was a tunnel between them, in which spikes continuously popped out from the floor. No doubt the water powered the mechanism for the spikes.

As Harry took it all in, Hermione pointed up at something. "Samus, up there in that alcove...is that one of your missile expansions?" Harry looked up and, sure enough, tucked away in the wall was a small glass case with a rotating, orange missile. He looked at the snake heads again, thinking that by freezing that water, he could easily make platforms to jump across...if he could even get up there.

"Wait a minute...what're suit upgrades for Samus doing in this place?" asked Ron dubiously.

"Got me, but there it is for the taking, if we could reach it," said Harry.

"Don't suppose there's any chance of summoning it?" Samus suggested weakly.

Hermione tentatively raised her wand and cried, "_Accio Missile!_" but predictably, nothing happened.

"Honestly! I'll go fetch your little toy for you," snarled Voldemort. He whipped his wand around, kicking up winds for him to glide upon. As Voldemort lifted himself off the ground, Harry sensed something was about to go awry. He then heard clicking sounds from above. Harry looked up just as all the snake heads lining the walls turned to face Voldemort. They spewed water at incredibly high pressure, instantly knocking Voldemort out of the air. He painfully crashed back down, tiles flying everywhere.

The four of them just stood there, not exactly eager to rush to Voldemort's aid. Harry saw Ron and Hermione forcing back laughter. _This just isn't Voldemort's day_, Harry thought smugly.

"I think I see what Slytherin meant by forcing his descendents to not rely on magic alone," Samus said thoughtfully. "Whatever we're supposed to do here, he and the Chozo made it so it wouldn't be too easy, even if we had the security codes. Conjuring winds to fly clearly won't be permitted."

"Doesn't that sort of defeat the purpose of getting that weapon assembled as fast as possible?" Ron pointed out. "Wouldn't the founders want their descendents not to waste any time?"

"Not necessarily. Don't forget, the Sorting Hat spoke of the Founders' descendents keeping an eye on that prison for signs of Kor-Zor breaking free," said Samus. "Clearly, it was expected that there'd be ample time to raid all four sanctuaries. They never could have imagined anyone freeing Kor-Zor on purpose."

At this point, Voldemort picked himself up and hobbled back to the others, his robes sopping wet. "Fascinating deduction, Aran. I don't suppose you've got any ideas on how to fetch your little trinket, though, or where we go from here?"

Samus regarded Voldemort for a moment, then turned to the three of them. "Since we've got five people here, maybe we should split into two teams and cover more ground."

"Good idea, I guess," said Ron. "But both teams should have a Parselmouth."

"Agreed. You three can keep exploring these courtyards. Voldemort and I can go back down to check out that door we passed up before." She turned back to Voldemort; Harry could see the iciness in her eyes. "That alright with you?" she asked curtly.

Voldemort surprised Harry again by putting on an air of friendliness. "You're the expert on these matters, Aran. Who am I to dispute you?" he hissed sarcastically. Samus's eyes narrowed dangerously again, but she take the bait.

"Just watch yourself, Samus," Harry urged, worried that Voldemort might try something. Samus nodded, and she and Voldemort headed back the way they came. Meanwhile, Harry looked back over to the tall gate and the tunnel leading to the other side.

"Don't tell me we have to go through there," Ron groaned.

"There must be something important on the other side, Ron," said Hermione. "The Chozo built this place to test whoever wanted to assemble that superweapon, don't forget."

Ron sighed as hetimidly stepped up to the tunnel. A row of spikes suddenly shot up, making him jump back.

For a while, the three carefully watched the spikes, and soon deduced their pattern. They all took deep breaths, then charged through. There were a few close calls, but eventually, they reached the other side. Harry looked back at the iron gate that further separated him from Samus. He was suddenly aware of how Voldemort could easily turn on her, and was too far away to help.

"Don't worry, Harry. We already know Samus can resist the Imperius Curse just like you can. Besides, this place may have been erected in Slytherin's honor, but he knows he'll need Samus's expertise to survive in here," reassured Hermione, as if she'd read his mind. Harry sighed and nodded dully. He looked ahead. This part of the courtyard was like a quarter-circle, curving around. Vines and slimy moss still lined the walls, as did snake heads spewing water into troughs. Their cold gaze unnerved Harry. What else would trigger them into dousing intruders?

They jogged on, and upon reaching the end of the quarter-circle, they came across a large, deep rectangular pool that stretched out a long way before them. Tall, metal arches covered in vines ran across it, and tall walls bordered either side. There was no way to sidle across. But a large stalagmite jutted up right before the pool, and it had many flat surfaces, perfect for jumping up to the top.

Harry reached the top easily, but Ron and Hermione took a while. Another stalagmite was on the other side. The pool was very deep, and though Harry could see stone steps beneath the water on their side, there was nothing of the sort at the other end. Eventually, Ron came up with an idea. "OK, so coasting on conjured winds is out, and we can't cast Levitation Charms on suits this heavy...maybe we can use Carpe Retractum to swing across?"

"It's...worth a try. But be ready in case we trigger this place's defenses," Hermione said hesitantly. She popped out her wand and reared her arm back. "_Carpe Retractum!_" she cried, swinging her arm forward. However, the metal arch repelled the golden band.

"So much for that idea," Harry muttered dejectedly, looking around again. It was then that he noticed more metallic, grey reliefs of snakes lining the walls, camouflaged almost perfectly. Their scarlet eyes still glistened, as if beckoning him to do something. They did not exude malice, but strangely, a quiet, knowing patience. A sudden impulse took hold of Harry. He heard himself speak in Parseltongue. "_How do we get across? Can you help us, show us how?_"

The reliefs sprang to life. The metal snakes, more than a dozen feet long, slithered off the walls. One sprang off onto their stalagmite. It hissed at them while gazing at Harry. At first, Harry was afraid it would attack. But it launched itself over them, right at the first arch. It coiled around it, then drooped its head below the center. A quick glance showed the other snakes were doing the same, one coiling around each arch. They opened their mouths and stuck out a forked tongue, then fell still.

"What was that all about?" asked Ron, clearly flummoxed.

"I think this is how we can swing across," said Hermione. "The arches were treated to prevent Carpe Retractum from attaching, but I bet those forked tongues are perfect grapple points!"

"I'll try first," declared Harry, extending his wand. "_Carpe Retractum!_" The golden band latched onto the metal tongue. Breathing heavily, Harry jumped off the stalagmite and swung across. He lifted his spell only to aim at the next snake tongue and use it again, keeping up his momentum and swinging closer to his goal. He heard Ron and Hermione shout the incantation, and knew they weren't far behind. Harry felt his heartbeat pick up, apprehensive about slipping up and plunging into the water below. A flash of lightning almost broke his concentration and made him do just that. But at last, he swung under the last arch, and his armored feet firmly touched down on the tip of the other stalagmite. However, Ron swung too hard and too far, could not maintain his footing, and tumbled over the edge. Hermione made the same mistake seconds later.

Chuckling to himself, Harry hopped down to check up on his friends. They were just picking themselves up. "How did you and Samus do these sort of things two years ago?" muttered Ron, brushing gravel and slime off his arms.

The three walked on, down a long, outdoor hallway lined with tall, jade statues of who could be none other than Salazar Slytherin himself. The robes the statues wore, though...they seemed more like what Samus described as the ceremonial robes of a Chozo elder. But what struck Harry as odd were the statue's faces. The features exuded coldness and cunning, but the malevolence he always associated with Slytherin was absent.

At the end of the hall was a bubble door, which Harry opened with a single shot and the three charged right through. They stood in a cylindrical chamber. In front of them was a large, indoor fountain, the shape of which made Harry think of a gigantic wedding cake. As he looked up at the beautifully cascading water, he noticed the ceiling looked cone-shaped. He guessed they were under one of those tower-like spires.

"There's no other door, as far as I can see," said Ron. "This is clearly what we were meant to find. What d'you reckon this fountain's for?" Ron nudged closer to the fountain, and Harry heard clicking noises, as if gears and parts were shifting position.

"Ron, get back here!" Harry shouted. Ron looked back for a moment, puzzled, but a sudden hissing noise goaded him into taking Harry's advice. And not a moment too soon. Suddenly, a circular panel at the base of the fountain slid open, and out shot yet another enchanted, metallic snake. Harry saw two more emerge from the sides, and knew that yet another had popped out behind the fountain. At once, the snake spewed putrid water at the trio, who all scattered.

Harry rolled and hit the wall hard, but Ron and Hermione had their wits about them, firing Reductor Curses. Unfortunately, Harry could hear them bounce harmlessly off metal, ricocheting everywhere. Harry stood back up just in time to see the snakes try something else. They stretched out, their snouts nearly touching the walls, and the fountain began to spin rapidly. Harry jumped just in time. A snake nearly smashed into him, and he had to immediately jump again to avoid another one.

He heard Ron mutter curses about Slytherin's mother, but guessed he was otherwise fine. However, a few seconds later, he heard Hermione scream. As a snake spun toward him for another pass, he saw it had smashed into her and was dragging her along. He ran after her, but luckily the fountain was slowing down. But once it stopped, the snake thrashed about, knocking Hermione against the wall.

Without thinking, Harry rushed to Hermione's side as the snake reared back to spit out water. Desperate, Harry aimed quick power shots into its open mouth, and the snake reared back, hissing violently.

"Harry, that's it!" cried Hermione as Harry helped her to her feet. "We aim for their open mouths!"

"I hear you, Hermione!" came Ron's strained voice from behind the fountain. Harry heard Ron fire a charged shot from behind the fountain, then the vehement hissing of another snake. But the one facing the two of them was ready to strike again. Harry and Hermione charged up shots and fired them simultaneously, then followed up with normal shots. It wasn't long before the snake's head exploded in a burst of flame, starting a chain reaction that traveled down the length of its body. Soon, there was nothing but a hollow metal tube, hanging limply from the fountain.

The fountain spun again, but with one of the snakes destroyed, it was a simple matter for Harry and Hermione to run in the same direction, only having to jump moments later when one snake caught up with them. However, Harry could still hear Ron's curses echo.

"Everyone, when it stops again, we each take a snake and blow it away," Harry said just as the fountain started to slow down. Ron and Hermione nodded and quickly got into position, charging shots.

After that, the trio made short work of the remaining snakes. Harry was the last to finish his off, and when the chain reaction from its destruction reached the fountain's base, he instinctively knew they triggered something else. He looked around anxiously, expecting another trap. Then the foundation began to shift and move, the height between each level shortening. Harry watched intently as the fountain's height lowered, and then he saw something arise from the very top. A snake's head, its maw opening, and out came a birdlike claw clutching a metallic sphere, thrusting it high into the air.

No one said anything for a while, until Ron pointed out the obvious. "Guess that's what we were supposed to get, whatever it is. Someone can easily go jump up the fountain and get it."

From the tone of his voice, Harry knew Ron didn't relish the thought of fetching it himself. "I'll do it," he volunteered, bounding up the fountain. When he reached the very top, he stared at the sphere for a moment before shooting it with a power burst. The sphere faded to reveal a smaller, bisected one, glowing bright-yellow, beckoning for Harry to reach out for it. Slowly, gingerly, Harry did just that. The instant his fingers scraped against the strange object, it glowed even brighter, blinding Harry. When the light faded, Harry gasped, seeing that the sphere was gone, right before noticing a message scroll across his visor.

**MORPH BALL TECHNOLOGY ASSIMILATED AND READY FOR USE.**

Harry gasped in surprise, nearly losing his footing. After regaining his balance, he hopped back down to Ron and Hermione, who both wore curious looks. "It was something like Samus's morph ball, and it looks like I can use it," he explained.

"What, you mean you can...roll into a ball like she can!?" Hermione cried incredulously.

Harry nodded weakly, ignoring her dubious stare. Something then caught his eye: the tubelike remains of a metal snake. He walked up to it, ignoring how he felt Ron and Hermione's confused stares burning into his back. Harry swore he could hear some faint humming from the tube as he knelt beside it.

_How does Samus do this?_ he wondered as he bent over further, clueless about how to trigger the change. Suddenly, as if responding to Harry's thoughts as his back curved more and more, his suit began to shift and contract. The feeling was a rush, horribly unsettling, but eventually, Harry found he was perfectly aware of his surroundings. He couldn't see, but it was like he had some sort of sonar, able to sense everything around him. He knew his friends' armored boots were right behind him, and the tubelike opening was directly in front. Harry willed himself to move forward, and his new form complied, rolling right up into the tube.

It wasn't long before Harry exited the hollow opening into the fountain and found himself in freefall. He felt himself land in shallow water with a dull thud. Harry rolled around uselessly in the water for long, torturous moments before figuring it how to unroll. It was as if he had to will himself to straighten his back to trigger the change. Once he was back to normal, he found a conical pedestal, twice his height. Some sort of transparent cylinder with black, metal ends and bands, from which a purple glow emanated, hovered above the tip.

"An energy tank!" exclaimed Harry. He jumped for it, and his fingers barely scraped the tank's underside. Upon contact, his suit seemed to absorb it, and Harry noticed another small, glowing square appear above the energy shielding bar on his HUD, giving him a total of three. "That's certainly useful, but how do I get out of here?" As he thought aloud, Harry noticed several vertical grooves along the wall. His gaze drifted to the bottom of a groove, where it looked like a sphere could fit inside. Harry shrugged his shoulders, then went into morph ball mode, rolling into it.

A powerful jet of water shot Harry upward through the groove, and he eventually reached the top. He sensed he was in front of a tube, so he rolled forward. He shot back out from a mangled snake and unrolled, turning around to look for Ron and Hermione. They were running up to him. "Harry, what did you find?" Hermione asked breathlessly.

"An energy tank," Harry replied. "It looks like this place is loaded with the same stuff Samus found on Zebes. It just sucks that there seems to be only enough for one person."

"Don't sweat it, mate. Just as long as one of us can get hold of this gear..." Ron began, placing a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder. As soon as he did, his gauntlet glowed. Waves of energy rippled all over Ron's suit. Both Harry and Ron jumped away from each other, startled. Ron then looked down at himself nervously, but then Harry saw his face light up. "Harry, I dunno how it happened, but...when I touched you, I think that stuff carried over to me! This visor just said I've got that morph ball thing, plus there's another charge for the suit's shield!"

"What!? How's that possible!? Samus never said these Chozo artifacts work that way!" Hermione protested. But to further prove his point, a metal sphere about a meter wide, which was undoubtedly Ron, zoomed past Hermione's feet. It was bisected like Samus, with a glowing interior, and both hemispheres had a navy-blue cap. The rest of the hemispheres had the same metallic sheen as their Marine power suits, separated into three equal portions by grooves.

Ron rolled back over to Hermione and reverted to normal, freaking her out even more. "Whoa, that felt weird, but was cool as all hell! Let Harry touch you, and you should get this gear too!" Ron urged. Hermione glanced apprehensively over to Harry, but finally just shrugged her shoulders. Harry held out his hand, and Hermione hesitantly took it. At once, ripples of energy washed over Hermione. Harry could tell by her eyes that she was reading a message strewn across her HUD.

"So, it works. My suit's back at full power, too. I don't get how, but...oh, let's just go catch up with Samus! Maybe she'll have an idea," said Hermione.

"Don't have to tell me twice. Still can't believe we left her alone with Voldemort," said Harry sourly as he opened the door and ran out. Hermione and Ron were hot on his heels.

"Like it or not, we're on the same side," said Hermione as they ran back through the hall, rain still pouring down. "My grandfather would understand. He fought in World War II, and both the Americans and the British had to work with Joesph Stalin. We're facing the same thing here."

"But back then, didn't the good guys fight against a hate-spewing genocidal maniac, instead of welcoming one with open arms?" asked Ron.

"Well, some would say that Stalin was just as bloodthirsty, but I guess you have a point," admitted Hermione.

"And Hermione, how come you never told us you had family in America, or that your grandfather was a war hero?" asked Harry.

"Well, in our first year, between you having had such a bad experience with Muggles, Draco always boasting about his family, getting the feeling Ron wouldn't care much, and just getting the sense that talking about Muggles from America wouldn't interest anyone, there never seemed to be any point," explained Hermione. "I sure wish my grandfather was still alive though. He could help us too, but he died of heart failure a couple months ago. I thought the potions I kept brewing for him would help him live longer, but..."

Harry could sense that tears would be coming, so when Hermione's words trailed off, he decided not to press further. "We're back at the stalagmite. Let's get ready to swing back across," he said quickly.

And so they did, with Harry leading the way. This time, Hermione was right behind him, with Ron trailing after her. Harry and Hermione made it back to the other side with no trouble, but when Ron had only a few more arches to swing under, his charm missed the snake's tongue and he plunged into the water with a scream.

"RON!" Hermione shrieked. "Oh no, that's not toxic water, is it!?"

"I don't think so, but it's pretty deep. And I can't make much out with all this rain falling," said Harry nervously. They waited for over a minute, but Ron had yet to surface. Harry was about to jump in after him, but thankfully he finally saw him, bounding up the submersed stone steps.

Harry and Hermione jumped down from the stalagmite to meet him. "Damnit Ron, you gave us quite a scare!" scolded Hermione. "What took you so long to climb out!?"

"Noticed something funny under there," said Ron. "There's an underwater passage in that pool. After I dealt with these weird, bony, spiky fish, I checked it out. But it's too hard to move around underwater, and I couldn't jump out. So I came back up here."

"We'll need Samus's gravity suit to go through there," said Harry. "This place is obviously built with harnessing water in mind. Maybe we'll find it in here later and can double back. For now, we'd better keep moving." Ron nodded, and they ran back to the tall gate. On the other side, Harry could still see the missile expansion nestled snugly in its alcove. "And we still can't reach that either. We could use Glacius to freeze the water the snakes are spitting out to make platforms, but we have no way of getting _UP_ there," he spat.

"We'll have to come back for that, too," said Hermione. "In the meantime, it's not going anywhere. We'd better regroup with Samus for now." Harry just sighed as he braced himself to dash back through the trap-riddled tunnel. He reminded himself that this place was built to test those coming for the weapon piece. And wasn't Salazar Slytherin all about patience, waiting for the right time to make a move? If that was the case, he'd prove up to the task, and patiently wait until he could collect everything Slytherin left behind.

xxxxxx

A gaggle of Side-Hoppers advanced, coming down an underground hallway, jumping along both the floor and the curved ceiling supported by stone arches. Even with plenty of missiles left, dispatching them all proved a challenge. They also moved too fast for Voldemort to use the Killing Curse, so he had to fall back on other means, like conjuring ice shards to lob at them. Thankfully, it wasn't long before they were completely eradicated. Samus drew in the leachable energy they coughed up, but still her energy and missile count weren't quite at maximum.

Voldemort strode forward. His imperiousness still vexed Samus, but preferred having him where she could keep an eye on him.

_It's still unbelievable, having to join forces with Harry's worst enemies,_ Samus thought acidly. _I've never had to do anything like this before. Even when both the Space Pirates and I were threatened by the Ing on Aether, we never lifted a digit to help each other. I can't imagine how it's affecting Harry. Makes how he spurned Valkyrie's offer all the more amazing._

They came across a fork. Another hallway branched out to their left, and up ahead their hallway ended with a red bubble door. Voldemort tried to smash it open with a Reductor Curse, but it feebly bounced off. Fuming, he turned back to Samus. "Well, my dear, you already have some of the same tools my ancestor's allies left behind. Why not use them now?"

Samus studied the red door. "Not just yet. I'm kind of running low on missiles, and my instincts tell me we should check out this hall before moving on." She lied about her missile count, but was truthful about her instincts, the one thing she always relied upon on missions like this.

Voldemort sighed. "As you wish," he said icily. Samus could easily detect the irritation he tried to hide. Her missiles could easily open a door his magic was powerless to penetrate. And earlier, they came across a narrow tunnel Samus could easily pass through in morph ball mode, but when Voldemort tried to pass through as black smoke, a gust of wind drove him out. The only way they got him past it was by having Voldemort's smoky form cling to Samus as she rolled through.

So they headed down the hall, and almost at once, upside-down, metal serpent heads popped out from the curved ceiling, spewing yet more toxic water like turrets. Between the two of them, however, they were easily dispatched, and soon they came across a deep, watery pit. Across the length of the pit, on both sides and level with their feet, were more snake heads gushing out water in such a way that if it could be frozen, they would have platforms to jump across.

Samus turned to Voldemort. "Think you can freeze all that water?"

Voldemort sneered. "What, can your missiles not do the same?"

"I'm trying to conserve them, remember?" Samus shot back.

Voldemort flashed another insufferably smug grin, then aimed his wand at the nearest serpent head and yelled, "_Glacius!_" Frigid mist shot forth, freezing the water solid. Samus winced, remembered when Voldemort used the very same spell on her, but pushed the thought aside and jumped onto the freezing water. Amazingly, Voldemort made the same relatively short jump (to her) with no trouble at all. And so it continued until they reached the door on the other side.

They promptly went through, finding a large circular chamber with a domed ceiling. Ditches of water, over which metal wiring was placed, crisscrossed the chamber. In the center, there was some sort of small hatch. It looked as if something was supposed to rise up out of it. As Samus dwelled on what it could be, she heard a faint click overhead.

"Aran, up above!" Voldemort cried out in alarm. Samus looked up, then jumped back in time to avoid having a huge, metal something crash down onto her. Whatever it was, it was curled up into a ball, but it began to unroll. What looked like a statue of some large apelike creature, made up entirely of enchanted steel, and wearing an armored chest plate and plumed helmet with elaborate, ornate designs. It brandished a menacing-looking battle axe as it rose, glaring icily at them. "A...metal orangutan?" Voldemort asked no one in particular.

"Well, it's been said your ancestor closely resembled humanity's evolutionary cousins, but I don't see what this enchanted thing has to do with Slytherin's schtick," remarked Samus.

Almost as soon as she said that, circular holes opened up all over the orangutan's body. Out slithered slender, metal snakes, a dozen at least, acting as a gaggle of extra appendages with which to strike.

"Alright, _NOW_ I see," Samus added dryly.

The orangutan snarled, then lurched forward at Samus, its serpentine companions hissing and biting. Samus tried jumping over it, but a couple snakes bit into her ankle and dragged her down. Luckily, Voldemort was on top of things, knocking the metal orangutan aside with a flick of his wand. But it quickly pried itself off the wall, using some of its snakes as makeshift legs to cover more ground. It sped towards Voldemort, ready to swing its axe. Samus fired a couple of missiles at its back, but they barely slowed it down. A sudden gust of conjured wind was the only thing that got Voldemort out of dodge in time.

Samus expected the orangutan to come after her next, but it took a moment to let several snakes dunk their heads into the ditches, sucking up water. Then it moved with unfathomable swiftness, willing its snake heads to aim in all directions, spitting water at high pressure. Samus went into morph ball mode and dropped bombs as she rolled underneath it. When she unrolled, she saw the bombs had dazed it quite a bit. She took the time to charge a shot, but before she released it, Voldemort cut loose with a powerful water stream of his own. Their attacks floored it instantly, but its snakes let it spring back up at once.

It sped toward Samus again, using its snakes as legs, rearing back its axe. Samus kept jumping backwards and pelting its face with missiles. Voldemort targeted its back with some sort of blasting spell, but neither of them made much headway. At last the orangutan closed in on Samus, bringing down its axe. Samus caught the blade in her hand. It took all her strength to keep it from coming down further. Worse still, snakes were biting into her, sucking more energy away. Panting heavily, still holding the axe at bay, Samus let a shot charge up. She released it at point-blank range to its face, finally blowing its head clean off.

At once, the snakes went limp, and with nothing to hold it up, the headless orangutan crashed to the floor with a thud that shook the chamber. It was completely lifeless, and after a few moments, Samus saw little purple orbs and what looked like little missiles hovering over it. Samus knew the latter was just an image her visor overlaid, to let her know it was energy that would reload her missiles. She drew them to her, sighing with relief as she saw her missile and energy count climb back up.

"Ah, an inspiring performance, as always," jibed Voldemort sardonically from across the chamber.

"It's not as if you were much help," snapped Samus. Just then, something below them clicked. The hatch in the center of the center slid open, and up rose a snake statue, looking straight up. Its jaws parted, and out rose a Chozo-like, clawed hand holding a missile expansion.

"Hmmm, so this is what we were meant to find," said Voldemort. "Perhaps under normal circumstances, one would have to first find this to get past that other door."

"Anyone ever mention you got a gift for stating the obvious?" asked Samus.

"Never to my face," said Voldemort with a sly grin.

Samus sighed with disgust as she reached for the missile expansion. At once, her suit assimilated it, bringing her maximum count up to thirty-five. Samus carefully looked around, double-checking to make sure nothing was overlooked. Once she was satisfied, she headed for the door and opened it, at once receiving a shock.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were making their way across the watery pit, the latter two freezing the gushing water to make platforms. They didn't even notice Samus standing there until they made it across safely. "Samus!? Good thing it didn't take too long to find you!" gasped Hermione. "We've got some important stuff to tell you!"

Samus could sense Voldemort sidling up beside her, but she ignored him. "Like what? First of all, how did you make it down here? I had to use morph ball mode to make it through a tunnel, and..."

"And we can do that now!" cried Ron. "The morph ball was across the courtyard! And it worked for all three of us!"

"Found an energy tank, too," added Harry. "But the weird thing is how when one person finds this stuff, it sort of carries over to others. Ron and Hermione got the morph ball and an extra energy tank, just by me touching them."

Samus took a moment to digest all this. "So, it's as if the upgrades found in these sanctuaries have somehow been enchanted to duplicate themselves," she said thoughtfully. "I just found a missile expansion in here, which I would've needed to open that sealed door back over there had I not still had some. I wonder..."

Samus held out her left hand, and after a moment's hesitation, her three friends planted a hand over hers. At once, ripples of golden energy washed over all of them. Samus saw another energy tank appear on her HUD, while the left gauntlets of her three companions glowed strangely. As if by magic, more armor and machinery seemed to appear and pile itself over the underside of their gauntlets.

"Samus, it worked! My HUD said I've got missiles now!" cried Harry. Harry looked at his palm, and Samus noticed there was now a button positioned so that his pinky could press it, similar to the wand button on his other palm. He pressed it, and suddenly something snapped open and popped out under his left gauntlet. It looked like some sort of small, forearm-mounted rocket launcher, horribly primitive-looking compared to her Chozo original, but hopefully effective nonetheless. "Well, that'll come in handy. Hated how I didn't have the morph ball and missiles last time around," remarked Harry, hitting the button again to retract the launcher.

"Excuse me for voicing my doubtfulness, but why would such tools be strewn about sanctuaries built in honor of sorcerors in the first place?" Voldemort asked darkly.

"I can only think of one reason. When the Chozo enlisted the help of the founders, they must have created power suits for them," said Samus.

"Whoa, you really think so?" asked Ron.

"It's the only explanation that fits," said Samus. "I bet those four suits were also left for their descendents to find, should there ever be a need to assemble their superweapon. That's what Slytherin meant about using the Chozo's tools. Their descendents were meant to don their old power suits and use the upgrades hidden in here for themselves."

"But where could those suits be now?" asked Harry.

Ron shrugged his shoulders. "Buried somewhere, lost, just like those security codes that'd turn off some of the nasty stuff in here," he said dryly. "Anyway, good thing we four got our own suits and can fill in. Hey, Hermione, what d'you reckon is..." But Hermione wasn't really paying attention. She was staring intently on the nearest snake head spewing water. "Hey, Earth to Hermione? What's got you so fascinated?"

"This serpent head...it's got some sort of design on it," said Hermione, mostly to herself. "A circle with markings, and I think...is that a hole to stick a wand in? I don't think any of the other water-spitting heads had this. I-I-I need a closer look." With that, Hermione froze the water coming out of it, then hopped onto the ice, examining the serpent head closely. As she had suspected, there was a hole for her to stick her wand into. She did so, and there was a loud click, but it didn't look like Hermione triggered anything. Several seconds passed, and nothing happened.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders, looking as confused as the others. Voldemort snorted. "Well, whatever that mechanism is supposed to do, the Mudblood better figure it out fast. That ice is melting."

Hermione's eyes widened as her gaze drifted down to her makeshift platform. Indeed, the ice was starting to break apart. "What in...the serpent head, it's getting hot!" she exclaimed, withdrawing her wand. She jumped back over to the others just as the ice shattered completely, the water freely flowing once more.

"Wow, that certainly accomplished a lot," spat Voldemort.

"Zip it, pink-eye. There's got to be some significance to that, otherwise that snake head wouldn't be enchanted to melt the ice after a few seconds," retorted Hermione.

"I agree, but whatever it is, I don't think we'll find the answer now," said Samus sadly. "We should just head back for that shielded door."

The five made their way back across the water pit. When they reached the red door, Harry raised his left arm and armed his missile launcher, but threw a hesitant look at Samus. "This one's on me," she said simply as her missile barrel snapped open. She fired five missiles, shattering the shielding and revealing a blue bubble door that instantly opened for them. Another fork immediately greeted them.

Ron sighed. "Looks like we'll be splitting up again."

"Indeed. Voldemort and I will take the left path. You three take the right," said Samus. Samus half-expected someone to protest, but when no one said anything, she barreled down the left path, not bothering to wait for Voldemort. Too many questions were running through her mind to worry about the arrogant wizard keeping up. The way the upgrades found here copied themselves...she never encountered anything like that before, except when Valkyrie deliberately copied her weapons. And what was the meaning of that mechanism Hermione found in that serpent's head? Samus's instincts were telling her they'd need to find the answer, and fast.

xxxxxx

The path the trio took took them deeper underneath the mansion. So far, they had come across many narrow passages, and quite a few places that necessitated the use of their morph ball mode. They had found a couple more missile expansions and another energy tank searching these places, which carried over to everyone else like before. But what clearly dominated this lower level was a huge chamber half-submersed in water, where a vast array of gears and pulleys were set up, constantly in motion due to water power. The noise was almost deafening. It made Harry feel like they were in a giant clock.

And unfortunately, they were not alone. More Reos and another species of flying alien, the Waver, freely roamed here, along with an occasional swarm of doxies. Every so often, they showed up to harass them, and having nothing but moving gears to stand on didn't make things any easier.

"Fire in the hole!" screamed Harry as he armed his missiles. They were all standing on a gear aligned horizontally, so Ron and Hermione could easily dash aside. His targeting sensors locked onto a Reo flying too low and too close for comfort, and his missile homed in and obliterated it. Ron then finished off the doxy swarm pelting them with venom, while Hermione sighed heavily and looked around.

"We better get moving while the air is clear," Hermione suggested. "I think that's another bubble door up there in the corner, but we'll have to jump across an arseload of gears to get to it," she finished, pointing to the far end.

"But I think I see something over that way!" cried Ron, pointing in the opposite direction. "Something's glowing, could be something important...looks like there'll be a couple tough jumps but I think I can make it. I'll go check it out, then meet you two at the door."

"No, Ron! It's not a good idea to get separated!" warned Hermione, but her words fell on deaf ears.

"Oh, don't worry about it! I'll be fine, I'm really getting the hang of this now!" exclaimed Ron dismissively. He hopped onto another horizontal gear being turned by the one Harry and Hermione stood on. He then jumped onto a long bar that ran the entire length of the chamber, connecting two gears, and carefully made his way across it.

Hermione snorted indignantly. "I swear, the things we put up with from him sometimes," she spat, shaking her head. "Come on, let's get to that door."

Sighing, Harry positioned himself on the slowly turning gear, eyeballing a vertical gear a few feet across from him, spinning away. If he could jump far enough, he could grab hold of one of the teeth and pull himself up. But it was a long way down into the water below. Taking a deep breath, he took a few steps back, then charged forward, bridging the gap with ease. His hands firmly grasped one of the teeth, and he righted himself just as the spinning gear positioned him on the top. A disgruntled snort told him that Hermione successfully made the jump as well. Relieved, he hopped over onto a gear perpendicular to the last one, spinning counter-clockwise in respect to the wall it was mounted to. Harry kept jumping from gear to gear, confident that Hermione was right behind him, until he finally reached the ledge with a bubble door.

Hermione jumped onto it a few seconds after he did. She hunched over, panting heavily. "Well, at least it's good exercise," she said dejectedly. "Now if only Ron will hurry up and..."

Harry elbowed Hermione. When he had her attention, he pointed back to the gears. Ron was jumping across the same path they took. He wasn't sure, but judging from the face behind that visor, Ron looked rather pleased him himself.

"Found another missile," he beamed at them upon reaching them. "Had to climb a good fifty feet or so, jumping up from gear to gear, and had to waste a few more flying alien buggers, but I got it in the end. Here," he said, planting a hand on Harry's shoulder and then did the same for Hermione. At once, Harry saw his maximum missile count climb to twenty.

The trio headed through the door, at were at once overwhelmed at how the long, spacious hallway that stretched out before them felt even eerier than the rest of Slytherin's sanctuary. It felt dead and barren, even though Devil's Snare lined the walls and plenty of sickly, blackish-green moss carpeted the floor. But then Harry saw this section was inhabited by something else. Two creatures that could only be described as cacti skittering on spidery legs drew nearer.

When the distance between them was about fifteen feet, they swelled up and spat thorny spikes all over the place. They all ducked aside, but Harry heard Ron and Hermione cry out. He didn't want to think about how badly they may have been hurt, so he focused instead on what his scan visor called 'cacatacs'. He stood back up and fired a missile at one, instantly blowing it apart. Thankfully, Hermione and Ron didn't seem too hurt, because they cast Incendiary Charms that roasted the other.

"Too bad we can't bring back one of those for Neville. He loves the really weird Herbology stuff," muttered Ron as he nursed his craned neck. Harry saw that Ron was looking up at some sort of bridge. Their end was just low enough to reach by jumping and grabbing the edge. Harry did so. After pulling himself up, he looked across the long bridge. A red door awaited on the other side, but the bridge itself looked a little funny...

"Ron, Hermione...I think this bridge crumbles away when someone steps on it," Harry called out. "I think I'll have to run across it alone." Without waiting to hear their protests, Harry took off. As he suspected, he heard the bridge behind him crumble to dust as he dashed across. Just as he was afraid he wasn't running fast enough, Harry safely made it across.

Huffing and puffing, he stared at the shielded door for a moment, then looked back across the hall. The bridge was slowly reforming. Whether or not by magic, Harry wasn't sure. He figured Ron and Hermione would follow, but was too impatient to wait. He armed his missiles and fired five of them. After the red barrier shattered, the door swiftly opened. Looking through, Harry saw that a yellowish, slab-like stone block awaited him on the other side, some twenty feet from the door. Harry got the distinct impression that something was resting on that stone slab, but couldn't see anything without stepping inside. Sighing, Harry stepped through, and gasped in shock.

On that stone slab sat a Chozo statue, holding out a metal orb in front of it, patiently waiting for someone to claim its prize.

Overcome with excitement, Harry fired a Stunner at the orb, revealing a small, glass case. Inside the case there levitated some orange, metallic ball pulsating with strange energy. Harry at once suspected what it was, and jumped up to grab it. He grinned as the message on his HUD confirmed his suspicion.

**MORPH BALL BOMBS ASSIMILATED AND READY FOR USE.**

Harry's heart leapt, remembering how Samus always said her bombs let ever find even more hidden nooks and crannies. He had no doubt these bombs would soon come in handy. He jumped back down, ready to leave, but suddenly remembered how Samus said the statue yielding bombs back on Zebes came to life upon her trying to leave. Suddenly anxious, he looked back up at the statue as he backed away, but nothing happened. Sighing with relief, he gaze feel on what lay ahead of him: that weird stone slab.

"Hmmm...I wonder," Harry muttered before rolling into a ball. He rolled along the side of the slab, grinding uselessly up against it, until he figured out how to deploy bombs. It was just like willing himself to fire power shots from his wand, or cast Bombarda Maxima. He set three and let them go off while next to them, just to get used to the sensation of being blasted upward. But when he unrolled, Harry scowled upon seeing that the slab was still intact. Not wanting to give up, Harry scanned it. "Oh, come on!" he spat dejectedly as he read the results. This stone material would only give way to something moving at an absurdly high velocity. Cursing, Harry went back for the door just as it opened. Ron and Hermione were waiting for him.

"Anyone wanna make their own fireworks?" Harry quipped as he reached out to touch Ron and Hermione's shoulders. The bomb upgrade instantly transferred over to them. "Hopefully, we'll get a chance to use these things on Umbridge ourselves sometime. Unfortunately, these things won't reveal whatever's hidden under that statue. First we find we need the gravity suit, then the speed booster. What if we don't find them in here? Don't tell me we'll have to fly back later after snagging them in another sanctuary..."

"Sorry mate, dunno how to answer that," said Ron quickly.

No one said anything else as they headed back for the gear chamber. Harry was still brooding about finding the upgrades they clearly needed. When they walked through the door and back onto the ledge, he almost didn't notice the divebombing Reo until it was too late. He ducked aside just in time to avoid getting raked by its claws, then popped his wand, ready to blow it away. But suddenly, something made him lose his footing. He was standing at the very edge of the ledge, but it almost felt as if something jerked at his ankle, yanking him off. The next thing Harry knew, he was falling. He heard Ron and Hermione scream his name before he plunged into the water like a rock.


	23. Bad Blood

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 23: Bad Blood

7-31-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

The fall came so suddenly, Harry's mind barely registered it even as he sank. He wasn't sure how deep he plummeted when his suit clanked against rough stone. He struggled to stand up, but his movements were terribly sluggish thanks to the water. _The sooner we find gravity suits, the better,_ thought Harry morosely as he raised his wand and yelled, "_Lumos!_"

Light filtered through the murky water just in time to let Harry see the strange bony fish Ron saw before come at him. Harry was sure these were Skulterra. He cast Relashio on the nearest one, burning it and driving it off as he had the grindylows in the Triwizard Tournament. But others were closing in. Harry hopped backwards to buy some time, but he waded through the water as if it were molasses. He charged up a shot and unleashed in on a Skulterra closing in, and it took a few more power shots to finish it off. Harry aimed at the next one, steeled himself for the pain that would come, and cast Glacius. His arm immediately went numb, but the Skulterra was trapped in a floating block of ice, easily shattered by a charged blast. A couple of missiles finished off the final Skulterra.

Harry sighed with relief as he drew in the fishes' relinquished energy. He looked up and around him, but still had no idea how deep the water went, or where he could jump out. Anxiety started to sink in as he cast Lumos again. As light flooded the water, he saw something else had swam up to him in the murky darkness.

Aunt Petunia was idly floating a few yards away. Her turquoise hair flowed in the water like an ugly mass of seaweed as she bobbed up and down. Her solid black eyes glistened in his wandlight. To Harry, they showed indecisiveness, but the rest of her face betrayed cold determination. She said nothing, but merely stared down at him, fueling Harry's anxiety. Harry still wasn't sure what to make of this new Petunia Dursley, but one thing was certain: here in the water, his aunt held all the cards.

Suddenly, her head jerked up. Keeping his wand trained on his aunt, Harry looked up as well. Ron and Hermione had jumped in after him, and were quickly sinking to the bottom. Ron must have seen Petunia, for he fired a missile. She glanced at Harry one last time before she turned and swam off. She moved with mind-boggling swiftness, knifing through the water like a torpedo, but Ron's missile followed her. Harry heard and felt it detonate, but his wandlight couldn't penetrate far enough to let him know if it found its mark.

"Harry, that was your aunt, wasn't it?" asked Ron breathlessly as he and Hermione near him. His voice gurgled through the water. "D'you reckon she's the one who made you fall in, with her tongue?" Harry suddenly realized that was probably the case.

"If so, she must've done it to lure us to where she'd have the advantage," said Hermione knowingly. "Wands out, keep a blast charged. She'll be back any minute, I just know it."

The three of them did just that, but minutes passed and there was no sign of Petunia. "Forget it, you two," said Harry, retracting his wand. "If Aunt Petunia hasn't come back yet, then she's long gone."

"I don't get it. Why drag you down into the water, ensure Ron and I would follow, then just swim away?" Hermione thought aloud.

"Don't know. But what I do know is if Ped's here, then the rest of Inferno knows about this place, and why we're here," said Ron gravely. "This place could be swarming with Inferno troopers any minute. She might've gone back for reinforcements."

"In any case, we'd better get out of this water. We can't fight like this," said Harry. He cast Lumos yet again as he slogged through the water, Ron and Hermione following. He walked along the wall, looking for a stone platform, a ladder, anything that would let them jump out. As they walked on, however, Harry noticed something odd along the edge of the wall. At the very bottom, there looked like a large rectangular block worked into the greyish brick, having the look of weathered, brittle sandstone.

"People, I think I've found our way out," declared Harry before going into morph ball mode. His rolling speed was agonizingly slow, but at last the reached the sandy block. He dropped bombs, and sensed the block crumble away as they detonated. Through his sonar-like sense, Harry knew Ron and Hermione had rolled up as well, getting the hint. Slowly but surely, the three rolled on, blowing away all the other sandy blocks barring their way, more determined than ever to get to the heart of Salazar Slytherin's sanctuary.

xxxxxx

In a small room, accessed at the bottom of an outdoor courtyard at the sanctuary's far end, stood a statue of Salazar Slytherin, this one the size of the actual man. His hands were held out, as if offering something. A bright orb of lime-green light hovered over his hands. Samus and Voldemort stood in front of the statue, eyeing it carefully before glancing at each other, as if daring the other to try and claim its prize. Sighing, Samus nudged closer to the statue. Suddenly, the glowing orb of light changed form. It became what looked like a scale model of the sanctuary, showing its interior. To Samus, it looked like an elaborate hologram, but she knew it was magical in nature. She switched on her scan visor. As she suspected, it was this magical repository's equivalent of a map station.

"It's the general blueprints of this place," she told Voldemort as she examined the data. There were two points of interest. On her HUD, a glowing dot appeared in a tower not too far from the courtyard they entered from. With any luck, they could reach it easily. Another dot appeared far beneath the sanctuary, in what Samus guessed were its underground waterways. Hopefully, her three friends would eventually stumble upon it themselves.

But what was most peculiar was that even farther below, some sort of tube descended straight down into a huge underground chamber. It was marked by the image of a coiled snake.

"Looks like whatever we came to get, it's buried deep underneath this castle," Samus explained, ignoring Voldemort's impatient glare. "But for now, there's a tower nearby I think we should check out first. I get the feeling we'll need whatever's inside to reach the weapon piece.

"Whatever you say," said Voldemort imperiously. The two ran back out into the courtyard. It was still raining hard, and lightning still occasionally pierced the sky. More water-spewing serpent heads lined a wall, one that merged with the tower indicated on the magical map. And there was a ledge with a red door jutting from it! Another bridge of frozen platforms could easily be made to reach it, but the trick was getting up there in the first place. Voldemort examined the wall closely. "Hmmm, some of the stone slabs jut out from the wall. I suppose it's possible for me to climb. But what about you? I do not think this sanctuary will permit me to levitate you, and you cannot climb with one hand," said Voldemort slyly.

"You think so, Riddle?" Samus retorted coolly as something snapped open right beneath her arm cannon. A small hook protruded from under it, perfect for grabbing onto ladder rungs and finding purchase on a wall. Voldemort snorted, then turned to climb the wall. Samus grinned as she followed. She enjoyed toying with Voldemort greatly. She had discovered two more missile expansions since splitting up again, both of which were in tunnels she needed to blast and bomb jump through. It took a while to reach them, but instead of getting frustrated, she relished how much it annoyed Voldemort to wait for her, and that only she could reach these tantalizing secrets.

At last, Voldemort neared the top of the wall. A few feet to Voldemort's left was the first snake head, the water gushing from it promptly frozen by him. He hopped onto it, and soon Samus followed. On and on it went, and steadily they drew closer to the tower. But as they trudged on, Samus noticed something odd.

One of the serpent heads had a circular design identical to the one Hermione found, and it too had a hole for a wand. Samus lingered there for a moment, almost tempted to rip off her helmet and thrust Valkyrie's wand into it. But the sensation of heat rising from the snake head, and the sound of cracking ice, coaxed her into following Voldemort instead.

When she caught up to him, at the ledge, Samus wasted no time and blasted the shielded door open. They ran through to find a strange room awaiting them. Part of the tower's interior was supported by stone pillars that sported holes all over. Samus had her arm cannon at the ready, half-expecting war wasps or doxies to fly out, but nothing emerged. A quick glance upward showed it was possible to jump to a higher level, into the conical area of the spire-like tower. But nothing up there looked interesting...especially with a Chozo statue seated at the far end, holding an orb that no doubt contained something she needed.

"Aran, there's another shimmering mural above that statue," Voldemort pointed out. Samus looked up, and indeed, there was another bit of Chozo text she had to translate...perhaps another message from Salazar Slytherin herself? Samus could sense Voldemort's eagerness, but decided to indulge him since it could be a vital clue. She started scanning it, but started to reading aloud well before her systems translated it.

"_Though history may tell a different story, the decision to leave Hogwarts, perhaps forever, was the hardest choice that I ever had to make,_" Samus translated."_Or at least that's what I believed at the time. In the months that followed, I spent much time with my little known half-brother, Kalanto Lizfos, for he too shared many of my views. Again, at least that's what I thought. We conversed much during my time making Hogwarts what it was, and ultimately convinced me of the necessity of excluding Muggle-borns. After a few months with him, hearing of his new mad plans and seeing his strange, new brand of magic, the truth was obvious: he was my brother no more. By chance Godric Gryffindor soon got back in contact with me, and revealed the whole truth. My half-brother was now a stooge, one of many, of an otherworldly despot known only as Kor-Zor. Sadly, this sanctuary built in my honor serves as a silent testament of a war in which I was forced to betray and kill my own blood._"

Samus looked uneasily at Voldemort, curious as to how he would take this. But Voldemort remained as aloof and icy as ever. Naturally, he could accept that the ancestor he hero-worshipped would fight and kill his own brother if the situation demanded it. _At least Slytherin sounded like he regretted it,_ thought Samus bitterly. _Voldemort killed his father out of pure malice and left his uncle to take the blame. _Deciding it wasn't worth dwelling on, Samus shot the statue's orb. It faded away, revealing a glowing pair of boots, with what looked like wings adhered to the ankles. "Hi-jump boots!" Samus exclaimed as she ran to the statue.

But as she passed one of the pillars, her shoulder mere inches from it, she heard something slither from within it. She turned to see something resembling Devil's Snare pop out from the holes, lashing out at her. She activated her fin slasher and swiped at them, but as her blades sliced them apart, they released a caustic acid. Only a few drops got on her suit, but it leeched quite a bit of energy.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before Voldemort sent out a few curses at the thrashing vines, forcing them back into the pillar. "May I make a suggestion, Aran? Stay away from the pillars," he remarked dryly.

Samus said nothing as she ran to the statue, reaching out to lay her hand on the boots. At once, matter converted to sparkling energy that shot itself down around her legs, merging with her systems. She didn't need her HUD to say her maximum jump height was once again doubled.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's go find someplace where we can put those to good use," suggested Voldemort.

Samus sighed. _At least he's starting to understand the rules of this game my people sometimes play,_ she thought darkly. But one look at the door told her something was wrong. It had gone from sky-blue to having a metal sheen. "I don't think we're going anywhere anytime soon."

"The door's sealed us in!? How can that be!? What could possibly..." Voldemort's rant was cut off by a scraping, rumbling sound from behind them.

"I forgot this sometimes happens!" cried Samus as she spun around, her worst fears confirmed. The stony exterior of the statue was crumbling away to reveal the metallic hide of a  
Torizo sentinel. It slowly stood up and let out a machine-like shriek.

Voldemort, for the moment, seemed transfixed, but Samus was ready. She charged up a shot and fired, but it rebounded harmlessly off its hide. She then tried missiles, aiming for what she remembered as a Torizo's most vulnerable points, but it didn't even try to catch the missiles. It let them impact its chest, howling at her, almost as if laughing, right before swiping its arms to send out shockwaves at the pair.

Samus dashed aside to evade them, still uselessly firing charged shots and missiles. Voldemort, however, used conjured winds to soar over the Torizo, sending a volley of powerful Blasting Curses to rain down on it. After he landed behind it, he cut loose with an array of curses, but they proved equally useless.

Voldemort used another gust to blow him back toward Samus. "How can this be!? Nothing that EITHER of us has tried is working!" he spat as the Torizo crept back toward them.

"There must be some way to crack its metal hide," said Samus. "I think it's time for an old trick: rapidly cooling superheated metal. Of course, without my plasma beam..."

"Very well," said Voldemort, getting the hint. He slashed and twirled his wand, conjuring some strange flames that took the shape of writhing serpents and goat heads. The flames ensnared the Torizo like living tentacles, and whatever that magical fire was, it seemed to slow it down. Samus even thought she could see its armor glow white-hot.

"Pour as much heat on as you can," said Samus as she armed her missiles, letting a diffusion missile charge up. The Torizo kept trudging forward, unmindful of the oppressive heat. When it was almost upon them, the pair scattered. Voldemort ceased conjuring fire while Samus made a huge leap backward, letting her missile fly. The icy mist swirled around the Torizo as it groaned in protest, and Samus fired one missile after another, hoping to crack its armor.

Unfortunately, the Torizo brushed off all the ice and kept charging. A quick scan revealed their ploy had not reduced the armor's structural integrity one bit.

"By the elders...how do we beat this one!?" Samus cried as the Torizo charged on, right past one of the holey pillars. That suddenly got Samus thinking. _That plant...it probably only lashes out when it senses something organic. But it we could coax it into ensnaring that Torizo..._

Samus spared a quick glance up, at the upper level she could now easily jump to. Back down on their level, the Torizo had turned to face Voldemort. The Dark wizard had yet to find a spell capable of halting the ancient juggernaut, which kept sending out shockwaves at him.

"Voldemort, keep the Torizo busy, but get ready to lure it over to one of the pillars," she called out, right before jumping straight up. She soared over twenty feet, but still had to grab hold of the upper level's edge. After pulling herself up, she looked to where the nearest pillar should be...and noticed a bomb slot nestled into the floor.

Suddenly, the purpose of having those killer plants became clear. "Voldemort, I don't care how, just get that Torizo over to this pillar!"

At first, Samus feared Voldemort's pride would goad him into continuing to fight on his own. But when she peered over the edge, she saw Voldemort was actually taking orders. Gale force winds and mammoth chunks of ice, while not damaging the Torizo, were driving it toward the pillar. Once it got close enough, Samus went into morph ball mode and rolled into the slot, promptly laying a bomb. After it went off, she sensed a chain reaction reverberate through the pillar below. The noxious whipping noises of the toxic plants came a second later, but screams also came from the Torizo. She unrolled and looked down, seeing that the acid was slowly eating away at its armor. But before the plant could pump out enough of its deadly solution, the Torizo pulled the pillar apart with its prodigious strength.

Luckily, it was a simple matter to repeat the process using the remaining pillars. Voldemort drove it back, and Samus goaded the plants' tendrils into emerging. After forcing the Torizo into the range of three more pillars, enough of the acidic solution had seeped into its system to take it offline permanently. After finding the strength to pull out the fourth pillar, the mammoth machine tumbled backwards and fell still.

Samus jumped down near the fallen Torizo, cautiously keeping her arm cannon raised. But one quick scan revealed that its systems had shut off for good.

"So...the means to defeat it was right under our noses the whole time," Voldemort spat, sounding mad at himself.

"Some say the best place to hide something is in plain sight," remarked Samus. "Pretty sneaky of Slytherin. But I guess to survive in this sanctuary, we have to think and act just like him."

Voldemort glowered at her strangely, but said nothing else. Buzzing and clicking noises came from the door, letting them know its power was restored. Sighing, Samus headed for it, not bothering to wait for Voldemort to catch up.

xxxxxx

The trio slogged on through another watery tunnel, driving off what seemed an endless gaggle of grindylows. "How d'you reckon all these aliens and magical creatures are still alive after a thousand years?" Ron thought aloud. "Some sort of magical stasis?"

"That they were brought out of once Voldemort raised the sanctuary," Hermione added. "A good a guess as any. But I'm more worried about the creature from our era that's slithered in. If Ped shows up again before we find dry ground, we're sunk."

"Still can't believe we're so scared of my aunt," remarked Harry bitterly. "She used to quiver every time someone even said the word 'magic'. Now she can't seem to get enough of throwing it around."

"Well, from what you saw in Dumbledore's Pensieve, we know she wanted to be like your mother all along, right? And I'm sure Valkyrie was perfectly willing to keep her promise to Lily if it meant getting a lieutenant eager to throw her weight around," said Hermione.

Harry stopped in his tracks. Hermione's comment suddenly made him think back to things Valkyrie told him, and things glimpsed in the Pensieve. Namely, how her ultimate goal was to manipulate human evolution and bring down everything that separated wizards and Muggles, and how Aunt Petunia was to be the 'first one to try' whatever procedure she volunteered for...

"Harry, why'd you stop?" asked Ron, sounding worried.

"What if Aunt Petunia wasn't the only one?" Harry thought aloud, a horrible notion coming to him.

"Wasn't the only...what?" asked Ron.

"Wasn't the only Muggle to become like us? Whatever my aunt volunteered for, it obviously worked. What's to stop Valkyrie from doing it again? To every Muggle that comes into Inferno?"

Harry was still looking ahead, but he could sense Ron and Hermione's shock at the idea. "Well...maybe that's how she's got such a huge army," Ron said at length.

"I think it goes farther than that," said Harry darkly. "All that talk about nudging human evolution in the right direction...what if she's aiming to transform every single Muggle on Earth?"

A nervous silence fell over the three as they all tried to grasp the ramifications of what that would mean. Harry could tell from their expressions that, like him, they found the idea admirable on the surface, but had doubts about what the long-term consequences could be.

"She talks as if she's tired of our kind always hiding," said Ron. "Well, we wouldn't have to hide anything anymore if the rest of the world was just like us..."

"But...it's so reckless, tampering with Mother Nature like that, and there's no telling what would happen in the long run!" protested Hermione. "But more importantly...HOW would Valkyrie do something like that!?"

"Madam Pomfrey and Snape got Samus's Metroid DNA into me with a few potions. If she flooded the atmosphere with a potion like that, the way Samus and Adam tried to immunize the whole planet from the X..." Harry began.

"Yeah, but if it were that easy, she'd've done it already," Ron cut in. "No, my gut tells me there's something we're missing."

"Maybe...maybe if we capture Petunia Dursley, Samus and Adam can find out just how Valkyrie rearranged her DNA," suggested Hermione.

That suggestion made Harry feel even worse about the inevitable showdown. Mixed feelings aside, the thought of dragging her back in chains to be dissected, back to where Scrimgeour and Death Eaters were lurking, genuinely made him sick. But he knew Hermione was right. If Valkyrie had plans to mutate every single Muggle, they had to know how she'd do it.

Seeing there was no point in dwelling on the matter, the trio ventured on. Soon, they came to the end of the tunnel. Directly in front of them was a door with orange-yellow shielding, but nestled into the rocky floor in front of it was an unshielded blue door. "Don't suppose there's any point trying to break into that yellow door?" asked Ron dryly.

"None whatsoever," said Harry, blasting open the door in the floor. He jumped down through it, surprised to find that when he came out the other side, no water awaited him. Harry looked back up as Ron and Hermione jumped down, seeing that some charm kept the water from falling through. He looked back down, noting how there was still plenty of water saturating the rocky soil strewn about. Strangely, some of it looked like frozen slush. _Oh no, don't tell me we're entering some subzero area!_

The three ran through the narrow tunnel, which curved upward. When they exited it, they found themselves in a wide-open cavern, in the center of which there was an impossibly wide and tall metallic column, on which thousands of snake reliefs rested, shooting straight up. Harry craned his neck up, but it was quite dark and he couldn't see anything resembling a ceiling.

As Harry took this all in, he heard some splashing and snapping sounds. "Ugh, damn frogs," he heard Ron mutter. Harry turned to see Ron kicking away a Hornoad while Stunning a host of others hopping toward them. "This cavern must have something important...you'd think Slytherin would have something bigger than alien frogs guarding it."

As if to punctuate Ron's remark, Harry heard rumbling footsteps from behind, along with familiar, predatory snarls that chilled him to the bone. "Ron, he did," he said while charging a blast. "Get ready people...SHEEGOTHS!"

Harry turned and jumped just as an infant Sheegoth would have rammed him. He aimed down as it passed under him, shattering its icy dorsal shell. But more were approaching from the other side. Following Harry's lead, Ron and Hermione dashed around to get behind the baby Sheegoths, then blasted their shells with Reductor Curses, exposing the tender flesh underneath. Ron and Hermione quickly finished off their Sheegoths, but more approached from both sides. Harry turned and jumped back just in time to avoid freezing breath spewed by a trio of infant Sheegoths, and he heard more icy breath being blasted at Ron and Hermione from behind. But beyond the three arctic predators, Harry caught a glimpse of a round platform supported by a metallic snake statue jutting from the column. It looked like there was a series leading up.

"Ron, Hermione...this way! Get to those platforms!" cried Harry as he tucked and ran past the Sheegoths. Harry heard Ron and Hermione lob curses at the predator's backsides, but plenty more were hot on their tails. Just when Harry feared they would catch up, he was within jumping distance of the first platform. He wasted no time leaping onto it, then onto the next highest. Thankfully, it was low enough to reach without something like the hi-jump power, but he still had to reach and grab for the platform.

They kept ascending, leaving the baby Sheegoths below them to howl impotently. The winding path of platforms actually took a screw-like path around the column. "Well, nothing to this. Can't believe it's going to be that easy to get up this column," said Ron.

"I've got news for you, Ron: IT WON'T BE!" screamed Hermione, pointing up. Harry looked up, shuddering when he saw two more of those enchanted orangutan statues, which Ron had lovingly dubbed Orangu-Snakes, coming down for them, using their snakes to adhere to the side of the column. He immediately cut loose with power shots, as did Ron and Hermione, but only about half their shots found their mark.

Soon, the Orangu-Snakes were in striking range, lashing out with their snakes to knock them back down into the crowd of Sheegoths below. Harry and Ron dodged the snakes whipping their way, but one smacked into Hermione, and she toppled over the edge of her platform. She screamed as she plummeted, but Ron cast Carpe Retractum and, with the actuators boosting his strength, pulled her up.

One of the Orangu-Snakes went for the pair, but the other kept after Harry. Snake heads shot out at him, brandishing razor-sharp, metal teeth, but Harry kept them at bay with a few well-aimed curses. But the Orangu-Snake, incensed, roared and detached itself from the column, rearing back to strike with its axe.

Harry countered with an Incendiary Charm to its face as it dropped down, then while it was stunned, cast a Summoning Charm on its axe. He caught it as the Orangu-Snake crashed onto his platform, wasting no time using it to chop off all its writhing snakes. Oily fluid spilled from the slithering things as the Orangu-Snake howled with rage. It stood and reached up, grabbing the axe to wrest it away, but Harry pulled back with all his strength. The tug-of-war over the axe went on for a few moments, but Harry finally pulled it away. Then he swept the Orangu-Snake's legs, knocking it flat on its back. With swiftness that scared him, Harry brought the axe down to behead the Orangu-Snake, and finally it fell still.

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Harry looked to see if his friends needed his help. Thankfully, he saw Ron deliver a kick that knocked the Orangu-Snake off the platform, and the thing looked limp and lifeless already. Harry watched it fall, then asked, "You two OK over there?"

"Yeah. Could use some extra energy though, but no way we're going back down there to get whatever monkey-business coughed up," quipped Ron. So the three rationed the energy given off by the beheaded Orangu-Snake, then kept ascending the column.

A few minutes later, they reach the top, which had a flat surface of metal grating. Lining the top was a ring of eight small pillars along the very edge, which, predictably, were covered with reliefs of snakes. By Harry's guess, they rose about fifteen feet...which he knew could be reached if they all had the hi-jump boots, but unfortunately they had yet to stumble upon that. Level with the tops of those pillars were other platforms suspended by wires, and Harry thought he could see another ledge with a bubble door high above.

But with no hi-jump boots, it would be impossible to reach it. Huge snake heads protruded from the walls, mouths shut, but Harry knew that any attempt to use magic to reach those platforms would trigger them. Thankfully, another path was open to them. A simple metal bridge led from the top of the pillar to a door nestled into the cavern wall. And above it, a gigantic bust of Salazar Slytherin seemed to be fused into the stone. But all around the wall behind it, the flat stone rippled and shimmered.

Harry knew what that meant. But without Samus to read the Chozo text, he would have to rely on his scan visor. He flipped it on, urged Ron and Hermione to do the same, and scanned the mural. Once the scan was complete, the translated text spread out on his HUD: _For you who have come here for the means to expunge the ultimate darkness, I have little to console you. I know not what horrors you may have seen already, should the beast free itself before you arrived here. I only hope you need not suffer as if have, a man left with nothing but doubt, left with an empty victory from a war pitting brother against brother. But you have shown great skill in making it this far. Now, pass this way and claim your next prize. Combine what you find with what you already know, and you will have all you need to forge the path onward._

"Any idea what Slytherin meant by that?" asked Ron.

"Well, I suppose it'll all make sense once we get whatever's beyond that door," said Hermione.

"We all go together. No telling what traps we'll spring," said Harry resolutely. He breathed deeply, and the three charged across the bridge. Harry opened the door, revealing another small room with nothing but a Chozo statue holding an orb. Ron shot a Stunner at it, but when the orb faded away, there was nothing.

"Huh? No new gear!?" cried Hermione.

"The dodgy old git put us on!" spat Ron.

"Wait, there might be a hidden path somewhere," said Harry hopefully. "Maybe a tunnel under the statue, we may need to use bombs...come on people, let's bomb every square inch of this place!" And so, the trio went into morph ball mode, laying bombs all over the room, careful to cover the entire floor and every place along the walls. But after several minutes of fruitless endeavors, they were forced to admit there was nothing left for them.

"I don't get it!" exclaimed Hermione. "We climbed all the way up that huge pillar, that mural says the last thing we need is in here, and that statue has NOTHING!"

"Well, we better double back. At least going DOWN won't be quite as hard as going up," Ron muttered as he opened the door. As soon as he did, though, they were greeted by the plangent sound of gushing water. Startled, Harry ran out ahead of them, seeing that the serpents' mouths were wide open, spewing water to fill the cavern. Harry looked over the edge, an icy claw gripping his insides as he saw the water level quickly approach the column's height. But the serpent heads shut their mouths just when it was within a few feet of the column's top.

"D-D-D'you think this is another one of Slytherin's tests, Harry?" asked Hermione nervously.

"No, it's more like an impromptu pop quiz, boys and girls," came an echoing, watery voice. At once, the three popped their wands and formed a circle. Then, at the opposite end of the column, something shot out of the water. It spun in the air much like Samus did, a blur of green and brown, before touching down onto the edge. There, righting herself, was Petunia Dursley. Her right hand clutched her extended wand, but in her other hand was some sort of glassy cylinder that seemed to contain icy mist. "I believe you three were looking for this?" she asked innocently, holding it out in front of her.

"The ice beam," said Harry flatly. "You got here ahead of us and snagged it."

"You got it," said Ped as she tossed the ice beam up and down. "When Slytherin and the Chozo built this place, they hadn't counted on anyone creating someone as at home in the water as me. It was quite simple to slip through this castle's waterways and..."

While Ped was busy talking, Ron aimed his wand and screamed, "_Accio Ice Beam!_" If he hoped to take Ped by surprise, he was dead wrong. Her wand slashed the air, and Ron's spell rebounded back at them, forcing them to hop aside.

For a moment, Ped remained in that pose, leering at them. "Nice try, but if you want this weapon, you'll have to better than that. Of course, the whole reason I lured you here was in the hopes I could convince you three to give it up."

"Give it up?" Harry repeated incredulously. "What're you talking about!?"

"Wait a minute...are you saying you dragged Harry into the water back in that gear room, make sure we'd follow, just so we'd find that bombable passage that led here?" asked Hermione dubiously.

"Exactly. Knowing how thick you three are, if I confronted you while you were completely in my element, you'd think of me too threatening and not listen. So I needed to draw you someplace where there was solid land to stand on," explained Ped nonchalantly.

"And yet you still felt the need to activate those snake heads and half-flood the place!" snarled Ron.

Ped's eyes narrowed. "A little insurance in case you three wind up being as bullheaded as I'm afraid you are, not to mention cut off all escape so you'll be forced to listen," she said calmly. Then she focused her gaze directly at Harry. "I don't want this to turn ugly, believe it or not. Fighting you again is the absolute last thing I want. But I know what all of you are planning. You see, I snuck into Hogwarts, latched onto your ship, tailed you here, and heard everything you said when you got out. I can't let you assemble this weapon, but someone has to try, one last time, to convince you to join our side."

Harry studied his aunt curiously. He could clearly she the woman who had harassed him all his life in that transmutated, froggish face, but amazingly, he could see traces of humanity that remained untouched by her transformation. It seemed to soften the longer she stared at him. Harry found himself moved, but refused to let it show. The battle lines had been drawn already. "I don't know if it's ever occurred to you, Aunt Petunia, but I hardly consider you a role model worth listening to," he said acidly.

"I deserve that," said Ped. "But I'm not here asking for forgiveness. I know it's pointless. All I want..."

"Save it, Dursley!" spat Ron. "You may be one of us now, but don't try to paint yourself as any sort of idealist! You're still the same bitter, self-centered..."

"You shut up!" shrieked Ped, waving the ice beam dangerously in his direction. "You have no idea why I agreed to be a founding member of Dr. Asara's fighting team, or why I..."

"We know why you became a witch in the first place," interrupted Hermione. "Your husband and son were gravely wounded in an accident, and Valkyrie offered to heal them if you volunteered for her experiment, the experiment that somehow made you just like us."

At last, something rattled Ped. She stared at Hermione, mouth agape, the determined blaze in her obsidian eyes dampening. "W-what in...h-how could you possibly..." she stammered before the light of recognition restored the forcefulness of her gaze. "Of course, your old headmaster somehow got a memory from Vernon, didn't he? He must've realized I was a different woman that night he came to pick you up, Harry, and did some digging."

"Actually, don't give him too much credit. I think it was when he caught a glimpse of you in your team's jet, that night Valkyrie found him," said Harry, earning him a wider scowl from his aunt. She was clearly perturbed, finding out he knew so much about her boss's movements.

It wasn't long before she regained her composure. "So, you know the reason why I volunteered. Big deal. You haven't seen the whole picture. D'you know why I stayed on with Dr. Asara, practically giving up my old life and working myself to the bone?"

Harry remained silent, staring defiantly at his aunt. When Ped saw he wouldn't answer, she went on. "You have no idea what Inferno is like, Harry. Hunger, poverty, war, prejudice...all a thing of the past there. You have no idea the lengths Dr. Asara goes to...the depths of her humanitarian efforts. Sometimes I doubt the finer points of her ultimate goal, but every time I see starving children brought there...every time I see destitute, impoverished people brought in and given new homes and livelihoods, working the farms, the Pits or constructing new biospheres... Some might call Dr. Asara an Anti-Christ, but as far as I'm concerned, she's doing more than any god has ever done for humanity!"

"That's what a lot of people have said all throughout history, to justify the work of a tyrant," snapped Hermione.

"A reactionary answer from someone who refuses to see the bigger picture!" spat Ped, never taking her eyes off Harry. "None of you have seen what she's built up with Inferno. If you could just see the scope of it..." She trailed off as she kept staring at Harry, her eyes softening again. "I begging you Harry, someone has to try one, last time to make to see reason. It's now been made policy to apprehend you three and your time-traveling friend on-sight, but no one knows what I found out yet. I left a message buoy out in the swamp that'll go off in a few hours, though, but I wanted one last chance to talk face-to-face with you, without any interference!"

"And what good d'you think this 'one last chance' will do?" snarled Harry impatiently. He was getting fed up with his aunt's self-righteousness. "You think that, after all you've done, a few weepy words can make it all better, that I'll come running into your arms?"

"I know there's no hope of earning your forgiveness and I'm not asking you for it! All I'm asking is that you hear Dr. Asara out...REALLY hear her out!" Ped shot back. "Think of what she can do for the world! Cures for AIDS, malaria and cancer! Solving world hunger! Repairing all the environmental damage done in the last few decades! Can you honestly fight against someone who can offer all that!? I find it hard to believe you three would," she went on, pointing a slender, slimy finger at each of them. "Dr. Asara's all about taking direct action, refusing to be set back by outdated traditions, or petty men ruled by lust for money and power...in short, she fights everything you three have railed against all these years!"

"Well, all that sounds admirable, on the surface...but I still think there's a reason you're doing all this which you're not telling," said Ron.

Ped sighed deeply, hanging her head. "You're right. Dr. Asara's master plan, as radical as it is...when it's all over, we'll have a world where no one makes the same mistakes I did. Letting envy tear a family apart. Ever since joining Inferno, I've been forced to see what a fool I was all these years. Nothing will ever make up for how I was such a shrewish bitch, but if I can keep anyone else from repeating my mistakes..."

"And how's that supposed to happen, Aunt Petunia?" demanded Harry, cutting her off. "Does it involve doing to every Muggle on Earth what was done to you, against their will?" he accused boldly. Ped lifted her head slightly. Some of the maliciousness of the old Petunia Dursley rose back up into those obsidian eyes. He stared back as vehemently as he could, to give the impression he was unmoved. As unbelievable as it was, his aunt, of all people, was tempting him even more than Valkyrie had, and it took a lot of willpower to remind him of an age-old fact: Absolute power corrupts absolutely. "Look, you've got me half-convinced you're sincere about all this. Pretty sure no one can be that good an actor. But the fact remains that we can't leave anybody with power like Kor-Zor's, especially if it's to tamper with nature, like we think Valkyrie's planning."

Many moments of crushing silence passed before Ped spoke again. "Is that your final answer?" she asked somberly.

"It's our only answer," said Hermione defiantly.

Ped shut her eyes and sighed again. "This is what I've feared. Dr. Asara promised all of us you'd see things our way, but I should've known this was one thing even she'd miscalculate. I didn't want to fall back on old habits, trying to drill some sense into that thick skull, but..." She thrust her wand arm out, as if ready to curse them.

The three of them braced for an attack, but instead, Ped raised the ice beam high overhead. "Time to see what these Chozo weapons can do!" she cried right before she slammed it down onto her right gauntlet. They watched in horror as her gauntlet merged with it. Icy mist rose from both the gauntlet and her wand. She pointed it straight at Harry. "I know what extreme cold does to you, Harry! I'm begging you, one last time, don't make me do this!"

It surprised Harry, how much he regretted what would happen next. Despite the bitterness that festered between the two of them for years, he genuinely did not want to fight. But she had the ice beam, which Slytherin himself said was needed. There was no other way. "Sorry, Aunt Petunia, but we're getting that ice beam, one way or another."

Ped's face screwed up, the look of someone furious at herself for failing. "Then so be it." From across the column, it sounded like Ped was charging up the ice beam. But suddenly, she retracted her wand, then slapped the floor with her right hand. Something shot out at them, travelling along the ground. Icy stalagmites exploded from the grated floor as her charged attack closed in. The trio was forced to jump away to avoid getting skewered.

"Spread out, then come at her from all sides!" commanded Harry, simultaneously charging a shot while arming his missiles. The missiles flew at her, homing in, and he cut loose with his charged blast seconds later. Ron and Hermione also unleashed charged blasts. But Ped sped across their arena, sending Harry's own missiles at his friends with Banishing Charms, then deftly cartwheeled to avoid the charged shots. Ron and Hermione were caught completely off-guard. They tried their best to blast away the deflected missiles, but both still took one in the chest. Ron was slammed into one of the pillars lining the arena, while Hermione was nearly blasted off the edge.

"Ron! Hermione! Oh, that's it Aunt Petunia! Any hopes of me ever listening to you just went up in smoke!" roared Harry, his reluctance to fight forgotten. He charged forward, lobbing Stunners at her while keeping his missiles armed. Ped effortlessly batted his spells away, but was keeping a defensive posture, fearing another missile barrage.

That was exactly what Harry hoped for. As he closed the gap between them, instead of firing more missiles, he went into morph ball mode, rolling toward her fast. Through his sonar-like sense, he felt Ped leap off the grating, no doubt expecting him to drop bombs. Again, she fell for Harry's ruse completely. He quickly unrolled, aimed up at her, and cast Carpe Retractum. He snared Ped in midair and yanked the magical lasso hard. He lashed out with his left fist, and it sank into her gut as the flummoxed frog-witch came zooming toward him. She let out a horrible wail, then sank to her knees in front of him. Ped was huffing, but looked ready to stand right back up. _That punch probably could've floored a troll for hours...just how tough is this frog form of hers? _he wondered. Then he heard groans from behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see that Ron and Hermione were getting back up, looking ready to dish out some payback of their own. "Ron, Hermione, hold off for a minute," he said, his voice dripping with venom. "I want some quality time with my dear aunt..."

In the few seconds his focus was elsewhere, Ped was rearing to strike back. She clenched her fist, and suddenly her entire forearm was encased in a solid block of crystalline ice. "Harry, watch out!" Hermione cried out. Harry turned around just in time to see Ped ready to bludgeon him with her improvised weapon. Harry quickly crossed his arms to block it, and the icy club shattered, though the impact forced him back. Ped then lashed out with a roundhouse kick, but Harry ducked back, then moved in with a straight left that Ped only dodged at the last second. She deftly countered, ducking and lashing out with her foot, smashing into Harry's chest plate with brutal, crushing force that sent him flying into a pillar.

"Harry!" screamed Ron. "Mate, don't fight your aunt hand-to-hand...just blast her!" Ron then tried doing just that, unleashing a volley of curses, and Hermione followed suit a second later. This time, a few of them found their mark, but Ped's amazing endurance held up. She staggered back some, fired a few absurdly huge ice beam shots which they barely dodged in time, then made a huge spinning jump backwards, diving into the water.

"Just lovely, she's back in her element," spat Hermione. "Everyone, let's stay spread apart, don't give her one big target! Stay alert for when she surfaces!"

Harry nodded, knowing Hermione had the right idea. He glanced at his HUD's radar while desperately surveying the arena's edge, but it was too wide, and the radar couldn't cover it all. Harry spared a moment to look at the other data. He had twelve missiles left and three full energy tanks, he noted, right before Ped shot up, soaring over and along the watery ring like a dolphin. Her wand was out, and as she waved it, huge blobs of water rose from the water. They promptly froze, forming huge, icy spears that rocketed toward them. Thankfully, Harry had spotted her in time to shatter the incoming projectiles, but Ron and Hermione took out the ones headed for them at the last possible second.

Ped kept this up, leaping out like a dolphin and sending out icy javelins. Some even managed to hit them. Only one struck Harry, and almost took out half a tank. He wished their HUDs were somehow connected, so he could see how his friends fared. _Either way, we have to draw Aunt Petunia out of the water,_ he thought. Emboldened, he ran to the arena's edge, aiming his wand into the murky darkness, desperately trying to spot her. He heard her surface a little off to his right. After rolling aside to evade more ice spears, Harry aimed his wand and yelled, "_Torrentus!_" He kicked up a gust of wind that blew Ped back onto the arena. She clumsily rolled along the grating, giving Ron and Hermione enough time to unload their charged shots. Both scored direct hits.

"Heh, if this was a video game, I bet we'd earn extra points for such accurate teamwork," quipped Hermione as she and Ron edged closer. Meanwhile, Harry charged up a shot and armed his missiles, but held his fire. Ped sprang back up, so they had to be ready for anything.

She looked sternly over at Harry while crossing her arms over her chest, any empathy and softness from moments before giving way to cold determination. Then Ped spread her arms wide while muttering an incantation. Harry suddenly heard water gurgling underneath. Obeying his instincts, he shouted, "Hermione, Ron, get moving and stay moving!" while taking off himself, away from Ped, but keeping his wand and missile launcher trained on her. His quick thinking saved their hides. Geysers of water shot up right where they had been standing, and more kept rocketing up behind them as they ran. It was as if a chain reaction was following them.

Ron and Hermione kept trying to pelt Ped with curses, but she kept jumping around on all fours as the chain reaction of geysers kept going. But with Ped focusing so much on their attacks, Harry thought that he, who was on the opposite side of the arena, might have a chance of landing some shots. He fired a missile. Ped immediately spun around, but couldn't bring up her wand in time. However, the missile detonated when it was only three or four feet from Ped. Still, the impact blew her back, knocking her senseless for a moment.

"What the, it didn't actually hit..." Harry began, but tapered off when he noticed marble-sized blobs of water orbiting her. "Ah, a little insurance policy," he muttered. Then he noticed that the geysers had ceased. Smirking, Harry let loose his charged shot, but at the same time, Ped fired back with a charged ice beam blast. Harry's shot only struck Ped's shoulder, but Harry took hers full in the chest, momentarily freezing him solid. At once, deathly cold clawed at him, but he forced himself to muster his strength. After a few minutes, he broke free. He immediately brought his wand up, wondering why his aunt hadn't used the opportunity to unload on him.

Harry got his answer when he saw Ped cartwheeling and leaping around to avoid the barrage Ron and Hermione were unloading on her, landing plenty of hits. He sighed with relief, once again realizing just how much backup mattered while undertaking one of Samus's jobs. But as he readied his wand and missiles, his pride for his friends slowly turned to worry when he noticed they looked a little overconfident, drawing too close to Ped.

He was about to yell out a warning when it happened. Ped released her toxic secretions, and Ron and Hermione were engulfed by the cloud. They screamed, feeling the backlash as their suits' organic parts were overwhelmed. In desperation, Harry used Torrentus again to blow the toxic mist away. He was about to use it on his aunt, but she cut loose with a flurry of ice beam shots, forcing Harry to run for it. Once he backed off, Ped used her tongue like a whip to floor Ron, who was still stunned. Hermione had recovered, however, and fired a missile. Ped Banished it away toward Harry, who was forced to back off. Hermione then tried curses, but Ped leapt at her, wrapping her legs around her head, then flung her toward Ron, who was just getting up. Both were sent flying over the edge and into the water.

"NO!" screamed Harry in horror, but Ped paid him no mind, instead running on all fours toward the water. "OH NO YOU DON'T! You've still got to deal with ME!" roared Harry, now enraged beyond all reason. He fired a few missiles at the ground, forcing her to break off her mad dash for the water. Still, she was disoriented, and Harry used that chance to fire one more missile at her. It detonated a few feet from her, triggered by an orbiting water droplet, but again, the impact knocked her silly.

Ped glared at Harry, incensed. All thought of going after the easy prey forgotten, she bounded around while unleashing ice beam blasts. Harry ran around, making himself a moving target while firing power shots and curses back at her, but saved his remaining missiles, waiting for a clear shot.

How long this dance went on, Harry wasn't sure. He was too angry, too focused on settling the score with his aunt once and for all. At one point, he ran right at Ped, firing a charged shot while Ped's back was to a pillar. She jumped straight up to avoid it, landing on top of the pillar. She shot a charged ice shot down at him. Harry batted it right back at her with a Shield Charm, but she jumped to another pillar at the last moment, and thick ice coated her previous perch instead. Her tongue whipped down at him, but Harry jumped over it, instinctively firing one of his last missiles as he did so. It blew her off the pillar, but made her land in the water.

Furious with himself, Harry ran to the edge, afraid his aunt would use this opportunity to go after Ron and Hermione. But instead, Harry saw Ped's black eyes glistening under the water, coming up fast. She rocketed out of the water like a launched missile, pelting him with ice beam shots as she rose. Almost all of them hit, draining Harry's energy supply to below two tanks. If not for the extra capacity already included with the suit, Harry knew this would probably be the end.

Ped landed on one of the platforms high above, then ran along the wiring, continuously firing the ice beam down at him. Harry tried Torrentus again as he ran around, but Ped merely jumped to another wire and started all over again. "One has to wonder, Harry...which one of us truly cares about your mother's memory? I joined up with her best friend, but you've sided with her killer!"

Harry said nothing, still trying to knock Ped off her perch, but her words hit home. Despite his fury, he couldn't help but acknowledge a sad irony. In a way, his aunt had done everything Harry could have possibly asked of her. She embraced the ways of magic with open arms, flat-out admitted it was wrong to mistreat him all these years, and showed she actually had feelings for his mother. But instead of that tearing down the walls between them, it drove them further apart.

For a while, it seemed Ped had been out of the water too long and was tiring; Harry managed to clip her with a few quick, well-aimed curses. But soon she picked up her second wind, cutting loose with curses of her own, then following up with a charged ice blast that missed Harry's feet by mere inches. He could still feel a rush of dreadful cold. Just when he thought he would never bring Ped back down to his level, two missiles streaked up at her, catching her completely off-guard. They blew her off her wire and she plummeted toward the grated floor, hitting it so hard it reverberated.

Dumbfounded, Harry spared a glance over his shoulder. Ron and Hermione were clawing at the arena's edge, desperately trying to pull themselves back up. "S-Sorry we took so l-long. Your aunt knocked us down a long way, and it was b-b-bloody murder making those j-jumps again underwater," sputtered Ron.

"But don't worry about us, Harry! Petunia's still alive and kicking!" screamed Hermione, pointing behind him.

Harry turned just in time to avoid a huge blast of ice coming his way. He countered with Stunners, but Ped was running around on all fours again, unaffected by her ridiculously long drop. Harry watched her warily, noting just how froglike she truly seemed. "Urgh, this is ridiculous! How can she still be...wait a minute!" He jumped back while keeping Ped at bay with curses. Once he was close to his friends, he whispered, "If she's like a frog now, maybe we can use that against her. Any ideas?"

"Well, aren't frogs really sensitive to anything dodgy in their environment?" offered Ron.

"Ron, that's it! Valkyrie left Snape a spell in his book...we've seen it used before, and it just might work here," said Hermione hopefully. "You two keep her busy for a while, give me a chance to flank her, and then..."

Hermione ran off to their right just as Ped closed in. Harry and Ron hopped to the side, keeping her on the defensive with curses. Ped occasionally cast glances back at Hermione, clearly perturbed by the way she kept her distance. But all of a sudden, Hermione charged in, and before Ped could turn around, she raised her wand and cried, "_Aguavenenumenti!_"

What looked like putrid, poison water sprayed all over Ped, and at once she fell to her knees, coughing and sputtering. Harry understood at once. This was the same charm Faction had used on him, and for Ped it was even more dangerous, as her skin readily absorbed the toxins.

However, she quickly stood and charged a shot. Reflexively, Harry and Ron raised their wands and used the charm themselves, coating her in the toxic slop. This time she couldn't keep from screaming, and Harry and Ron halted their charms, suddenly afraid they might kill her. But a few moments after they cut her a break, she glared at them, and again they heard the telltale hum of a shot charging. Ron fired a missile. Droplets still encircled her, protecting her, but the blast sent her flying, nearly off the edge of the arena.

Harry cautiously approached his aunt, who could barely get to her knees. She had taken too much of a beating beforehand, and the toxic water drained what vitality she had left. Harry knew Ron's missile came pretty close to knocking her out cold. Ped struggled to her feet, clutching a pillar with her right hand for support, coughing and hacking, glaring longingly at the water. Harry looked into the rippling water too, then back at Ped. Again, despite all the bad blood between them, Harry found he couldn't let her suffer needlessly. Still, when he spoke, it was as sternly as possible. "Give us the ice beam, then you can take a dip to wash off that poison," he commanded.

Ped glared at her right gauntlet, icy mist still spurting out from it, then at Harry, a defeated, pained look in her eyes. She hacked and wheezed even more loudly. Harry realized too late she was covering up the sound of her ice beam charging. With one last effort, she swiftly whirled around and aimed down into the water. "_Bombarda Maxima!_"

Somehow, the spell's effect combined with the Chozo weapon, sending a huge burst of ice into the water. Instead of freezing it on contact, it shot straight into it, taking out part of the submersed wall. Water immediately began rushing out, and while Harry was distracted, Ped let herself fall backwards.

Suddenly, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Hermione screamed, "Oh no you don't!" and then cried, "_Diffindo!_" The charm was directed at Ped's right gauntlet. There was a horrible, metallic ripping sound, and suddenly the ice beam became dislodged. In desperation, Ped swiped at the air to grab it, but her long, sticky fingers missed it. It spun through the air toward the arena's center as Ped splashed down into the water. Harry looked over to the ice beam, safely lying on the grating for the taking, then back down at Ped, who went limp and let the water sweep her away. Harry watched helplessly as his aunt vanished, swept into the gaping hole in the wall, still not quite sure what to think or feel.


	24. Revisionist History

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 24: Revisionist History

8-10-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

Many moments passed as the trio gazed at the gaping hole in the wall. Water had long since ceased rushing into it, bringing down the water level somewhat, but much of the chamber was still submersed, and they had no idea how to drain it.

"D-D'you think she's getting ready for a second go at us?" Hermione asked uneasily. None of them had two full tanks left, and their missile supply was almost exhausted. She knew they had little chance if his aunt came back for a rematch right away.

"With the way all that poison overwhelmed her? I doubt it," remarked Ron.

"Still, there's no chance of following her now, not without gravity suits. For now, she's given us the slip again," said Harry flatly. Part of him was frustrated about letting a potentially valuable prisoner slip through their fingers, but part of him felt relieved, too. He knew Hermione was right about the need to probe and prod his aunt for clues about her transformation, but for now, Ped escaped that fate.

"At least Hermione got Slytherin's little present off her before she bolted," said Ron as he looked back over to the ice beam.

"Well, we might as well take it, though I don't see how it'll help us get out of here," said Hermione sourly.

"What d'you mean?" asked Harry. "I know we can't exactly jump up to those wired platforms, but we can at least jump back down and go through..."

"What, that tunnel? It's submerged, and there's no way we can jump back up through that door now!" snapped Hermione.

Harry sighed, realizing she was right. Still, the three of them crouched around where the ice beam lay. They all grasped the Chozo weapon in unison. When it vanished, absorbed by one of them and transferred to the other two, Harry noticed his right gauntlet had become a little more bulky, as if more layers of machinery and armor were piled on, much like with the missile launchers in their left gauntlets. For the first time, he also noticed a small button panel along the side. He popped out his wand, then hit a few buttons. Upon pressing one colored a crystalline, light blue, mist poured out of his forearm, and frost covered his wand. Bracing himself, he turned away from Ron and Hermione and fired a few beam shots. Frigid blasts, a tad slower than the standard power beam, struck a nearby pillar, coating it with frost as well. His arm immediately felt sore, and after a few more test shots, it almost went numb. But at least the ice beam worked for him.

Sighing with relief, Harry retracted his wand and shut the ice beam off. Now all they had to worry about was finding a way out. If they couldn't go up or down, then perhaps they had no choice but to escape the way Ped did. He ran back to the arena's edge. How long had he dreamt of somehow putting her in her place? But far from feeling a sense of closure, Harry felt listless and empty. And her words rang in his head: _Which one of us truly cares about your mother's memory? I joined up with her best friend, but you've sided with her killer!_

Hermione suddenly spoke up, snapping Harry back to the present. "Harry, the pillar you shot at...look at it!" Harry turned around to see that yet again, the snake reliefs had come to life. They slithered over the pillar, making what looked like...ladder-like rungs?

Ron got the hint, and shot his ice beam at the pillar next to the lowest suspended platform. The snakes on it also rearranged themselves to form climbable rungs. Hermione quickly scampered up to the top of it, and then leaped as high as she could. At first, Harry feared she'd plunge back into the water, but she managed to grab the edge and pull herself up.

And so, the three of them slowly made their way up the suspended platforms. They reasoned that the Chozo made it possible to go up after securing the ice beam, even if they had yet to find hi-jump boots. But they sure didn't make it easy. Oftentimes, they could only grab the edge of a platform, and only barely.

"Don't know about you two, but I'm just about worn out," Ron complained as he pulled himself up onto the last platform to mount before reaching the door. "Sure hope Samus and ol' snakehead found some other useful gear."

"But didn't Salazar say that the ice beam was all we needed to pave the way forward?" Hermione reminded him. "I wonder what he meant by that."

Harry shook his head, knowing that whatever Slytherin meant, it involved something sneaky. He made one last, broad leap over to the ledge with the door and was about to shoot at it when it opened seemingly of its own accord. Harry was both shocked and relieved to see Samus strutting through the open hatch, and saw the relief in her eyes through her visor. "Harry, good to see you made it through the underground waterways!" she said at length.

Harry smirked. "I'm sure it is, after having nothing but Voldemort for company the last half-hour or so," he jibed. "Where is he anyway?"

"Back here," came a snarling voice. Harry saw a glint of amusement in Samus's eyes as he stepped aside to reveal Voldemort busy picking large thorn out of his robes. No doubt they had had some run-ins with Cacatacs. Voldemort cast annoyed glances over at Harry, but Harry remained mockingly silent, his wordless gaze of amusement an insult in itself.

By then, Ron and Hermione had made it to the ledge. "Good thing we ran into you already, Samus. I'm sure we've got loads of upgrades to trade. What've you found?" asked a breathless Ron impatiently.

"A few more missiles, the hi-jump boots, and I just came across an energy tank back in that hallway," Samus quickly answered. "What about you three?"

"More missiles, and we just got the ice beam," replied Hermione. "But we had to fight Petunia Dursley to get it back from her."

"WHAT!? That slimy little Muggle is skulking around what was built in Slytherin's honor!?" spat Voldemort.

"And took what might've been the same ice beam module that Salazar Slytherin himself used," added Harry dismissively. "But we got it back, and according to another mural, it's all we need to 'forge the path onward'."

"But if Ped tailed us all the way here, she must know what we're planning to do," said Samus nervously. "And no doubt she's already alerted Inferno's forces..."

"Not yet she hasn't," Hermione cut in. "Assuming she wasn't lying, she followed us in here alone because she wanted one last try to con Harry into switching sides, and left some sort of message beacon out in the swamp, set to go off in a few hours."

Samus regarded Hermione for a moment before asking, "Where's Dursley now?"

"Escaped. Blew a hole in the wall and let gushing water carry her out," said Ron sheepishly. "Best we can tell you is that we got the ice beam off her, and that she shouldn't be bothering us again for quite a while."

Samus stared at him for a minute, her eyes curiously as solemn as Dumbledore's, before she simply nodded. "At any rate, there's no time to look for her, or go back out into the swamp to search for her beacon. I think our best choice would be to keep searching for the weapon piece and make it out of here before Inferno gets wise to our plan."

"But we're still no closer to finding the path that leads to it," Voldemort said derisively. "You say Slytherin claimed his ice weapon would open up a path, but we have searched all over and know of no place where we need to use it!"

"He's right. It's not as if the ice beam grants us a power we're forbidden to use," Hermione noted. "We've been using Glacius to freeze water to make platforms just fine, not to mention Carpe Retractum works as a perfect substitute for Samus's grapple beam..."

"At any rate, I say it's high time we divvy up the plunder," said Ron. Harry, Hermione and Samus nodded in agreement, and the four of them clasped hands. At once, Harry saw his energy supply return to maximum, with a count of five energy tanks. His missile count rose to thirty-five, and Harry saw a message stating that the hi-jump boot technology was assimilated. After they let go, Samus fiddled with her arm cannon, and Harry saw that same frigid mist seep out. He felt relieved that, after splitting up, they had covered more ground and acquired much badly needed gear, but dread still clawed at his heart. They still had no clue how to get to the weapon part, and Inferno's troops could swarm in any minute.

Seeing no point in staying in the partially-flooded cavern any longer, the five of them retreated back into a long, narrow, dark hallway where the sounds of rushing water echoed all over. The sides were once again lined with serpent heads spewing water, but instead of being aligned in a perfectly horizontal row, their alignment was slightly diagonal, forcing them to make a path that sloped upward.

Of course, with the ice beam, that was no problem now. They reached the other side of the hallway in less than a minute. Harry was about to go through the door, but noticed Samus gazing back down at the serpent heads. "Samus, what's wrong? We've got to keep moving," he implored.

"I know, but...one of those snake heads had that circular design and a hole for a wand," said Samus. "That's the third we've come across, but we're still no closer to finding out what they're for. We've scoured the entire sanctuary, but found nothing that leads to the lowest level. At this point, it's safe to assume those designs have something to do with finding the weapon."

"Maybe...maybe all of them have to have a wand inserted to trigger...whatever it is they trigger," suggested Harry.

"Even if that's the case, how could one stay in place long enough for the others to activate the rest?" remarked Voldemort. "The ice melts almost as soon as the water is frozen."

"Perhaps that's what the ice beam's for!" cried Hermione hopefully. "Samus, which head had the design!?" Samus pointed at one snake head in the middle of the hallway, but Harry could see the doubtfulness in her eyes. Hermione popped out her wand and charged a shot. Thick ice crystallized all over her trembling forearm before she finally cut loose. Her shot instantly froze the water spewing from the serpent head, but it didn't remain intact any longer than when Glacius was used. It soon cracked apart and water flowed freely once more.

"Well, that worked brilliantly," sneered Voldemort.

"Wait a minute, what was it Slytherin said? That we had to combine it with what we already knew?" Ron reminded her.

"Any idea what he meant, Ron?" asked Harry.

"Just a shot in the dark, but here goes." Ron stepped up to the edge, looked down nervously at the long drop below, then charged his own ice beam. He pointed his wand at the same snake head, steadied his trembling arm, but instead of simply releasing his charged blast, he screamed, "_Glacius!_"

A burst of icy power, concentrated into a narrow beam, shot out of Ron's wand. When it struck the wall, the entire hallway quaked. They all managed to maintain their footing, but Ron's blast kept going for a few seconds. When it faded away, they saw rime had branched out along the wall all around the targeted snake head, and the water flowing from it was frozen solid again. A few moments passed, but this time, the ice did not crack.

"So that's it. I guess combining both the beam and the spell produces...that," said Ron, staring in shock at the frozen water. "But damn, it drained five missiles and a little energy to do it."

Meanwhile, Samus was scanning the frozen snake head. "Ron, you...lowered the temperature over there to about twenty degrees Kelvin," she said, staring blankly at it.

"Is that...really cold?" asked Ron confusedly.

"That's PLENTY cold!" exclaimed Hermione. "That water's going to stay frozen for quite a while!"

"Again, Slytherin hid what we needed in plain sight, but required cunning minds to figure out how to use them," said Voldemort. "I suppose there are a total of four slots. However, we've only found three."

"I know where it is. That first courtyard we came across, the serpent heads we couldn't reach before. It can't be anywhere else," said Harry anxiously, wanting to get back up there, if for nothing else than to snag that tantalizing missile expansion.

"Then let's hurry up and activate them all. Ron, go ahead and turn on that one down there. Harry and Hermione, you can go activate the first two we came across," Samus instructed. "Voldemort and I will stay in that courtyard in the far end where we found the hi-jump boots, wait until you two have had enough time to reach the others. We can all meet up again there." Harry noted how uncharacteristically easy it sounded for Samus to give orders like that. A one-woman-army approach wouldn't work here, but she was quickly adapting.

Ron said nothing more as he used his new ice beam to make a path back down to the permanently frozen platform. He had to pick off some sheets of ice, but soon he had his wand firmly planted in the snake head. The other four then rushed out, filled with a renewed sense of purpose. Soon they reached the courtyard Samus had talked about, but she and Voldemort stayed there as Harry and Hermione retraced Samus's steps; thankfully, her map data had been copied and downloaded as well. They made it back to the fork where they had split up a second time, but it took a while to get rid of the Side-Hoppers that respawned. Once they did and they passed the watery hallway, Hermione ran down it, promptly making a frozen path with her ice beam. "Harry, I've got everything covered here! Go find that last serpent head!"

It wasn't long before Harry was back in that first courtyard. The serpent heads were still there, spewing forth water that he could easily freeze now, leading to that alcove with another missile. But getting up there was still a problem. Harry took a moment to carefully examine the area again, and felt he had the answer. He charged toward the corner and jumped at the wall adjacent to the row of serpent heads, now soaring thanks to the hi-jump boots. He kicked up off the wall, then shot his ice beam at the first serpent head. The water froze, granting him a platform to stand on. Harry then forged a frozen path, closely examining each serpent head as he jumped across. At last, he found the final wand hole on the third head from the alcove.

Harry jumped past it, heading straight for the alcove, and grabbed the missile. His missile capacity climbed to forty. Smiling to himself, he jumped back out, refroze the ice that started cracking a second before, and aimed his wand at the snake head with the design. He charged up his ice beam, fought the numbness and the fear of what would come, he shouted "_Glacius!_"

The pain wasn't as terrible as, say, being on the receiving end of the Cruciatus Curse, but it was almost overwhelming nonetheless. A tightly-focused beam of wintry blue energy shot out, freezing the water solid and creating a branching, thin film of ice. For a moment, Harry just stood there, numb with pain, but cracking sounds goaded him into leaping over to the permanent platform. He picked off some ice from the serpent head, uncovered the hole, and after taking a deep breath, Harry jammed his wand in, making a loud click.

xxxxxx

Samus tried to estimate how long it would take Harry to reach the other courtyard, giving her something to do other than dwell on doubt. What if the final serpent head wasn't over there? What if Harry couldn't use this 'Glacius Beam' the way Ron did? What if there were important upgrades they missed?

"Aran, I don't know about you, but I feel we've given those children enough time to reach the other switches," growled Voldemort. "I'm climbing back up there, so keep the water frozen for me...unless you think you can perform the same tactic that the blood-traitor did."

Samus just glared at him. _That 'blood-traitor' was the one who figured out Slytherin's puzzle, you arrogant fool,_ she thought scathingly. _And those 'children' are your only hope of getting that weapon assembled and diffusing Valkyrie's plans...and you know it!_ But Samus decided to let the matter slide for now.

Once Voldemort reached the snake head with the design, Samus continuously fired her ice beam, hoping it would keep the water frozen. Voldemort calmly stuck his wand in it, then looked around, no doubt expecting immediate results. Several moments passed, but nothing happened. Samus could hear him grumble, but he kept his wand inserted...

Then, the entire structure abruptly quaked. The frozen platform forgotten, Samus wildly looked around, hoping to be ready for anything. For a while, nothing seemed amiss except for the violent quaking of the sanctuary. Then, out the corner of her eye, Samus saw the tallest, largest spire-like tower, located at the center of the sanctuary, crumble away. Shingles fell away, and soon the entire roof of the tower cracked apart. Something then rose from it: a gigantic, metal snake head, slowly rising straight up.

"Uhh, Aran, the ice?" Voldemort hissed. Samus turned around to shoot it a couple more times, then turned back to the rising metal serpent. Its jaw was slowly opening, and in the darkness of the night, Samus could easily see some sort of faint light coming from its mouth.

Samus heard the ice crack completely and Voldemort kick up winds to cushion his fall, but paid him no notice. She was trying to figure out how to reach the inside of that maw. It was all too obvious that's where they had to go.

"Aran, if you are trying to determine the way up into that serpent's mouth, I believe I've found the answer," said Voldemort smoothly. Snorting, Samus looked to where Voldemort was pointing. Something was shooting out of the water like surface-to-air missiles, small and white, then started to converge in midair. It took a while for Samus to realize these were skeletons of large snakes, and they were melding together to create magically-levitated platforms. Samus looked up further, and saw they created a path upward, to the center of the sanctuary.

"Then let's move. The others will be along shortly and can follow," said Samus resolutely. She leaped for the first platform. It was hard to gain her footing; the sounds of crunching bone under her feet made her apprehensive. The lingering darkness and driving rain didn't make matters easier. Taking a deep breath, she bounded toward the next one. It soon became clear that without the hi-jump boots, she would have no chance of ascending at all. Samus looked back down, seeing Voldemort was close behind, using quick bursts of wind to propel himself from platform to platform, not quite enough to trigger retaliation from anything in the sanctuary.

As they ascended further, getting closer to the giant snake, Reos descended upon them. It was a simple matter, though, to take them out with the ice beam. But she also heard ice beam shots from farther below. Glancing down, she saw Harry ascending another series of skeletal platforms, taking out Reos that yielded energy to reload his missiles, which he needed badly. Samus reasoned that Ron and Hermione would eventually make their way outside and find the platforms, so she kept on going. She was the first to reach the giant snake head, and saw that a huge elevator platform, several meters wide and composed mostly of metal grating, was held within. She jumped on it, and Voldemort landed beside her seconds later. It didn't take much longer for Harry to reach them.

"So, this is what all four snake heads unlocked...a bigger snake head. Whee," Harry said dryly. He looked around, no doubt guessing it was a giant elevator, for he asked, "This is what supposed to take us to where the weapon piece is buried, right?"

"The map data indicated something deep below the castle, so I can't see what else it could be," said Samus. "We just have to wait for Ron and Hermione, then we go down." She heard Voldemort snort impatiently behind her, but decided it was best to ignore him.

Fortunately, Samus heard the telltale crunching of bone not too long after that. She looked back down to the sanctuary, and saw that Ron was already halfway to the elevator, and saw Hermione emerge in the courtyard far below, quickly grasp the situation, and start jumping up. More Reos came down, but Ron and Hermione made short work of them, refilling their missiles.

Hermione was the last to reach the elevator, and as soon as she set foot on it, it immediately began to descend. Everyone looked about anxiously, startled by this turn of events, but Samus easily forced down her anxiousness and maintained her professional sense of calm. She fiddled with her arm cannon and double-checked her suit's systems, and advised her friends to do the same. They had to be ready for anything.

It had been dark outside, but soon complete blackness blanketed them. Harry used Lumos, casting a pale glow everywhere. The elevator continued to descend. Samus had no idea how long they steadily descended before they apparently reached their destination. All of a sudden, more light washed over them. A wide ring of giant wall sconces shaped like serpent heads lined the walls of an expansive, cylindrical cavern. Soon, their platform clicked into place in the center of a much larger one, also composed of lackluster grating. Samus looked over the edge, seeing nothing but water below. A stiff breeze blew through as well, sending a misty spray everywhere.

Samus kept her arm cannon raised as she looked about, her instincts telling her something would soon spring on them. The others shared her intuitions. "Well, we're here, wherever 'here' is," said Ron nervously. "Don't see anything that looks like a weapon piece, though."

"My dear boy, that is because what you seek must be earned," came a cold, raspy voice from behind them.

The five of them spun around to see a small, stooped figure half-shrouded in shadow. Samus kept her arm cannon trained on it. The figure stepped forward, and Samus almost lowered her arm cannon out of shock. She had seen that face plenty of times during her time at Hogwarts, spending sleepless nights in the library. And she had seen it many more times right here in this castle. This man looked exactly like Salazar Slytherin did in his later years, but one thing stood out: he wore the robes of a Chozo elder. Samus wasn't sure whether to be intrigued or offended by that. This was, after all, the deluded man who built the Chamber of Secrets.

Needless to say, Voldemort was the most flabbergasted of all. "My noble ancestor, here? Still alive? This cannot be!" he said breathlessly, boldly stepping toward the figure.

"Wait...NO!" cried Ron warningly. When Voldemort refused to listen, he popped out his wand and yelled, "_Relashio!_"

Voldemort was yanked backwards, falling flat on his back. He immediately got back up and glared murderously at Ron. "You little...what's the meaning of this affront!?"

All the while, the figure that resembled Salazar Slytherin stayed silent as his gaze swept over the five of them. Ron remained stonily silent as well as he aimed his wand at the figure. He sent out a single icy blast that went right through Slytherin. His entire body seemed to ripple, as if he were made of liquid metal. A column of water violently exploded underneath the figure, and when the water fell away, he was gone.

"Just some sort of projection," said Harry scornfully, glaring at Voldemort. He turned to Ron. "How'd you know it was a trap?"

Ron shrugged his shoulders. "His beard wasn't moving, no water droplets in it," he said, waving his hand to indicate the misty wind.

"Very good, very good," came a watery voice that echoed all around them. Samus noticed Harry, Ron and Hermione all tense up, no doubt remembering their recent run-in with Ped. Their worries soon proved prophetic, for something shot out of the water. Something agilely landed on the platform, crouching, then righted itself. It was another figure resembling Slytherin, also wearing a Chozo elder's robes. "But I'm also a little disappointed that the one who is clearly my descendent was so easily deceived by such a ruse."

Samus kept her arm cannon aimed at this one too, but Slytherin seemed unconcerned. He carefully regarded all of them before speaking again. "Ah, but how very peculiar. You do not wear the armored suit our alien allies crafted for me, nor does anyone else here bear armor worn by my comrades," he said curiously, focusing on Voldemort again. But his gaze soon drifted over to Harry, who was standing near Samus. She heard him shift nervously, and could understand why. Anything that resembled the man responsible for the Chamber of Secrets was bound to put Harry on edge. "But what is this? There's someone else here who gives off the same aura that any descendent of mine would, yet a quick DNA analysis shows that's not the case. And this tall, resolute-looking woman...another armored suit crafted by the Chozo? And infused with their lifeblood, if these scanners aren't lying?"

"Scanners? DNA analysis? What are you, some sort of machine?" demanded Ron.

"If it helps to think of me as such, then yes," said Slytherin dismissively. "But perhaps a better analogy would be to think of me as one step above an enchanted painting. Not only would I talk and think like Salazar Slytherin, who I now resemble, but can freely act as well."

"So, you're some sort of artificial intelligence also blessed with enchantments, programmed to think and act just like the real Salazar Slytherin would," Hermione stated flatly.

"Silence, Mudblood!" snapped Voldemort. "If this is truly something left behind by my ancestor, meant to mimic him in every way, I will not have one such as you speaking to it!"

Hermione lazily rolled her eyes, but Slytherin stared at her strangely. "So, a Muggle-born managed to overcome all the obstacles set against any who intrude here, and even with no security codes. Hmmm, interesting."

"Yeah, and these three suits were crafted by Muggles who reverse-engineered Chozo technology, believe it or not," Hermione shot back. "They've worked as perfect substitutes for the founders' originals so far."

If Hermione was trying to get Slytherin riled up, her words had the opposite effect. "So, the Muggles can master the knowledge the Chozo bestowed upon us four? What a curious world I find myself awakened to. A shame that it is a world clearly in jeopardy, otherwise you five would not come seeking the means to expunge the most ancient of evils. Tell me, is Kor-Zor free already, or do you have ample time to assemble all four parts?"

"Kor-Zor was purposefully set free, to be used to harness dark power, by a scheming Mudblood seeking to usurp my place as the greatest Dark wizard who ever lived," Voldemort hissed vehemently. "She too was educated at Hogwarts, and proves how right you were to hatch that basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets."

"Which I had to kill," Harry added, a venomous bite to his voice.

Slytherin's gaze focused on Harry for a split-second before turning to Voldemort. "You say you opened the Chamber of Secrets?" he asked, his voice strangely level.

"He sure did, and the only Muggle-born the basilisk killed got resurrected by Kor-Zor's liberator," spat Samus, no longer able to keep silent. This android mimicking Slytherin...he presented himself as cool and collected, but she knew the spider ball was going to drop very, very soon.

Slytherin and Voldemort's eyes remained locked for a moment, until Slytherin sighed heavily and simply said, "A pity."

"What did you say!?" Voldemort blurted out, looking more shocked than Samus had ever seen him.

"The Chamber of Secrets, a mad plan, a delusional tactic I dreamt up while still under the influence of my half-brother's dread power. That was probably my main motivation for fighting against Kor-Zor, to make up for the past," explained Slytherin gravely. "And after all was said and done, I hadn't the courage to reveal the truth about the Chamber's existence to the others, fearing it would destroy the trust I worked so hard to earn back, before departing for good..."

"D-Departing f-for good, the Chamber a mistake...what madness is this!?" stammered Voldemort. Suddenly, the meaning behind all the lore they had collected in the castle came into sharp focus.

"But enough! If Kor-Zor is being used as a power source for an even greater scourge, as you say, we must begin with my final test!" declared Slytherin proudly. "You may yet have the chance to prove yourself, my descendent!"

"Hey Slytherin, since you know that we're on a clock and we have to wipe out Kor-Zor as soon as possible, any chance you can just _give _us the weapon piece?" asked Harry innocently.

"My apologies, but my programming will allow for no exceptions!" brayed Slytherin. "So now, prepare yourselves!"

Behind Slytherin, a huge geyser of water shot up, and then something slowly rose. Something huge, partially shrouded in darkness, glowering at the five of them with sinister, yellow eyes. Samus's first thought was that it was a basilisk, but the fact that she was still breathing instantly debunked that notion. The next thing that proved her wrong was that two other pairs of yellow eyes were glaring at them too. A total of three gigantic serpent heads, all attached to the same body, soon towered over the platform. But each one had some sort of metal harness clamped around it, like a collar, but at second glance it looked like the three devices housed some sort of machinery. Once it rose high enough, well over fifty feet, it slithered onto the platform. Samus could see its orange and black stripes, the firelight bouncing off its shimmering scales.

"Oh...my...God...it's a giant runespoor!" cried Hermione fearfully, echoing a nagging doubt Samus shared. That X-Core mimicking the basilisk was one thing, but this was something else entirely. They all backed up nervously, getting ready to strike, but Samus could sense that all of them instinctively knew their weapons and curses would bounce off its scaly hide. Slytherin stood motionless. Then, something in front of the harness below the central head snapped open, like a trapdoor, revealing what looked like a mirror. Slytherin made an impossibly graceful leap upward, and was sucked into that mirror. Its surface rippled before the trapdoor shut, and all three heads hissed at the five challengers down below.

"Wow, a giant snake. Sure didn't see that coming," said Harry dryly. He turned to Voldemort. "Don't suppose we could try to tell it off, could we?"

"We will speak in a language any fool can understand!" barked Voldemort, and sent out Blasting Curses at the metal harnesses. Samus cut loose with an ice missile volley, Ron and Hermione unleashed charged ice blasts, while Harry tried to hit the runespoor's eyes with Conjuctivitus Curses. But even direct hits with that curse had no effect, and the runespoor didn't even flinch as all their other attacks struck its hide and the harnesses. It wasn't long before it got annoyed, though, and counterattacked. It swung around, its tail end sweeping the elevator. A gust blew Voldemort out of harm's way. Samus and Ron jumped straight up in time, but Hermione and Harry hadn't reacted fast enough. The crushing impact sent them flying back, almost off the edge.

Samus fired charged ice shots up at the runespoor's heads. She knew she couldn't hurt them that way, but at least they would focus on her, giving Harry and Hermione time to recover. She just hoped her speed and agility would let her stay one step ahead. There was no telling what other stunts the overgrown reptile would pull. Ron got the hint too, firing more charged ice blasts up at its faces. But Samus feared for him, knowing he lacked her athleticism and experience. Soon, she found those fears had merit, for the right and center heads reared back and made sucking noises. A second later, wide bursts of water, blasted out at an insanely high pressure, shot down at the elevator platform. Samus jumped back in time to get clear. Ron tried to jump back, but had been a tad too slow. He got caught in the outer edges of where the water impacted and was blasted back several yards.

Fortunately, Ron scrambled back onto his feet, but sensing an opportunity, all three snake heads readied themselves to spew more water. In desperation, Samus readied a diffusion missile, but Voldemort came to the rescue first. Thick metal cords shot up at the three heads, wrapping around their snouts like bolas. A quick glance back let Samus know Voldemort wasn't done yet. He was levitating huge blobs of water out from the underground lake around him. They floated for a few moments, then they solidified into mammoth chunks of ice, which Voldemort magically hurled at the giant runespoor. Each of the heads got clobbered by an ice chunk more than once, and Voldemort kept creating more. For a while, Samus entertained the hope that his strategy would work, but eventually, the cords ensnaring the left head snapped off and it fired a water burst down at him. The other two heads freed themselves as a conjured wind gust blew Voldemort to safety.

"This isn't working! Nothing we've got will damage that monster in any way!" cried Samus as she racked her brain for a solution. Slytherin said something about this being a final test. There had to be some elaborate, underhanded means of subduing this beast. Knowing Slytherin, it would naturally involve some cunning trick, and from what she'd seen in his sanctuary, the answer had to involve something hidden in plain sight. She tried to scan it, desperately hoping to get some clues, but for some reason her visor couldn't get a bead on anything.

By now, Harry and Hermione had regathered their wits. They ran up to flank Samus, asking her for advice, which only made Samus remember the real reason she hated working in teams: her lousy track record for pulling teammates through. But she refused to fail these three. In her time she had gained a reputation for being the smartest, toughest bounty hunter that ever lived, and now more than ever, she had to prove worthy of that distinction.

The runespoor reared back its entire upper body. Guessing what was coming, Samus hopped backward, grabbing Harry's hand and ensnaring Hermione with her grapple beam. Her quick thinking saved them all, for the runespoor slammed its heads down. Luckily, they were still in the air when they came down, well above the resulting shockwave. Samus hoped Ron and Voldemort had been swift enough to jump over it. When the three landed, the heads were still on the ground, glaring evilly at them. Harry and Hermione unloaded with a few missiles, while Ron used Valkyrie's poison water spell from a distance. Voldemort tried his earlier strategy again, this time with icy spikes, but they couldn't pierce its scaly skin. Nothing they tried was working. A glint of metal then caught Samus's attention, and her gaze fell on one of the harnesses.

"That has to be the answer!" Samus thought aloud, jumping over the heads and firing missiles down at the back of the center's harness. However, the runespoor didn't seem to react at all. Samus landed on it, hoping to rip something out or fire at point-blank range, but she couldn't make out any panels to tear open. All that stood out was a huge vent, and when Samus knelt down to examine it, her visor was suddenly covered in condensation.

As she wiped it away, a wild idea popped into Samus's head.

But the runespoor finally lifted its heads, causing Samus to clumsily tumble off. Soon the runespoor drew itself back up to its full height, sending out water blasts all over the platform. The five of them desperately dashed around to evade them, and when they were close enough together, she told them of her suspicions. "Those harnesses have vents on the back, blasting out hot air. Whatever those harnesses do, they obviously need some sort of cooling system. My guess is that if we can block off the vent on the central one, that trapdoor will snap open to vent excess heat. It's clear we can't hurt the runespoor, so our target should be..."

Another watery blast forced them to scatter. "Our target should be Slytherin himself, you mean!" Harry finished for her.

"Exactly! Someone has to get behind the runespoor, use that Glacius-ice beam combo, and block that vent! Then he's all ours!" cried Samus, glad Harry was getting the hint.

"I'll do it!" declared Hermione, making a beeline for the platform's outer rim, planning to run around the edge.

"And we'll keep it busy!" yelled Ron as he cut loose with another charged ice burst. Seeing as she had far more missiles than anyone else, Samus let them fly nonstop, and Voldemort joined in with more ice chunks.

Their plan was working. None of the three heads paid any Hermione any notice. Water bursts lanced down at them, forcing them to break off. But at last, Samus heard Hermione scream, "_Glacius!_" The central head hissed in annoyance, and Samus could see the faint traces of ice creeping over the back of its harness. A second later, the trapdoor swung open, revealing a shocked Slytherin behind the reflective, rippling barrier.

"It worked!" cried Harry, sounding half-surprised. Samus was the first to react. Thankfully, her visor could still lock onto targets, and locked onto Slytherin's concealed form with no trouble. She fired missiles with wild abandon, all the while jumping around in case the other heads spewed more water. But the runespoor hissed and quivered; clearly, attacking Slytherin himself was the way to go. Harry and Ron joined in, pelting Slytherin with charged ice shots. Voldemort, unsurprisingly, seemed reluctant to attack something resembling and left behind by his ancestor, but eventually got over it and raised his wand. However, he only got in one Blasting Curse before the trapdoor shut again. At first, Samus feared the ice on the harness had cracked, but the trapdoor swiftly opened again. This time, though, Slytherin was gone.

By then, Hermione had rejoined them. "What the...where'd Slytherin go!?" she cried out as the heads readied more water bursts. They all dashed away, and Samus's eyes fell on the harness under the left head.

_Just perfect, it's the Mogenar sentinel all over again,_ Samus thought acidly. Out loud, she yelled, "Slytherin can flit in between the harnesses! Sealing one vent is no good! We have to clog up all three at the _same time_!" Just as she said that, the runespoor spun around and slammed the elevator platform with the backs of its heads and harnesses, smashing the ice already there. _Great, we have to start all over again,_ Samus thought grumpily as she jumped clear over the shockwave.

Fortunately, her three friends understood exactly what they had to do. As the runespoor righted itself again, Harry, Ron and Hermione were making their way behind it. Determined to buy them more time, she fired quick, uncharged blasts to draw the runespoor's attention and hopefully its fire. It worked. The three heads tried to blast her with water, and Voldemort followed up with more ice chunks, keeping it disoriented. The two of them kept it busy just long enough for Harry, Ron and Hermione to get in position. Samus heard them scream "_Glacius!_" one after another, and saw each head jerk forward as their harnesses were slammed with their icy power.

As Samus hoped, the trapdoors on all three harnesses flew open, revealing Slytherin hiding in the left one. She locked onto him and pumped out missile after missile. This time, Voldemort didn't hesitate, using absurdly powerful Incendiary Charms and Blasting Curses. But soon the trapdoors shut, only to open a second later; Slytherin had flitted over to the harness on the right.

It took Samus less than a second to switch targets and keep firing, but Slytherin was now flitting between harnesses faster and faster, making it tougher to stay one step ahead. The runespoor even managed to get out blasts of water. She was afraid that if they gave Slytherin even a second's rest, the runespoor would do another backwards slam and shatter the ice. When she saw Harry, Ron and Hermione come back around, she was certain the five of them could easily keep that from happening. But suddenly, the runespoor's heads lurched forward, and large, circular white objects were upchucked down at them. Only when they hit the platform and broke open did Samus realize they were giant eggs, hatching regular-sized runespoors to distract them.

The young trio got to work blasting them away. A couple charged ice beam shots were usually enough to blow each runespoor to pieces. That left Samus and Voldemort free to keep on pummeling Slytherin like there was no tomorrow. He barely stayed in a harness for a few seconds before flitting to another one, but thanks to their focused efforts, Slytherin didn't get a moment's respite. He only managed to strike back with quick water blasts, all easily dodged.

Finally, their efforts paid off. They had dealt so much damage to Slytherin and his harnesses, it overwhelmed the runespoor, causing a chain reaction of fiery explosions to travel down from the harnesses, engulfing everything below them. The heads hissed angrily as it slumped forward, too weak to maintain its cobra-like posture. Samus looked up, seeing Slytherin's form behind one of the rippling innards of a harness, only about twenty feet above her. A sudden inspiration struck her. She jumped straight up and flung her wisp whip out. As Samus hoped, it went right into the harness, ensnared Slytherin, and she pulled him out while dropping down.

Slytherin quickly untangled himself after hitting the floor hard. Her young friends, now understanding that Slytherin was the real target, unloaded on him. However, all their attacks seemed to only daze Slytherin, and he soon countered. With a wave of his hands, columns of water geysered up all around him. Samus jumped away in time, but the other four were sent flying. He spun around to face Samus, and before she could even blink, he spit something out at her...enormous green bubbles. They quickly engulfed her, popping and covering her with some sort of toxic water, overwhelming her for a moment.

Samus expected Slytherin to exploit her momentary weakness, but instead, his attention turned to the mangled runespoor. Every bit below its harnesses was burnt to a crisp, but everything above was intact. Those sinister, yellow eyes were glassy and listless, but when Slytherin jumped back into one of the harnesses, all three pairs glowed with new life. All three flipped up to an upright position, like chess pieces magically reassembling themselves for another game. The harnesses hovered about a foot over the platform and began zooming around their arena while spinning around. They spun so fast, the ice clogging their cooling vents flew apart, and they kept rocketing around, trying to slam into the five of them.

"Oh great, NOW how do we put Slytherin on ice!?" growled Ron, barely evading one of the spinning snake heads. Samus was just as clueless. With the way they were spinning, it was impossible to use that magical beam combo on all three vents, let alone target Slytherin when the trapdoors opened. Voldemort was trying some array of enchantments to slow them down, but so far nothing was working.

Out the corner of her eye, Samus saw a snake head barreling at her from her left. She jumped up to avoid it, but it soared under her it slammed into Voldemort instead, momentarily knocking him silly. Then all three stopped. The snake heads angled down and opened their mouths. Samus knew what was coming. She darted aside to avoid the water blast aimed at her, but Voldemort couldn't move in time to evade the blast meant for him. It almost blasted him off the arena, but he conjured a barrier at the last second to finally deflect it, just as his feet were inches from the edge. Samus cursed herself for accidently getting him in that mess. As much as she loathed it, Voldemort's raw power could be the only way to stop the runespoor's remains for good, and he had almost been lost to them.

Eventually, the heads angled straight up again, then zoomed and spun once more. Samus tried her beams and missiles again, but nothing could even connect. None of the others had produced any spells that could halt the runespoor heads, and what other weapons did she have?

As a runespoor head zoomed past her, Samus once again noticed the space between the hovering harness and the platform, and the answer came to her in an instant.

Another runespoor head spun right for her, but this time, Samus went into morph ball mode and laid her bombs before moving out of the way. She timed it right, and they detonated just as the harness passed over them. At once, it stopped levitating, grinding to a halt, its mouth wide open, its eyes unfocused and dazed.

Hermione had been closest to her when Samus finally figured out how to stop the runespoor heads cold. "Samus, that's it! Now one of us can roll up, jump in that mouth, and drop more bombs!" she cried.

Samus shook her head. "That's no good. Slytherin can still move from harness to harness. We'll have to drop bombs in all three at the same time!"

By then, the snake head Samus stopped was spinning around again. But now, armed with the knowledge of how to stop them for good, they were ready. Samus, Harry, Ron and Hermione all went into morph ball mode, waiting for the right time to drop their bombs.

It took a few tries, but eventually her friends immobilized all three at the same time. Unfortunately, Samus knew she wasn't near any of them. So she unrolled, and saw Harry, Ron and Hermione use the spring ball power that came along with the hi-jump boots to hop into the runespoor's open mouths. She heard the faintest hint of their bombs dropping. The runespoor heads horrifically shrieked in pain as the trio kept on deploying bombs. Eventually, the heads spit them all up, but the damage was done. The trio unrolled to watch the end result of their handiwork. The runespoor heads combusted, and soon only their charred bones remained. As for the harnesses, explosions went off all over them, and they flew apart.

By now, the five of them had huddled back together, and the android mimicking Salazar Slytherin stepped out from the wreckage of the nearest harness. His skin looked greasy and dirty, his Chozo robes frayed and tattered, but his gaze was as cold as ever. Samus aimed at him again, ready to pummel him with more missiles, especially after he flashed a wicked grin.

"Congratulations, you five. Your test is concluded. Granted, this was not the way it was envisioned the first obstacle would be overcome. But nonetheless, by defeating the runespoor, the first weapon piece is yours by right," said Slytherin smoothly. Out the corner of her eye, Samus noticed how Voldemort seemed to want to say something, not to mention how winded he looked. Again, she cursed herself for her earlier mistake. Bad enough she almost lost the only wizard with enough raw power to challenge Valkyrie head-on, but what if one of her friends had been put in harm's way by her blunder?

Samus was so wrapped up in her thoughts, only the astonished gasps of the others snapped her back to attention. She looked back up, and saw lime-green light pour forth from Slytherin's body. Then, it looked like he was imploding, collapsing in on himself. A moment later, all that remained of Slytherin's android double was an orb of green energy, hovering over the elevator platform and pulsating as if it had a heartbeat.

"That's...that's it?" Ron asked no one in particular, sounding disappointed. "THAT'S the weapon piece!?"

Voldemort wordlessly strode over to examine what was left of Slytherin. He tried to poke the orb with his finger, but reflexively drew it back. "I...am uncertain was sort of magical device this could be," he said, sounding certain the answer would still come to him any moment. "It may take a while to decipher..."

"Oh, honestly, let me have a look at it!" snapped Hermione, walking toward the orb. As she got closer, though, it began to buzz as well as pulsate. Then, without warning, it shot right toward her and collided with her breastplate. Instead of doing any damage, however, her armor seemed to absorb the orb. Her entire suit glowed with brilliant, lime-green light, and when it faded, Samus gasped, seeing what was different. All over Hermione's torso and arms, green, metal snake reliefs coiled around. Hermione stared at her arms in disbelief. Snake reliefs covered almost everything. Even her knuckles had serpent heads nestled onto them.

"What in the..." Harry began, walking up to Hermione and placing a hand on her shoulder. This time, however, whatever Hermione's suit absorbed...it did not carry over to whoever touched her. "Don't tell me...your suit took in the weapon part!"

"My computer's running a diagnostic, but it says it can't identify its function," Hermione said. "I-I-I g-guess that was another purpose for the founders' original suits. The Sorting Hat said they feared its power falling into the wrong hands. I bet this is another safeguard. It wouldn't surprise me if each suit was meant to absorb only one weapon piece. That way, no one person could have total control of the whole thing."

The elevator platform rose again, at a much faster rate than its descent. The rush of air was particularly noisy, and thankfully it drowned out Voldemort's grumbling, something about how Slytherin's weapon piece fell into a Mudblood's hands...

When the platform reached the giant metal snake's maw, Samus could see the faintest signs of sunrise. It was a beautiful sight, one that momentarily kept her from realizing the platform was rising higher than it was supposed to. Once it was entirely free of the metallic serpent, it moved horizontally, carrying them over Slytherin's sanctuary and back to the lake's edge. It lowered them close to the ground so they could hop off. Once they did, it floated back to the sanctuary.

"Well, we got what we came for, but there's so much stuff I know we couldn't get our hands on yet," grumbled Ron. "Harry says we need those really big bombs, the boots that let you move at superspeed, the..."

"Hopefully, we'll have time to come back once we find those upgrades," interrupted Samus. "In the meantime, we'd better check in with Adam and head back to Hogwarts. We've got to inform the others that Valkyrie's probably on to us by now."

"Perhaps not, Aran," hissed Voldemort softly. "Everyone, be silent." The others nervously looked to one another as Voldemort knelt by some muddy soil, as if sensing something. At length, he whispered, "Potter's aunt has been this way, and not too long ago."

"So she made it out. Maybe she's going back for her beacon, so she can send her message right away," said Harry softly.

"In that case, we'd better stop her before she does," said Samus, but another, far more ambitious idea was taking hold in her head. "Voldemort, lead the way."

Voldemort crept into the marshy woods. The four of them followed close behind. After what seemed like hours of wandering aimlessly in the wilderness, Samus finally spotted what they were after. Ped had Disillusioned herself, but thanks to the light rain that still fell, she could make her out. She could also see how she was weakly limping along. Harry had obviously been rougher with his aunt than he let on.

None of them spoke or moved as Ped limped on through the swamp. A few moments later, Ped stooped by a tree, retrieving something from a small hollow in it. Samus caught the glint of metal.

No doubt everyone else noticed it too. At once, Harry aimed his wand and screamed "_Accio!_" Whatever Ped was after, it zoomed across the swamp and into Harry's waiting hand. At the same time, Voldemort slammed Ped into another tree with a curse that also dispelled her Disillusionment Charm.

At first, Samus thought that was the end of it, but Ped still had some fight in her. Her tongue lashed out and caught Voldemort square in the face, toppling him instantly. His curse broken, Ped sprang up into the treetops. Telltale rustling let them know Ped was desperately making a break for it.

"Everyone, after her! She's probably too weak to Apparate. She can't stay ahead of us forever!" cried Samus as she and her friends gave chase. The four of them kept aiming up in the treetops, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ped, and actually hoping Voldemort would recover soon and end this chase quickly. They still had to figure out what to do with that beacon.

But surprisingly, luck was with them. High above, they heard Ped cry out, "Oh no, not NOW!" Samus had no idea what she was talking about, but a second later, she fell out of the treetops, hitting the muddy ground hard, only a few feet away. Again, they thought they had her, but she released her toxic aerosols, which momentarily kept them at bay. Through the hazy pain and poisonous gunk covering her visor, she saw Ped crouching before them, and it looked like she was going for some pouch on her outfit.

Luckily, her friends recovered quicker than she did. She heard Ron yell, "_Torrentus!_" conjuring a stiff wind that blew the toxic mist away. Then Hermione cut loose with a Disarming Charm so powerful, Ped was slammed against another tree. This time, the impact knocked her out cold.

"W-What she did stop for?" Samus wondered aloud. "She was going for something, but what?"

"It was this," said Hermione, holding up a plastic vial. It contained some sort of slimy, rubbery, diseased-looking root.

"Wait a minute...that sort of reminds me of gillyweed," said Harry, examining it closely. "What could Aunt Petunia possibly..."

"Everyone, take a look," said Ron uneasily, pointing over to where Ped was slumped against a tree. Samus's eyes widened as her skin and hair began to change color. Her skin went from greenish-brown to a normal flesh color and her spots disappeared, as did her slimy sheen. Her hair went from its usual radiant turquoise to a dirty blond, and the silver lock faded away completely. Her hands and feet shrank, and the webbing between her digits vanished.

"She's...human again?" Hermione asked no one in particular. Then her eyes fell back on the vial. "Harry, I think this_ IS_ some form of gillyweed! My guess is that Valkyrie engineered a variety that does far more than give someone gills and webbed feet, and lasts for days on end!"

"Makes sense. She may have changed over the last year or so, but I doubt that she'd stand for being turned into that frog monster permanently," said Harry, staring strangely over at his aunt.

"I guess we could let McGonagall and Sprout have a look, but knowing Valkyrie, she's made it so only Dursley can use it," said Ron. "I mean, if we're right and Valkyrie's really been turning loads of other Muggles into witches and wizards already, she'd want to make her best friend's sister stand out, do something extra-special for her."

Samus stared at him, not quite sure what he was getting at. It sounded like the three of them had come up with a theory, putting together facts in a way that had so far eluded her. _Normally, I'd be mentally spazering myself, but now's not the time to be prideful,_ Samus told herself. Out loud, she said, "Well, in any case, we've got ourselves a high-ranking prisoner, and I have no doubt someone in the Order can coax some answers out of her."

"And then there's this," Harry said, holding up what looked like a brass, cylindrical pod that fit neatly into his palm. It had what resembled a miniature satellite dish at one end. "How are we supposed to disable it, or do we just smash it?"

"Neither," said Samus firmly. "We're going to let it go off," she finished, ignoring the amazed glares.


	25. Casualties of War

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 25: Casualties of War

8-21-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

"You mean we're supposed to just _LET_ Toadette's message get out!?" spat JB incredulously. Samus has wasted no time filling JB, Adam and George in on her plan, and were just as shocked as her three junior hunters. "No offense, Samus, but I pegged you as a tactical genius. What kind of advantage is there in letting the enemy know the secret behind your upcoming blitzing offensive?"

"There won't _BE_ any blitzing offensive if we can't find Kor-Zor's location," Samus shot back. "And the counter-resistance that's being organized won't have much hope of succeeding if the exact locations of Inferno and its outposts aren't found, and soon. Right now, it looks like our only hope is to let Petunia's beacon go off and track the signal back to its source. With any luck, we can pinpoint the location of their outposts, Kor-Zor's location, Inferno itself, or maybe all three."

"But the tradeoff is that Valkyrie will know exactly what we're up to, and she'll dope out we've got one of her precious Reformers held prisoner," Ron pointed out, sounding exhausted. Along with Hermione, he had removed his helmet and slumped against the wall.

Samus inhaled deeply, swiftly losing her patience trying to convince everyone. Truthfully, she wasn't sure that even with Adam's brilliant mind and the technology at his disposal, her gambit would pay off. But her instincts told her that time was running out, and they had to act on this opportunity. "There's no guarantee she wouldn't find out anyway, judging by how easily Ped slipped into Hogwarts. And we know she's got spies and plants everywhere. I wouldn't be surprised if she already knew. But we still have one advantage: only we can decipher the location of the other three pieces."

"I say Samus has the right idea," said Harry. "Assembling that weapon is no good if we don't know where to deploy it." She turned to him, relieved someone was backing her up. He still stood tall, keeping his helmet on. He looked as exhausted as Ron and Hermione, but no doubt refused to show any weakness in front of Voldemort.

Samus glared to the back of the ship where Voldemort stood. He had been strangely quiet since returning to the ship, and she suspected the revelation that the Chamber of Secrets wasn't entirely Slytherin's doing, and that his ancestor regretted it, was on his mind. At the moment, he was intently studying Petunia Dursley, who was bound with polymer cable on the biobed, still out cold. _No sense worrying about him. He'll come up with some way to convince himself his genocidal zoomershit is still somehow carrying out Slytherin's dreams...just like how Valkyrie keeps telling herself everything she does is for Dumbledore and Harry's mother,_ she thought acidly. Out loud, she asked, "Voldemort, what about you? If you've got anything to say, now's the time."

He turned around, his scarlet eyes narrowing. "It is a huge gamble with no guarantee of a payoff," he said coolly. "Given enough time, I'm sure my Death Eaters can track down..."

"Weren't you listening?" snapped Harry. "We have no idea how close Valkyrie is to milking Kor-Zor for all the dark energy she needs. We don't have the luxury of time. Samus's plan is our only hope of getting the information we desperately need, _right now_."

"Well, whatever we do, we better decide fast," George cut in, holding up Petunia's beacon. "I can sense that whatever enchantments were put on this thing, they're getting weaker and weaker. My guess is that it's some sort of timer charm. Once it's gone, the message gets out...and it's just about gone."

The urgency in George's voice seemed to get to everyone. Samus looked down to Ron and Hermione, who just weakly shrugged and nodded in approval. She then interpreted the derisive snort from Voldemort as a yea. "Then it's settled," came Adam's gruff voice. "Someone hook the beacon up to my communications array."

"I'll help you do it," said Hermione weakly, pushing herself off the floor with some effort.

"In the meantime, someone better get those gauntlets off of Dursley before she comes to," said Samus. "And I want them placed in a secure compartment with forcefields. If she can use the ice beam module, then they've got a slew of advanced electronics and I don't want Valkyrie springing any nasty tricks with them."

"I'll be more than happy to pry them off," jeered Voldemort cruelly, turning back to the biobed.

Harry looked ready to explode, but Samus placed a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Adam, make sure Voldemort doesn't do anything stupid. Don't forget, if Harry's theory is right, we need to run every biomedical test available to us on her...and we need her alive."

"Understood, Lady," came Adam's curt reply. He sounded quite unsympathetic about their prisoner, no doubt because she had latched onto the ship without him being any the wiser. Samus understood his frustration. Harry may have pieced together all the clues about Valkyrie's ultimate goal. It's not that she resented how Harry had proven a better detective in this case, it was just that so many people were looking up to her as the only one who could outwit Valkyrie. She was under enough pressure, and here was something vital she had missed. It only served to fuel her doubts about leading a team.

"Samus, something wrong?" Harry's abrupt question jarred Samus out of her troublesome thoughts. She slowly turned around, removing her helmet.

"I don't know, Harry...it's just that...some things die hard, including nagging doubts," said Samus.

Harry gave her an odd look. "What d'you mean by that?"

Samus cast a quick glance back at Voldemort, who roughly grabbed one of Ped's arms, prodding her gauntlet with his wand. Once she was sure he was too engrossed with that, she explained what she felt was a fatal oversight on her part. "Not only that, back there against that runespoor, I almost let Voldemort get taken out of the equation..."

Harry's eyes widened in shock. "You're upset about_ VOLDEMORT _getting in harm's way because of you?" he whispered in disbelief.

"Like it or not, we need him," replied Samus roughly. "And it could easily be you or your friends in the line of fire if I make any more mistakes, and let's not forget my biggest mistake: letting Valkyrie play me for a fool. Ever since coming back, I've tried to convince myself that these old fears are baseless, but now..."

Harry roughly grabbed her shoulder and pulled down so their eyes were level. "Fine, then _I'LL_ convince you those old fears are baseless," he said sternly. "You say you're not fit to lead a team? Please. Who figured out how to expose Slytherin back there? Who figured out how to stop those spinning heads?"

"Still, Ron and Hermione figured out what opened the way to Slytherin's lair, and how to do it," said Samus.

"That's because they know more about magic and how Hogwarts's founders thought and worked," said Harry impatiently. "We're here to back you up, to help with the few things you're not so good at, just like you're here to help with anything involving the Chozo and their technology. That's what being in a team is all about. You've already admitted Valkyrie's too much for any one person to tackle alone, so don't keep acting as if you've got to carry this entire burden yourself."

"It's not like she's got much choice. Each one of us will have to take a separate piece of the founders' weapon, remember?" Hermione called out, holding up a fist, the emerald snake heads on her knuckles gleaming. "If Valkyrie ever lets Kor-Zor's dark power get out of control, us four will _HAVE_ to face it together."

"As for Voldemort...dunno if you ever noticed, Samus, but he's never been much of a team player anyway," added Ron.

Samus sighed. Intellectually, she knew they had good points. Still, the nagging doubts were as irksome as ever. Being any kind of active leader, she realized, was the amalgation of all her worst fears. All of a sudden, flashes of Rundas, Ghor and Gandrayda's grisly fates flitted across her mind's eye, but thankfully Adam's gruff voice snapped her back to attention.

"George insists that the countdown spell extinguished itself seconds ago, and indeed, some sort of carrier wave is being emitted," Adam informed everyone. "I will not claim to entirely understand the mechanics of Asara's little gadget, and there's no telling how the lingering effects of that solar flare will influence..." His doubtful voice trailed off, but when he spoke again, it was in a tone of urgency. "Hold on...give me a moment to process this...yes, it is indeed bouncing off several parts of the upper atmosphere. I think it is possible to trace...SUCCESS!"

With that, a holographic projection of the Earth flitted into existence, the glow far more radiant than Samus suspected such an image should be. Did this excess illumination reflect Adam's mood? Several pulsing red dots on the rotating globe caught her attention. One of them was along the coast of the nation called Norway, no doubt the hangar she and McGonagall infiltrated. About seven or eight others dotted the projection, including one that looked to be a few dozen kilometers from where Valkyrie launched her CME-triggering charm into space.

"And I think it goes further than that, everyone," said Adam proudly. "I'm happy to report that the solar flare didn't garble things as badly as I thought. If these readings from several satellites are sound, that signal wave reaching those outposts is being rerouted, down into the Pacific Ocean...given time to process the data, I may soon triangulate the location of Inferno itself."

A relieved silence fell upon the ship, but Samus's ears were pounding with the furious pumping of her own blood. She had her own doubts about her crazy gambit, but Adam pulled through and it paid off. They were a few steps closer to halting Inferno's ambitions for good.

"I'll be...we're in business now," said JB breathlessly. "Of course, now our own dirty secret is out, so let's book before more of Asara's pets come sniffing around." With that, his hands deftly flew across the cockpit panels, prepping the ship for departure. Samus noticed how he handled the controls as expertly as any trained GF combat pilot.

"Oh, and a bit more good news...I've finally removed these accursed gauntlets from this mutated freak," Voldemort called out from the back. Samus and Harry turned to see Ped's gear on the floor. Voldemort had somehow snapped them open, but judging from the reddish discoloration on Ped's forearms, he hadn't exactly been gentle. Adam swiftly scooped them up with robotic arms protruding from the ceiling and locked them away in a secured compartment. But then, Samus noticed Voldemort examining a wand, one far shorter than his.

"Lemme see that," snapped Harry, pointing his own wand at Voldemort and silently Summoning it away from him. Harry caught it with his free hand and, ignoring Voldemort's mutinous glare, examined it himself, going so far as to remove his left gauntlet to handle it.

The ship slowly ascended above the swampland, then rocketed away, heading back for the Atlantic Ocean. But Harry's attention was focused solely on his aunt's wand. "Hmm, about nine inches, looks really old, think I can see a bit of unicorn hair sticking out from the tip," he muttered. He slashed it around, leaving a trail of white-hot sparks. He then conjured a glass jar in midair, and after it fell and shattered, he Vanished the broken pieces with a simple wave.

Harry looked back over to Voldemort. "Dunno how to break this to you, but this is definitely a real wand," said Harry acidly as he slid his missile-launching gauntlet back on. "No doubt about it now. Valkyrie really did rewrite her DNA and made her one of us."

"And we'd better figure out how," added Samus. "Adam, take as many tissue samples as you need. Run every medical scan you can think of, and keep your findings organized so I can look over them later. Harry's right. Petunia Dursley could be the key to unraveling the rest of Valkyrie's little scheme, but I got a feeling time's not on our side..."

xxxxxx

**June 28, 1997 - 2:31 PM Western European Time**

**Hogsmeade**

Even with the sun shining brightly over Hogsmeade, the entire town had a brooding, dark aura that Harry felt even from looking through the cockpit window as JB brought the ship down. The streets were abandoned, and Harry hoped it was because Scrimgeour ordered everyone to relocate to the castle. Still, Harry knew people were waiting in Hogsmeade for them. Special arrangements had to be made for their prisoner.

JB landed the ship a few yards away from the Three Broomsticks. As soon as he did, Harry saw McGonagall, Hagrid, Fleur, Moody and Molly burst through the front door. Bellatrix and a gaggle of Death Eaters followed them out, along with Rosmerta. Understandably, she looked more anxious than when dementors were assigned to patrol Hogsmeade.

Ron and Hermione exited the ship first, holding onto Petunia Dursley. She was forced to stand, but was still bound in polymer cable and looked half-asleep. Samus, Harry and Voldemort followed them out, while George and JB stayed inside. Harry immediately noticed the shocked looks on McGonagall, Hagrid and Molly's faces. They all stared blankly at Petunia. "Merlin's beard, even seeing her now...I still can't believe Asara really changed her," muttered McGonagall.

"Believe it," said Ron dryly. "We had to pry one of those Chozo weapons off of her, and she did _NOT_ go down without a fight. One bloody nasty fight."

"She used a...you fought and..." Molly began before running over to Ron. She grabbed his shoulders and gave his armor a once-over, then looked over his face. "What exactly did she do against all of you? This armor looks fine, but..."

"Mum, lay off," said Ron quickly. "Harry's aunt was tough all right, but nothing we couldn't handle. Slytherin and his giant runespoor, though...THAT thing got in a few good hits."

"What the...don't tell me Salazar Slytherin himself was hiding in that swamp!?" growled Moody.

"More like an android with an artificial intelligence that mimicked him perfectly," explained Samus. "Once he and the runespoor were defeated, we found out _he_ was actually the weapon piece, and bonded with Hermione's suit."

Over a dozen heads turned to look at Hermione, whose face was unreadable as everyone's eyes looked over the green serpentine reliefs. "I don't understand...how can this weapon be assembled if one of the pieces is lodged onto Ms. Granger's armor?" asked McGonagall.

"Turns out the Chozo also made the founders their own suits, and their descendents were supposed to let these four pieces merge with the corresponding suits, so that no one person had total control," said Harry. "Good thing Samus's suit and these Muggle-built ones work just fine."

The Death Eaters and Order members took a moment to digest this. "So, is it gonna be th' same thing in the other three sanctums? Yer gonna have ter fight robot versions of Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor too?" asked Hagrid uneasily.

Ron shrugged his shoulders. "Looks like it."

"I can't believe I'm letting you go on these suicide missions," Molly muttered to herself. "Bad enough Samus keeps dragging Harry into these fights, but my youngest son..."

"Mum, there's no way out of this for me. Four people with suits like these are needed," Ron said quickly. "Only I can use this suit now. No one else can fill in for me."

"But perhaps if we find this one suit meant for Slytherin's descendent," said Bellatrix hopefully, longingly looking over at her boss.

Samus shook her head. "Sorry, no time to hunt down the founders' originals. It has to be us four," she said dismissively.

The thought of Voldemort having his own Chozo power suit sent a chill through Harry, as if a Sheegoth belched in his face. Luckily, that was unlikely to ever happen. But then, the mention of Slytherin gave Harry an idea about how to knock down Voldemort and Bellatrix a bit more. "Speaking of Slytherin, on a sidenote, turns out the Chamber of Secrets wasn't really his idea. He was sort of bewitched and manipulated by his half-brother, who was under Kor-Zor's influence."

Just as he expected, Voldemort's expression soured even more, while Bellatrix looked as if she'd stuck her fingers in a light socket. The Order members looked baffled as well. "Y-Y-You mean, he was never truly THAT fanatical about keeping Muggle-borns out of Hogwarts?" McGonagall managed to get out.

"That's what his android said," said Hermione, who looked as pleased as Harry when all the Death Eaters spoke in hushed whispers amongst themselves.

Their Hogsmeade reception, Order and Death Eater alike, seemed unable to come to terms with how this revelation would change many interpretations of magical history forever. Silence lingered over the abandoned town a few moments longer, until Bellatrix finally spoke up, turning to Voldemort. "Erm, My Lord, speaking of the Chamber of Secrets, the potion you wanted brewed upon your return is ready," she said, taking out a corked flask filled with a translucent, light-blue liquid.

Harry eyed the flask apprehensively. "Hold on, just what is that potion?" he demanded.

"A special little something that needed an ingredient you so thoughtlessly made it no problem to get: basilisk venom," sneered Bellatrix.

"Basilisk venom? Wait a minute...you can't mean the one that was in the Chamber of Secrets! Voldemort's X parasites assimilated its corpse!" cried Samus.

"Foolish woman. I would not eliminate the source of such a rare potion ingredient so thoughtlessly, not when you could have recovered your memory at any time and decimated it. I wanted it intact upon my return to the school," said Voldemort. "Those X only took a few cell samples, and the new basilisk moved the corpse elsewhere."

"You still haven't answered my question. What's that potion for?" Harry pressed on.

Voldemort glowered dangerously at Harry for a moment before leaning a little closer. "This potion is not meant for you, your weakling friends or anyone in your precious Order. That's all you need to know," he said acidly. Harry refused to flinch. If they had any hope of making Voldemort toe the line, none of them could show any weakness.

McGonagall looked ready to press the issue further, but suddenly Ped moaned. Harry turned to see his aunt stir. Hagrid glared angrily at her. "So what're we supposed ter do wit' Dursley here? Why're didn't yeh land at the castle and drop her off, instead o' making us come out here ter fetch her?"

"Long story short, we don't want Scrimgeour or anyone in the Ministry finding out that we've captured a Reformer, or rather _THIS_ Reformer," said Samus. "Like Adam told you, Harry suspects Valkyrie's planning to mutate every single non-magical human on the planet, and Petunia Dursley was the first to be transformed by whatever method she'll use. Adam's taken all the scans and tissue samples he feels he needs to find a scientific explanation, but we want you to try and find out what could've been done magically. That won't be possible if Scrimgeour insists on his Aurors taking her into custody," she told McGonagall.

McGonagall looked over Ped uneasily, her face inscrutable, before turning to Harry. "Mr. Potter, you really believe that transforming every single Muggle is Asara's true goal? That your aunt was only the first and won't stop?" she asked.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "No other explanation makes any sense. She told Voldemort she wanted to plunge Earth into chaos, told me and Samus she wants to manipulate human evolution, and keeps saying she's trying to fulfill my mother's dream of uniting Muggles and wizards. Pulling off something like that would do all three."

McGonagall looked to Hagrid and Moody, their expressions betraying exasperation and doubt. Harry knew they were all wrestling with this idea, something that sounded so admirable on the surface, but couldn't be trusted with someone like Valkyrie was pulling the strings. The Death Eaters, predictably, showed nothing but outright disgust, casting hateful glances at the former Muggle.

"What about interrogating her!?" Bellatrix demanded suddenly. "The slimy monster is one of Asara's lieutenants! All the information we could possibly need can be stripped from her brain one layer at a time, something I'll be happy to..."

"NO!" screamed Harry. "She'll be interrogated alright, but by someone in the Order..._**not **_by you!"

"What do you care!? I always thought you despised the Muggle filth that Dumbledore stuck you with!" Bellatrix retorted incredulously.

"Unlike you, I'm not in the business of stamping out family members I don't like!" spat Harry, every impulse now screaming for Bellatrix's neck. She already cost him his godfather, and he wasn't letting her get near his only blood relative. "That's the other reason we're keeping the Ministry out of the loop about this. So far, he doesn't know my aunt is one of Valkyrie's elite soldiers, and you and your boss will make sure it stays that way!"

"What makes you think any of us will do so?" Voldemort asked silkily, his expression one of detached amusement.

"Very simple: because I'm telling you to," was Harry's quick, curt reply.

Voldemort's amused look faded in an instant. "You DARE presume to give me and my Death Eaters orders!?" he roared.

Harry wasn't intimidated. There was no reason to be browbeaten by Voldemort anymore. He popped out his wand and armed his missiles. Icy mist rose from his gauntlet as he charged a shot, letting Voldemort know he meant business. "Damn right I dare! It's like JB said, there's no point trying to bully anyone now that someone bigger and badder than you's come along, someone who's forced you to come to _US_ for help! If you're not willing to go along with our gameplan, fine. You and the Death Eaters can leave, and I'll be happy to show you the way out!"

The two of them stared unblinkingly at each other, the venomous hatred between them threatening to reach the boiling point. The Order members and Death Eaters watched anxiously, but Samus, Ron and Hermione looked even more apprehensive, not sure who needed protection from who. Several tense moments passed in silence, neither one of them backing down, but suddenly, Harry was granted a reprieve in a way no one expected.

In the span of less than a second, an insanely long tongue shot toward Voldemort, snagged his wand, and retracted. Harry turned in horror to see that, somehow, his aunt still had her frog's tongue. Hermione was still holding her, but Ped shoved her aside and turned around. Her hands were bound behind her back, but she caught Voldemort's wand and screamed, "_Diffindo!_" The polymer cables snapped apart. Now able to move freely, she slashed the air and cried, "_Torrentus!_" At once, a powerful gust kicked up a plume of dirt and swirled around the street, disorienting everyone. Harry saw her try to Disapparate, but thankfully, nothing happened.

Hagrid moved in, but Ped ducked under his huge, groping arms and made a break for it, clear of her dust storm. But Bellatrix was a few yards in front of her. She aimed and cried, "_Expelliarmus!_" Voldemort's wand flew away, but Ped charged her. Before Bellatrix could act, Ped unloaded with a few quick punches to her face, took her wand, then grabbed her arm and jerked her elbow backwards. Harry wasn't sure if Bellatrix's scream or the grisly snapping of bone was louder.

But with Voldemort's wand knocked away, her wind current died, letting everyone move freely. Harry decided to end it right there. As his aunt bolted again, he aimed his charged blast at her feet. A flurry of icy mist exploded everywhere, and Ped was blasted into the side of the Three Broomsticks. She slumped to the ground, unconscious again.

McGonagall rushed over to her and conjured some metal bands to bind her once more, along with some sort of muzzle over her face. Meanwhile, Voldemort picked up his wand and used it to mend Bellatrix's broken arm. He wasn't particularly gentle, as Bellatrix's high-pitched scream followed a horrible wrenching sound. "Slimy M-Muggle bitch...d-dares to steal our wands, comes at me with bare fists..." she spluttered.

"I don't believe it, she still has that tongue. We let our guard down for only a few seconds, and she almost escaped. Hard to remember she's still a witch with her looking normal," said Ron.

"It's so hard to believe...whatever Asara did to her, it really _is_ permanent!" cried Fleur. "Good thing we cast wards over Hogsmeade to keep anyone from Apparating in or out, or she'd be gone."

"With my wand no less," added Voldemort angrily. "Get that scum out of my sight, before I come to my senses and decide to rid ourselves of her for good."

Hagrid bent down to scoop her up. Harry was relieved to see that although he still had no love for Petunia, he was at least gentle. "Urgh, we'd better stop underestimatin' these blokes, or they'll get th' drop on us every time!" he grumbled.

"And she's supposed to be the least experienced of those four. How much will it take to subdue the other three? Especially that ferocious vampire leading them?" Fleur wondered aloud as she walked with Hagrid.

Harry remembered something he forgot to ask them before. He rushed up to them and quickly asked, "Fleur, Hagrid, how much do either of you know about Olympe Maxime's family?"

Both of them stared back with blank looks. "Err, never did pry that much, 'Arry," said Hagrid. "Why so interested all o' a sudden?"

"It's something I heard in the memories Dumbledore collected," Harry replied. "Wildflower's real name is Isobel Maxime, and if she's a relative of hers, maybe she can tell us more about her. Fleur's probably right about Wildflower being the toughest Reformer, so we need to learn all we can."

"Well, 'Arry, I'll see if I can send Madame Maxime an owl, but...I am not sure if she'll discuss anything so personal," said Fleur.

"Just try," Harry urged. "I've got a nasty feeling, now that our secret's out, Aunt Petunia's teammates will try to take Hogwarts real soon. If Maxime knows anything we can use..."

"At least, thanks to Samus's gamble, we've been able to send some people on reconnaissance to the bases she found," Moody cut in. "Hopefully they'll find something useful. It's been surprisingly easy to set up a network for our little counterresistance. I mean, just before coming to meet you, we got the word out to some witch who seems to be renowned in Romania, and she's heading for the outpost near there. What's her name? Belna...something..."

"Still, it's not all been good news since you four left," said McGonagall. "Inferno activity is picking up here in the British Isles, especially London. We've already made arrangements to have the Muggle Minister and his staff moved here, it's getting so bad."

"Things are getting worse overseas, if Captain Granger's reports to us over the last few hours are any indication," growled Moody. "Looks like whatever your aunt and her goon squad did over at his Hawaii base, it started something that's rendering their nuclear arsenal useless. Said he thought it was something called a 'computer virus' the big one must've planted."

Harry shook his head. From the way McGonagall and Moody were describing things, it sounded like they were fighting to contain a plague. It almost made him forget how much Valkyrie's overtures had tempted him.

Almost.

xxxxxx

**June 28, 1997 - 2235 Inferno time**

**Asara Manor**

Draco Malfoy leaned against the wall of Valkyrie's mansion, wearing simple Inferno training garb, heedless of the vines and their strange-smelling flowers. He was too bruised and too tired to care about whatever got on him. Besides, he had just spent countless hours deep in this hot, humid rain forest, sticking with the strict training routine his new boss laid out for him. He was hot, sweaty and a little bloody, so hygiene wasn't an issue right now. It turned out this entire forest wasn't strictly her private domain. Dotting the biosphere were outdoor training facilities, elaborate obstacle courses, fields for training against robots and magically-animated statues of stone and metal...just about anything her soldiers needed.

And they were set up so that trainees needed both magical talent and sheer athleticism to triumph. After two days of brutal training, it quickly became clear that Draco needed to improve in the latter department. His legs felt horribly sore from running around for hours on end, and he ached all over from bruises inflicted by obstacle course traps and blows from Inferno's martial arts trainers. Valkyrie must've thought this abuse was necessary to toughen him up. It occurred to Draco that before, he would have scoffed at the notion of training up like a lowly Muggle would, but like so much else, recent events forced him to rethink that attitude.

Namely, how Valkyrie and others mentioned this was much like the training regimen used to toughen up Petunia Dursley. _If Potter's ex-Muggle aunt can survive this torture, and become stronger for it, so can I,_ Draco thought to himself. But he was surprised to find a burning urge to prove himself superior to Ped just wasn't there. It was so strange. For years, he'd taken it upon himself to bring Harry Potter and his groupies down a few pegs. Now he was supposed to fight side-by-side with his aunt, given magic by artificial means, and oddly enough, he couldn't work up the desire to show her up.

_These four Asara's going to stick me with...I haven't seen much of them since coming back from the Ministry raid._ Draco knew the Reformers were out on assignments, but he still found it odd he knew almost nothing about his new teammates. Well, except for Tesla. It still irked him how she had pumped him for information all year, but if her constant passes at him were any proof, she genuinely cared for him. He still wasn't sure how he felt about that. Wildflower and Faction were as stoic and mysterious as you could get, and Ped was nothing like the Muggle he had heard rumors about for years. It all served to fuel doubts that still lingered. In hindsight, staying a Death Eater was not an option, but what had he gotten himself into now?

"Son?" came his mother's voice suddenly, strangely hushed.

Draco pried himself off the wall, turning to see his parents walking out the mansion's back door, looking concerned. Valkyrie had invited them to stay under her roof while Draco went through his training. Narcissa ran over to embrace him, but Draco shoved her away. "Mother, please, watch the bruises!" he huffed. "That fan trap alone made me hurt all over in places I didn't even know I had!"

"Val always had some nerve about her. Pushing you so hard, so fast..." Narcissa began.

"Mother, it's no big deal," Draco implored. "If this training worked for that annoying Muggle mutant, it'll work for me!"

"Err, son, careful," said Lucius softly. "I don't think we're supposed to say things like that anymore," he warned.

"Not sure if I even_ think _things like that anymore, to be honest," said Draco. "Hermione Granger was one thing, easily dismissed, but a Mudblood that erects entire underwater countries?"

His parents sighed and slightly hung their heads. No doubt they had just as hard a time wrestling with their old beliefs. Before any of them could discuss it further, Valkyrie's familiar, Ryx, flew out of a window and swooped around them, cawing vehemently. She eventually landed on Draco's shoulders. He winced as her claws dug through his training garb, but then noticed how the archeopteryx was inclining her head toward the door, still cawing.

"Uhm, I get the feeling she wants us to follow her inside," Narcissa offered. Shrugging his shoulders, Draco went for the door. Once he opened it, Ryx flew off inside, and the three were forced to follow the evolutionary throwback.

Eventually, Ryx led them to a room on the top floor none of them had seen before. Draco cautiously opened the door, peering inside. It was quite dark, and what little illumination there was was provided by screens lining one of the walls. It took a while for Draco to figure out what those screen were displaying, but eventually he realized most were Muggle television broadcasts, the quality of most terrible due to the solar flare Valkyrie triggered. But there was no mistaking the chaos Inferno's forces unleashed all over the world. Magical creatures freely rampaging through the streets and the skies, sporting events disrupted by ice, wind and levitated spectators thrown about everywhere, all done on a scale the Death Eaters could never hope to match. And Draco had no doubt that by now, Inferno's forces were moving against the Muggle militaries with brutal swiftness.

"Come on in, Draco," came a croaky voice from the far end of the room. It took a while for Draco to realize it was Valkyrie's. There was a large desk there, and she was sulking in a large, cushy chair, watching the screens as intently as Draco had been. Draco warily crossed the room, standing before her desk. "Everything's going smoothly so far, Draco. Pure, unbridled chaos to slowly engulf the Muggle world. Not nearly enough to destroy it, but to ensure it will be...malleable," said Valkyrie calmly, waving her bionic hand at the screens.

Draco watched the screens again. On one, he saw what looked like a large dam crack open. Some writing on the bottom of the screen said it was someplace in Egypt called the 'Aswan Dam'. A second later, several Inferno soldiers on broomsticks swooped in, magically freezing the water in place, giving the Muggles in harm's way ample time to evacuate. Most would be spared, but it was enough to make those Muggles lose their minds, if the scenes of panicked, screaming Muggles fleeing from their cars were any indication. Draco fidgeted nervously as he watched helicopters move in, firing their weapons, but the Inferno troops deftly flew around to evade their attack, and quickly returned fire. Blasting Curses took out the blades, forcing them to crash-land.

"It's what you hoped to see as a Death Eater, isn't it, Draco? This kind of chaos?" Valkyrie asked slyly as she watched, sounding somewhat detached. "Despite the differences that still linger between us, Draco, we're alike in that we resent much of the Muggle world. How we're forced to hide from them, knowing how they fear and hate what they can't immediately understand. But as you know, that'll all be a thing of the past."

Draco nodded dully, not wanting to think about her ultimate goal. It was still impossible to wrap his head around. But even seeing the chaos her armies were unleashing was hard to watch. Valkyrie was right in that, once upon a time, he would have relished seeing Muggles terrorized like this, but like so many other things, he wasn't sure what to feel. "Erm, my lady, is this..."

"I've told you and your parents already..._NEVER_ address me like royalty!" snapped Valkyrie, making Draco jump fearfully. "That's the worst possible insult you could ever hope to throw at me. Then again, I hear some of the work crews down in the Pits like to call me 'Queen of the Damned'. In a way, I suppose I am..."

"Dr. Asara, I-I-I...please accept my a-a-apologies," Draco quickly spluttered out, casting a nervous glance back at his parents in the doorway. "B-B-But d-doctor, it looked like Ryx wanted me here...I mean, did you..."

"Have Ryx summon you here? I most certainly did," said Valkyrie. "I wanted to discuss the one thing that HASN'T gone according to plan."

It took a while for Draco to figure out what she was referring to. "Potter," he said flatly.

"And his closest friends, especially Samus Aran," added Valkyrie. "I've had you pegged as a fifth Reformer for a long time now, but I needed those four for other things, especially Samus Aran. For years I listened to the tales Kas spun about her. Her stories reminded me so much of myself, and when I discovered she had been brought to this era, it seemed destined that we meet. Tesla's spy reports revealed she was headed for a fate similar to mine, used and thrown away, and I so wanted to spare her that. And spare Harry Potter a bleak, hopeless future as well."

"Doctor, I-I...don't know of how I can help you there," said Draco nervously.

"Not when it comes to Samus Aran, at any rate. She's every bit as enigmatic as Kas always said," replied Valkyrie dryly. "But Harry Potter and his friends may be a different matter. You have a unique perspective on the so-called 'golden trio', Draco. You must've seen a side of them few here are privy to, trying to seek out their flaws and exploit them. I could use that insight."

Draco was flabbergasted. This woman, capable of building an underwater nation with alien technology, had come across a puzzle she couldn't solve, and came to _HIM_ for help. Or was she being more like Voldemort, playing some mental chess game? "I-I-I don't understand, doctor. D-Did something happen that..." His words trailed off as Valkyrie's bionic hand shot across her desk and hit a button on a built-in panel. A recording started playing.

It was a long-winded message from Petunia Dursley, explaining how Samus Aran and Harry Potter had discovered there was a weapon capable of destroying Kor-Zor. If she was right, each Hogwarts founder took responsibility of one quarter of it, and buried their piece deep in sanctums the Chozo erected in their honor. Ped had hitched a ride on Samus's ship as they sped to a swamp in America. She claimed she was going to confront her nephew alone and make him see sense, and left a message beacon in the swamp in case she was unsuccessful. As the message played, Draco saw Valkyrie pour herself a glass of wine. She downed it in one gulp, and when the message was finished, she crushed it in her good hand.

"This was relayed to Inferno hours ago, and I've heard no word from Petunia since. I've already dispatched units to investigate this sanctuary of Slytherin's that Harry unearthed, but so far they've been stymied by its defenses. At this point, I can only assume the worst: the first piece of the one thing that might undo me is his, and Petunia has been captured…or worse," she said darkly, ignoring the blood dribbling down her right hand. She turned to Draco, her indigo eyes blazing more intently than ever. "I thought I made all the right moves after freeing Kor-Zor. I showed him I could bring down Voldemort and the corrupt government that tormented him so. Instead, he's sided with Lily's killer and probably struck down his own aunt! So I'm asking you Draco...where did I go wrong? He was supposed to become one of our greatest assets, but instead he's trying to undo my life's work!"

The look in Valkyrie's eyes let Draco know she expected an answer, and soon. It was all too obvious this vexing puzzle was driving her mad, but Draco had no idea what to tell her. He couldn't understand why Harry Potter would throw away his best chance for revenge either. Draco knew full well that Potter was a Gryffindor through and through, but found it hard to believe even he turned on Valkyrie like this. Draco kept drawing blanks as those indigo eyes bored into his, but as luck would have it, something interrupted their conversation. A blinking, red light went off on Valkyrie's left wrist, which caught her attention at once.

"Something's up in the command center, pretty urgent if they're contacting me like this," said Valkyrie. "I'd better get moving, but...there's still much I want to discuss later. Sorry if I sound like I'm afraid you'll run off on me, but..." Valkyrie placed her bionic hand on his shoulder, and suddenly Draco felt himself get dragged along as she Apparated across Inferno.

Disoriented from the shock, it took a while for Draco's blurry vision to clear. When it did, he found wherever he was, it was still quite dark and dreary, but bustling activity could be heard everywhere. All around were several platforms constructed of some strange, bluish-black plastic, on which what Draco guessed were computer stations built in. There were several levels of these platforms, interconnected by stairs, but what really caught Draco off-guard was noticing the stations built UNDERNEATH the platforms! Uniformed Inferno personnel were walking UNDER the stairs and stood UPSIDE-DOWN at those stations! Once again, it was driven home that Valkyrie wasted nothing, especially space.

Draco then noticed the huge window at the far side of this 'command center'. Wherever they were, it was definitely in one of those spire-like towers, and through the dim, murky darkness, barely illuminated by the faint light from Inferno, he could see the outlines of more towers. No matter how many times Draco saw them, the sight was still chilling and unnerving. "OK, I'm here Isobel, What's the bad news?" he heard Valkyrie ask. Even more anxious, Draco turned to see Wildflower, her staff out, striding up to them.

"We have been found out. Don't ask me how, but a fleet of U.S. nuclear submarines is closing in, approximately 4000 feet above us. I'm sorry to say it looks like Kago's worms clearly aren't doing their job fast enough. They should be directly over us in less than five minutes," said the vampiress.

Valkyrie looked to the window, then at a nearby monitor panel manned by a goblin. "Hmmm, Samus Aran's ship is the only combat-ready craft not made by us that can reach such depths. No doubt the American Wizarding Union is helping the U.S. Navy out. Wizards and Muggles collaborating and putting together a plan like this in such a short time. I must say I'm impressed," said Valkyrie in a tone that betrayed far more indignation than respect. "Good thing you called me, Isobel. This is something I must handle personally. Lieutenant, put me on, make sure everyone in those subs can hear me," she told the goblin.

The goblin fiddled with some dials. "You're on, Doctor," said the goblin with a nasty grin.

Valkyrie took a deep breath, and said, "Hear me, officers on the approaching submarines! This is Dr. Valencia Asara, supreme commander of Inferno's armed forces. We here in Inferno are well aware you're positioning yourselves over our home, that wizards from your country are helping you, and that you're probably planning some sort of nuclear attack. Rest assured, any such attack will fail, and if you go through with your orders, we will respond accordingly!"

Several minutes passed in tense silence for Draco, but all Valkyrie's officers in the command center went about their business, unworried. How could they be? Draco knew enough about what nuclear weapons could do. How could Inferno fend off power like that?

Suddenly, the goblin spoke up. "Looks like they're ignoring you. They've deployed something, looks like nuclear missiles outfitted to fire straight down. Less than two minutes before they reach us," he stated with a calmness Draco didn't share.

"Clinton, you overbearing fool. It seems I must show what it means to attack Inferno," snapped Valkyrie. She took out her wand and aimed straight up. Some sort of explosively bright charm struck a crystal plate in the command center's roof. Whatever the charm was supposed to do, something in Inferno was augmenting its power, for waves of bright sparks lit up the waters outsides as they washed over it. Draco gazed nervously out the window, hoping and praying the plan, whatever it was, would work. He finally saw something fall, rocketing toward the center of Inferno, but once they were halfway past the spires, they just floated idly, their propulsion halted. Giant robotic arms reached up and plucked the nukes out of the water.

"All warheads have been disarmed, collected, and on their way to Biosphere 15D's storehouse," reported the goblin, a nasty tone in his voice.

"Sure wish Kas was still with us. She could think of something useful to do with those," said Valkyrie somberly.

"Dr. Hinada's passing came as a shock to us all, Val," said Wildflower reassuringly. "But right now, we have other concerns."

"Indeed, we do," said Valkyrie, turning back to the goblin. "Find the lead sub and target it, then fire on my command."

Draco's eyes widened with shock. "Wait a minute, you're going to sink those subs!? But you just showed there's no way their weapons will work, and I thought you wanted this revolution to be as bloodless as possible!?"

"My, suddenly you're concerned for the well-being of those Muggles up there? Val was right, you truly have changed for the better, Draco Malfoy," said Wildflower with an amused smile. Draco gasped, realizing just how he sounded.

"But unfortunately, here we don't have the luxury of showing mercy, Draco. They've brazenly attacked our home with a full nuclear assault, willing to wipe out millions of civilians just to get at me. I can't let that go unanswered," Valkyrie said coldly. "Trust me, Draco, I understand the American Muggles. At the end of the day, there's only one language they understand. The only one who was ever different was Hermione Granger's grandfather."

That last tidbit came as an even greater shock, momentarily making him forget that she was ready to fire on those submarines. The goblin spoke up again. "We've locked onto the lead sub, Doctor. Just give the word," he said cruelly.

Draco held his breath, certain that Valkyrie wouldn't give the order. She was supposed to be the anti-Voldemort, wasn't she? That was part of why he joined her, to prove to himself and the world he wasn't really like the other Death Eaters! She couldn't indiscriminately kill just to make a statement like Voldemort always did! She just couldn't...

He watched as Valkyrie inhaled deeply, a disturbing hardness to her narrowed eyes. Then, to Draco's horror, she said, "Fire."

Draco heard popping sounds from beyond the window, and turned to see long, slender, needlelike-things shoot up through the water, leaving a trail of bubbles. Within seconds, they were out of sight. A minute or two passed in silence before the goblin officer said, "Three direct hits on the lead sub. They're taking in water, and whatever their AWU buddies did to fend off the crushing pressure...it's broken," he said nastily. "No way there's any survivors, and it looks like the other subs are breaking off."

"Then we've made our point," Wildflower said confidently, turning to Valkyrie. "We will keep you apprised of all future Muggle advances, Doctor."

"Good. Let the other subs go, now that they've got the message. In the meantime, we've all got work to do," said Valkyrie gravely. "I hadn't anticipated the Wizarding World forging this level of partnership with the Muggles so swiftly, or Voldemort's forces bailing out the Ministry and relocating to Hogwarts to mount a united resistance. We must move quickly to make up for my shortsightedness." She then walked over to Draco. "Your former comrades, Hogwarts, Harry Potter...I may need your help sooner than I anticipated."

Still feeling sickly, Draco said, "Err, what about Snape? He might be a bigger help. After all, he..."

"My husband's already seen enough conflict for one lifetime, especially where Harry Potter and Voldemort are concerned. You are to be a Reformer. This is your duty," Valkyrie replied sternly.

Just then, the goblin spoke up again. "Oh, another message from our Norwegian outpost! They've finally tracked down the traitorous Death Eaters that tipped off Voldemort!"

Valkyrie looked over her shoulder, her lips curling into a cruel smile. "Have them transferred to Inferno immediately. After backstabbing me when I made them such a merciful offer...betraying my trust cannot be forgiven," she said. "My Metroids will feast well tonight."

Chills ran up and down Draco's spine, once again seeing far more of his new boss than he wanted. And then, for the first time, it occurred to him why Harry Potter didn't join her as well.

xxxxxx

**June 29, 1997 - 5:03 AM East Africa Time**

**southeastern edge of Madagascar**

Things had not gone smoothly over the last day or so.

In stark contrast to Samus and her tirelessness, Harry and his friends were in desperate need of a few hours of sleep after returning to Hogwarts. Naturally, this irked Voldemort, but since Harry never cared if something pissed off the Dark Lord, he just told him he was free to go find the next sanctum himself, then stormed off for Gryffindor Tower. Upon awakening, he found not much had improved. Veritaserum and Legilimancy were getting the Order nowhere with Aunt Petunia. Nor did they get any closer to finding the cause of her transformation. Worse, it turned out deciphering the location of the next sanctum was taking Samus _MUCH_ longer than before. She claimed she had run into an even more intricate array of logic puzzles in the relic, and thus it came as no surprise when it turned out Rowena Ravenclaw's sanctuary was next.

The coordinates Hermione gleamed led them to the island nation of Madagascar, an hour or two before the sun rose over it. Against everyone's better judgment, Voldemort was back, and the five jumped over and through the granite formations that dotted the rain forest as they searched. Most of the time, no one said anything, the only noise being the buzzing of mosquitoes. Harry and his friends, luckily, had their suits, but Voldemort was a different matter.

"Argh, miserable insects!" snapped Voldemort as he slapped his neck, finally having enough and casting a charm to ward off the mosquitoes.

"Please be _Anopheles_ mosquitoes, please please please," Harry heard Hermione mutter.

"Y'know, it's like the Slytherin and Ravenclaw sanctums were in the wrong place," said Ron suddenly. "I mean, aren't the symbol for America and Ravenclaw both eagles?"

"And runespoors are only found in Africa," Hermione added as they trudged through a copse. Suddenly, her foot got snagged on something, and she fell flat on her face. Voldemort muttered something impatiently under his breath as Hermione staggered to get up. As Hermione rose, however, she knelt back down, taking a closer look at the ground. "People, I think we found something!" she cried, kicking up a gust of wind to blow away leaves and soil, revealing a small panel made of bronze, nestled into the ground. It bore a relief of an eagle's head.

"Well, at least we've now found the entrance...hopefully. But what are we supposed to do with..." Samus began, but trailed off, her eyes widening. Harry looked back down to Hermione and saw what caught Samus's attention. The snake reliefs on her hand had come to life, springing off her gauntlet and biting into the panel. Hermione looked just as shocked as any of them, but they all got a second shock moments later. Metal bands shot out of the ground and encircled the area they stood in, surrounding the five of them in a steely, weblike dome.

"Oh great, what's this!?" cried Harry, but more nasty surprises were in store as more things shot out of the ground. Huge, magically animated bronze statues of eagles, with wingspans than Samus was tall, rose from the ground and latched onto the sides of the wiry dome, their beaks aimed straight up.

"I don't like this," Ron whimpered dejectedly.

"Do tell me what's _to_ like about all this," hissed Voldemort as he examined one of the eagle statues. None of them moved, but then, they heard instead of saw something happen. Soft words that seemed to echo all around them, spoken in a strange language...

"Samus, that's Chozo, isn't it?" Harry asked nervously. "W-What is it saying?"

"Strange, it's just Chozo numerals, but they're going..." Samus's eyes widened again as something dawned on her. "Backwards," she finished.

"It's a COUNTDOWN!? To WHAT!?" cried Hermione.

"I dunno, but I don't want to be here when it hits zero!" exclaimed Ron as he popped his wand out, casting Severing Charms on the wire dome. Harry and the others pitched in, but missiles, beams, curses and even trying to Apparate outside the wire dome all failed. All the while, the soft voice kept counting down in Chozo, the words drilling into all their heads. Harry felt his heart thud against his armor as Samus said, "Everyone, brace yourselves...the countdown's at ten and still going down!"

Harry looked at one of the bird statues, and noticed something was rising from the bottom. It looked like smoke, and he thought he saw sparks shoot out below its tail feathers. His mind racing, Harry's first thought was it looked like a rocket ready to go off. Then he thought about the countdown. But that couldn't possibly be the answer...

"It's hit zero!" cried Samus, and as she said that, Harry's initial suspicions were confirmed. Fire shot out from the tail feather area of each eagle statue, and in an instant, the platform buried under a few feet of earth was propelled upward by the statues clamped onto the wire dome. They shot upward at a dizzying speed, and the rocket-eagles only carried their little prison up faster and faster, practically flattening the five of them against the dirt. The crushing pressure was nothing short of oppressive, but Harry still managed to crawl to the edge of the dome. He peered down, his heart leaping into his mouth as he saw over half of Madagascar below him, and it was still receding from view. Then he rolled onto his back and looked straight up, and received an even bigger shock.


	26. Level Two

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 26: Level Two

9-11-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

Their rocketing cage was coming up upon the flat underbelly of some metallic structure, one that had a dark, bronze sheen. It was slightly convex, and Harry saw what looked like a circular hatch open in the middle. The eagle statues relinquished their hold and flew away, leaving their cage to keep shooting up on momentum alone. Harry's mind was in a panic when the cage began to slow down, but then, creaking mechanical arms grabbed onto the cage's rim and hoisted it up into the hatch. As darkness and silence engulfed them, the cage slowly rose. Harry could do nothing but lie there and wait, too flabbergasted and still in too much pain to act. When it finally occurred to him to cast some light, another hatch opened up above them, blinding them all.

When their vision cleared, they found the wires had retracted, and the cage's platform was now fixed into the floor. A large domed chamber stretched out all around them, lined with standing Chozo statues that held fluorescent orbs, illuminating everything with a pale blue glow. Harry got the curious sensation of being watched by all those statues. Everything else, from the floorboards to the support beams lining the domed ceiling, looked like it was made of bronze...one of Ravenclaw's signature colors. But where Slytherin's sanctum had an ancient, storied feel to it, this whole place looked like something out of science-fiction, though Harry felt he could sense the slight twinge of magic around him...

The only thing the two sanctums had in common was that both had those bubble doors...such as the one Harry spotted across the chamber, dozens of yards away.

After carefully looking around, they all decided there was nothing else noteworthy in there, and made their way to the door. As soon as Samus blasted it open, a gust of wind forced them back. It soon died down, but now everyone was hesitant to go forward, sensing something was very wrong.

Sighing, Ron bravely ventured onward. Harry watched him go, noting how it looked like some sort of wide bridge awaited him. Ron only took a few steps before stopping cold, looking around. Harry had no idea if it was in terror or in awe...or both. Then he walked to the right, out of sight. Eventually, he called out to them. "Everyone, come get a look at this!" he cried excitedly.

Harry was the first to follow him out, and immediately gasped in shock. A bridge indeed stretched out before them, one that wouldn't look out of place in any sci-fi movie, suspended by beams and thick cables. All along the bridge, there were poles on which more of those fluorescent orbs were nestled, but perched atop them were bronze statues of eagles, wings outstretched, a stern gaze coming from each and every one. And stretched out above them was nothing but open sky. Harry stared up stupidly, too confused to even gasp, but then Hermione called out to him. "Oh my God, Harry, Samus...look over here!" Harry obediently trudged over to the bridge's side, still casting confused glances at the starry sky above. When he reached it, he saw the faint traces of sunlight peering over the horizon to the east...and the horizon looked curved. He started to realize they were_ that _high up.

"I don't believe this...it's just like Skytown on Elysia!" exclaimed Samus breathlessly.

"Come again?" asked Voldemort curtly.

"The machine city the Chozo built and suspended in the upper atmosphere of that planet," Samus said quickly. "This is incredible...this must've been a prototype of that city built for Ravenclaw, and what they couldn't accomplish back then, her magic made up for it!" She stared around in wonder, marvlling at the historic find, this solemn testament to the Chozo's legacy hidden all this time on her species' homeworld.

"Amazing how it's been magically hidden all this time, in this age of satellites and radar," said Hermione. "And I bet there's an impossibly powerful charm around this entire place, keeping everything inside pressurized, and hotter than the surrounding atmosphere."

"What makes you say that?" asked Harry.

"Because we can still hear each other without screaming, Voldemort can still breathe, and you and Samus haven't keeled over from extreme cold," replied Hermione matter-of-factly.

"Oh," was all Harry could say. Ron walked up to the edge, removed his helmet, and spit over the side. Hermione let out a snort of disgust.

Sighing, Harry looked back where they came from. Above the domed ceiling, spire-like towers were nestled onto it, and there seemed to be a flat platform among them, dozens of feet up. There was a ledge with a bubble door high above, but it was far too high to reach...at least, not without somehow flying. Ahead of them was an even larger structure, with dozens of off-putting spire-towers. As futuristic as it looked, it did somewhat resemble the center of a castle, one made of bronze rather than stone and wood...except for the central tower. That one resembled the architecture back at Hogwarts, and rose so high, they couldn't quite see the top.

Two other large bridges branched off from either side, and Harry suspected another one was behind the sanctum's center. "Looks like there's no place to go but that big structure up ahead. Let's get moving," declared Harry. Samus pulled herself from the view over the bridge and ran ahead, while a disgruntled, grumbling Voldemort brought up the rear.

Their footsteps clanged loudly as they ran on, but over the din, Samus evidently heard something. She skidded to a halt and held out her hand, urging them to be quiet. Samus's gaze darted all around. Harry had no idea what she was looking for, until Samus suddenly took aim at one of the suspension beams. She fired a missile, blowing part of it off.

"Confound it woman, what do you think you're doing!?" Voldemort demanded, not quite able to keep his anxiety out of his voice. Voldemort got his answer when the smoke cleared, revealing a missile expansion nestled deep within the fractured segment. Samus jumped up, grabbed hold of the mangled segment, and rolled herself in to claim it.

Harry watched her roll in, then looked over the bridge's edge again. Those bronze eagles, with their cold glares, unnerved him even more than the slivery, water-spewing snake heads. Harry knew he shouldn't be surprised, after learning there was more to Slytherin than met the eye, and a despot far worse than his descendent hailed from Ravenclaw. But then, another rude surprise came. Another eagle statue, magically animated, rose and hovered between two poles, then darted at Harry, who barely ducked in time. Harry turned around, wand ready, only to spot more rising from the other side. They hovered in place and flapped their wings. Razor-sharp metal feathers shot out at them like shuriken. Harry tried to dash aside, but some still slammed into his right arm, draining a good deal of energy. He heard Ron grunt in pain as well.

Luckily, Samus had long since rolled out of the support beam, and sprang into action. Her wisp whip ensnared an eagle, and she spun around before hurling it at another one. After smashing together, both birds lifelessly dropped down to the island tens of thousands of feet below. Voldemort spun around, creating a wide arc of bluish flame that melted any eagle daring to draw near. Hermione polished off the last few with missiles.

But just when it looked like they were in the clear, cawing came from the direction they were heading in. More eagles swooped in, but this time, each one was airlifting some sort of attack robot. Their bottom halves were essentially a set of tank treads, while their upper halves resembles a man's, though horribly thin and ungainly. Their arms looked like laser blasters, which was bad enough, but what looked like missile launchers were mounted onto their shoulders. They eagles dropped them onto the bridge and flew off. Once they landed with loud, crashing thuds, the battle robots opened fire.

Thankfully, everyone had time to ready themselves. Hermione and Ron cast Shield Charms to block the deadly lasers, while Harry took a page from his aunt's book and Banished the missiles back at them. For whatever reason, Voldemort couldn't seem to transfigure or vanish the robots, so he settled for Glacius and Blasting Curses. Samus followed suit, using her ice beam and missiles. Soon enough, the way forward was clear again.

"Dear God, someone please explain to me what _ROBOTS_ are doing here on Rowena Ravenclaw's pad!" demanded Ron.

"Is it any weirder than seeing alien bugs in Slytherin's sanctum?" asked Hermione delicately.

"They certainly resembled the security robots I encountered in Skytown," mused Samus. "I suppose Ravenclaw would have no problem with them being used. Certainly, Slytherin wanted his to have a more ancient look, but I bet Ravenclaw would've been ecstatic to toy with the Chozo's advanced technology."

"So any hopes of this being as easy as the last one just went out the window," grumbled Harry. "Forget it...let's just keep moving." After Samus transferred the missile expansion to Harry and his friends, the five of them kept running along the bridge, and thankfully they met no more resistance. Soon, they reached the central structure, and only a red door barred the way in.

"Be ready for anything," Samus warned as she blasted the ceramic shielding off the door. They all ran in after her, wands drawn.

Slytherin's sanctum had been bustling with activity, with so many devices powered by moving water...but it had all seemed orderly and even serene. Ravenclaw's was a different story.

They found themselves at the very bottom of a vertical, cylindrical chamber. All around the walls, pistons were furiously pumping, and bronze gears were spinning far faster than the ones back in Slytherin's sanctum. Electricity periodically arced all over, making frightening cracking noises. Within the chamber was an array of stone staircases lined with bronze rails. At first glance, they looked positively mazelike, but after further inspection, Harry realized their job would be even harder. It looked like several parts of the stairs were missing, and he guessed it was their job to figure out how to shift around pieces of the stairwell to advance. Ravenclaw designed the moving staircases back at Hogwarts, and made a far more twisted version here.

xxxxxx

"This is going to be harder than I thought," said Samus, carefully surveying the ground level. The floorboards they stood on only covered half the chamber; a quick glance over the edge revealed an uninviting array of spinning gears and arcing electricity should they slip up as they tried to ascend. And for the moment, it looked like the only way up was a single staircase, at the far edge of the chamber.

"We have no place to go except up, so let's not waste any more time admiring the scenery," said Voldemort shortly, clearly not as enthralled as he was with Slytherin's domain. Shaking her head and sighing, Samus and her friends ran after him. Voldemort briskly ran up the staircase; Samus was still a bit amazed at how athletic Voldemort proved to be. It certainly came in handy now, since he had no power suit of his own...and she fervently hoped he would never find the one meant for him.

However, Voldemort soon ran into trouble. From out of nowhere, war wasps and doxies closed in. Luckily for him, he wasn't one caught unawares so easily. With a few waves of his wand, he knocked back their poison attacks and unleashed gusts of freezing mist, causing most to shatter to pieces.

More doxies and war wasps were flying up from somewhere below, coming at them from the rear. Not only that, Reos were swooping down as well. Ron and Hermione fired missiles at the Reos, leaving Samus and Harry free to deal with the doxies and war wasps. Harry used Aguamenti to propel a gaggle of them into the far wall; she could hear the sizzling of flesh and exoskeletons against the electrified walls. A few ice beam shots from her dispatched the rest.

Once they were in the clear, the four of them ran after Voldemort, who had stopped at a circular platform about twenty meters up. In the center, there was a glowing orb, and flitting over and around it were runic symbols, but definitely not Chozo in origin. Samus bit back a sigh of frustration when she saw Voldemort's eyes keenly follow the runes, realizing he could decipher them.

But evidently, not fast enough for Hermione's liking. She strode over and rudely nudged Voldemort aside, wanting a good look. Voldemort, predictably, looked ready to lash out, but Ron cut him off, snidely saying, "Here's an idea, let the one who figured out the location of BOTH sanctums in five seconds have a go at it."

Miraculously, Voldemort bit his lip. Several long, agonizing minutes passed before she popped her wand back out. "I heard Ravenclaw was always fond of logic puzzles, but this is just..." she began, eyeing the runes cautiously. Sighing impatiently, Samus looked around some more. A few meters away, she noticed the bottom of another stairway was attached to their platform. But before she could run for it, Hermione spoke up. "OK everybody, I think I've got part of this puzzle figured out!" With that, she drew the tip of her wand across the orb, dragging several glowing runes to new positions.

At once, everything began to shift around. Their platform spun and moved to the left, while the stairway that would have led up suddenly began to flip around in midair as it flew away. Up and down the chamber, platforms and stairs were shifting about in all directions. Parts of the walls were even pulled out as stairways flew around. After a few moments, another stairway attached itself to their platform, one that led straight up to a bubble door nestled into the wall.

"Goes without saying we should try this door first," said Ron simply. Samus tailed Ron as they ran up the stairs. He opened the door with a single charm, and heedless of any possible danger, he ran in.

Which at once proved to be a costly mistake. As soon as they stepped in, a biting, freezing wind assailed them from all sides, rooting Samus to the spot. Over the howling wind, Samus could hear the sound of her suit's energy ticking away. She tried to look around, find a safe spot, but Samus could only make out a few pipe-like pillars covered in rime and a few distant stairwells before fog and ice covered her visor.

"Ack! Samus, let's get out of here!" she heard Ron yell over the wind. She felt him grab her wrist forcefully and pull her back toward the door. She followed as best she could, but every step made her muscles scream in agony. Luckily, they hadn't ventured in too far, and Ron was able to pull her back out. Once safely on the other side, both of them collapsed onto their knees. Samus knew that the subzero temperatures had taken a toll on Ron as well.

"Just what happened in there?" demanded Voldemort. He, Harry and Hermione were near the top of the stairs.

"The e-environment in there is several degrees centigrade below zero...i-it's impossible for us to get through," stammered Samus, fighting to keep her teeth from chattering. This was a painful reminder of how vulnerable she was to extreme cold without a varia suit.

"Oh that's just great...how much energy did you lose?" asked Harry nervously.

Samus quickly glanced at her HUD. "A-Almost two whole tanks," she replied glumly.

"Same here," added Ron dryly. "Looks like we've got no choice but to let Hermione have another go at that orb and find another route."

"You disappoint me, giving up so quickly," sneered Voldemort. "I'm certain I can whip up a protective charm to..."

"To what? We've seen what happens when we try using spells to get past certain obstacles. And we have no idea how many rooms past that one are iceboxes, and if there's a whole string of them, I doubt you can keep such a charm up around all five of us for long enough," fumed Hermione. When Voldemort glared back at her, she added, "But tell you what. This time, YOU can try your hand at Ravenclaw's puzzle."

They went back, and Voldemort quickly got to work moving around runes. Stairways and platforms rearranged themselves again. But as they moved around, the stairway that had part of a wall mounted onto the side caught Samus's eye, as did an alcove about twenty or thirty meters above.

Once it was done, a different stairway latched itself onto the opposite end of their platform. Samus eyed it carefully, then looked back to Voldemort. "Here's hoping Dumbledore wasn't exaggerating about_ your _brainpower," she said roughly before running on ahead.

Soon, Samus came upon a fork, with two separate stairways to choose from. "Take the left path!" she heard Voldemort cry out below. Resigning herself to how it was no advantage to Voldemort to lie or mislead them, Samus did as he said. It led up to another platform, also with an orb with runes. Samus stared at it for a moment, furious at how even though she could use a wand to a degree, she couldn't use it. With such limited knowledge of the Wizarding world's ancient languages, she had no hope of solving Ravenclaw's logic puzzles.

When the others caught up to her, Voldemort got right to work, deftly shifting about runes. More stairways and platforms shifted about, and again, that one particular stairway caught her eye as it zoomed horizontally across the chamber. She also noticed a platform fly across the chamber and attach itself to the top of the right stairway from the previous fork. "There, the next part of the path to the next highest door has been forged," said Voldemort. "We best keep on moving..."

"Hold on a minute, Riddle," said Samus. "There's something I need to check out. Let me run up to that next platform, then have everything revert to their previous positions."

"What's this all about?" demanded Voldemort. "I was to understand that we were to move forward together as a team, no? What's with this sudden urge to run off on a tangent alone?"

"Just trust me on this," said Samus shortly. "This thing I want to check out shouldn't take long...assuming you stop complaining and do it."

"I'll do it. I watched Voldemort move the runes, so I think I can put everything in reverse," said Hermione, nodding. When Samus reached the next platform, it immediately moved back to its last position, as did the stairway with a piece of the wall attached to the side. It nestled itself next to another stairway piece so that it was a few meters directly above her, and the wall piece mounted onto it was spaced a few meters from a vertical array of pipes.

_Just as I thought,_ Samus thought, realizing her hunch was dead-on. She watched the electric current visibly run up the pipes, and when it died away, she leapt up toward it. Samus kicked off the pipes, going into a spinning jump as she was launched back toward the bronze plating. She kicked off that, back toward the pipes, and on and on it went. Just when she heard the electric current about to travel back up the pipes, she kicked off the very edge of the top of the bronze plating. Once she did, she soared back toward the wall...and into the small alcove she spotted earlier. Waiting for her was an energy tank.

Samus was still smiling to herself as her suit assimilated the tank, then turned back and dropped straight down. She looked over to where she left the others, giving Hermione a thumbs-up as the young witch rearranged the runes again. Once everything was finishing moving back, Hermione eagerly asked, "What did you find up there?"

"An extra energy tank," Samus said, touching each of them on the shoulder for the transfer. The five then climbed the stairs above them. At last, one stairway was linked to a ledge with another bubble door. Hermione volunteered to open it and go through. Once it was clear no subzero temperatures awaited them, Hermione waved for them to get moving.

What came next was a seemingly neverending series of long hallways, all illuminated by more of those poles seen on the bridge, complete with bronze eagles perched on top. In most of those hallways, Side-Hoppers typically assaulted them, and now Wavers as well. Some doors in those hallways led to large caverns. Some could be crossed with her grapple beam and Carpe Retractum, while others had no grapple points for swinging over arrays of crushing gears, and bronze eagle statues idly perched all over dissuaded Voldemort from flying.

Other doors led to more of those vertical chambers with runic orbs. Thankfully they were nowhere near as tall as the first, but these were patrolled by the same type of security droids she encountered on SR388: the Gunzoo and Shirk drones. Worse, instead of stairways, many had only small platforms to cling to. Some doors, however, were completely impassible, colored orange-yellow...

It seemed like they were wandering aimlessly for at least an hour. It was not a total waste of time, however, as Harry had sniffed out two more missile expansions. Just as Samus felt they were getting nowhere, she rushed through one door and was greeted with the sight of clouds over a curved horizon. They were back outside. The five of them walked out onto a wide, spacious outcropping. Everything looked to be cast in shadow, so Samus guessed they were on the side opposite the rising sun.

"Samus, look up there!" Harry cried, pointing up. High above them was another long bridge, and it led to a structure similar to where the rocketing eagle statues brought them in.

"I say we go check it out," said Ron eagerly, though he sounded a little nervous. "Any idea how we can get up on that bridge?"

"There's how," said Hermione flatly, pointing at something off to their right. Samus's heart sank when she saw a series of metal platforms leading up, shaped like eagle talons, which periodically retracted into the sanctum walls with a noisy scrape. One careless mistake could lead to someone falling to their death.

"Just lovely. Everyone, watch those platforms carefully, get their timing town. And should someone slip up...be ready to yank them back up with a charm," instructed Samus sternly, as she tried to decipher the pattern. Confident she had it down, she ran for the first one just as it jutted back out. Higher and higher she ascended, oftentimes jumping just as the platform she was standing on retracted, or jumping a second before the next one shot out. Samus's heart beat furiously, and catching glimpses of her friends making the same ascent only fueled her dread of someone slipping up even more.

But none of them erred, not even Voldemort. No one needed a magical lifeline. They regrouped at the front of the bridge, and after Harry, Ron and Hermione spared a moment to do some measured breathing, they began their run across it.

As Samus predicted, more enchanted eagle statues rose up, swiftly closing in. Unfortunately, these proved to be more tenacious and durable than the previous flock. They sent out their razor-sharp feathers far more often, and now spat out balls of electric energy. They would often dive, spinning while electricity arced all over them.

Chaos quickly erupted along the bridge, the five of them desperate to get out of harm's way. Even Voldemort had trouble fending them all off. Samus found herself torn between focusing on the eagles going after her, and watching out for Harry and his friends. In only a few minutes, the eagles had drained two of her tanks, and she had a nasty feeling that the trio, lacking her experience and prowess, had taken far more hits.

"Wasn't there a Muggle movie about this sort of thing?" Ron quipped as he tried Valkyrie's poison water spell on a trio of incoming eagles. Miraculously, it worked. The metal birds quickly tensed up and clattered onto the bridge. _It looks like the magical solution swiftly oxidized their outer layers_, thought Samus. She didn't have long to dwell on it, however, for a divebombing eagle came at her from behind while she was distracted, flooring and paralyzing her.

"Honestly, Aran, I expected better from you," jeered Voldemort as he stepped over her, slashing his wand. The eagle seemed to dissolve into a mass of molten metal, as did a few other birds closing in. Samus swore under her breath as feeling returned. She slowly rose, but as she did, she realized the others had finally driven off most of the eagles. However, she spotted another flock near the sanctum's hub, coming right for them.

"Forget this...everyone across the bridge! We'll deal with them once we've got whatever's hidden inside!" Samus quickly shouted. No one seemed eager to argue with her. They all ran as fast as they could across the bridge, with Samus and Voldemort occasionally turning to aim backwards, hoping to ward off the eagles just long enough to get across.

"Only thirty or so meters left," Samus thought aloud as they ran, but she could hear angry cawing behind her. A bubble door finally in view, Samus shot it open, but her keen eye took note of an eagle relief right above it, wings spread wide. And the shimmering lore tapestry right above it.

However, there was no time to stop and read it. Voldemort and Harry ducked inside first, while Ron and Hermione turned to fire a few missiles, driving the flock back just a little longer, buying Samus more time. But she was still several meters away, and she heard them closing in.

_Wait a minute, what a fool I've been! _Samus thought furiously, mentally chiding herself. She lost most of her upgrades, but the screw roll was still hers! She curled up and propelled herself forward, just as feathers and electric blasts rained down. Samus barreled through the open hatch; her four comrades barely jumped back in time as her blazing body spun by, plus it was hard to stop. She ended up crashing into something rock solid.

Muttering dejectedly, Samus unrolled and gingerly stood up. Once her vision cleared, she was suddenly overcome with surprise and awe. This chamber looked almost exactly like the one they started out in, only in the center, there was now a magnificent Chozo statue. Samus raised her arm cannon to shoot the orb it held, but Voldemort's commanding voice rang out. "Aran...WAIT! At least scan it to make sure that statue will not come to life, not to mention ensure no traps will spring!"

"Hate to admit it, Samus, but he's got a point," Ron added dryly.

Sighing with annoyance, Samus switched visors and scanned the statue, but nothing seemed amiss. A quick check of their surroundings revealed no hidden traps either. "There's nothing my visor can detect, and unless any of Voldemort's charms have turned up anything..." Samus shot the statue's orb, revealing a power bomb module.

"Hold it...Samus, is that what I think it is?" Harry asked, unable to keep the eagerness out of his voice.

Samus nodded. "It probably is. We'll get past those yellow doors we saw before," said Samus as she reached for the module. It was instantly assimilated by her suit's systems. Her HUD then flickered for a moment. Once the static cleared, Samus saw the indicator for power bomb data had been restored, though she only had a maximum of ten...for now.

Her friends walked up to her and placed a hand on her back. A dull, lackluster glow reflecting off the Chozo surface let Samus know the upgrade was successfully transferred.

"Well, if that's all there was to get in here, we'd better double back," said Ron tentatively, not sounding quite eager to face the eagles swarming outside.

"Hold on a sec, Ron," said Harry suddenly. "The floorboards around this statue look...someone tell Voldemort to get clear." Harry then went into morph ball mode, and after wobbling around for a few seconds, deployed a power bomb. The wave of thermonuclear energy caused some of the circular floor panels to fly apart. When it subsided, Harry was nowhere to be seen, but they could hear him rolling around underneath the floor. A moment later, he bounded up from a hole he made and reverted to normal. He was smiling to himself. "Extra power bomb down there," he explained as he walked over to touch the others, granting them all two extra power bombs.

"OK, _NOW_ there's no point staying in here, but what do we do about those birds outside?" Ron asked uneasily.

Samus looked back to the Chozo statue, then turned back with an evil smirk. "I think I know," she said slyly.

xxxxxx

The bubble door opened again, and Ron and Hermione rushed out. As they expected, dozens of bronze eagles were circling the structure, patiently waiting for them to emerge, and swiftly moved in for the kill. But Ron and Hermione were carrying Harry and Samus while they were in morph ball mode, and threw them up into the flock of eagles.

Harry and Samus both dropped power bombs in the middle of the swarm. As they felt themselves fall, they unrolled and aimed up as they fell to the bridge, but most of the eagles had been incinerated. Ron, Hermione and Voldemort were swiftly mopping up the rest. They drew in any leachable energy, but from the way the others were complaining, they all had at least two tanks empty and were still short many missiles. Harry fared no better.

Still, it was a relief to finally have those eagles dealt with. Sighing heavily, Harry turned to run back across the bridge, but Samus called out to him. "Harry, wait! With the eagles gone, we can take the time to read Ravenclaw's message," she said. Suddenly remembering the shimmering mural, Harry turned and walked back with her, scanning it. Seconds later, the translated text popped up on his HUD.

_Across my domain, you shall find four towers spread out._

_Within each and every one, a vital tool waits to be found._

_But not only do these house the weapons and gear to get about._

_Atop each is the means for your final target to be ground._

The five of them repeated Ravenclaw's riddle amongst themselves. Eventually, Hermione made a suggestion. "The way Ravenclaw said 'to be ground'...it almost sounds like something to do with electrical engineering."

"After seeing a good chunk of her place, I'm not surprised," said Ron.

"Anyway, if she's referring to all the structures surrounding that hub, linked by bridges...we just have no way to get on top of them and see what she means," said Harry.

"Not with this sanctum liable to punish any of my attempts to fly, at any rate," Voldemort added irritably.

"I'm sure we'll find a way to get on top of them later," Samus cut in. "Now that we've got the power bombs, we should double back and open those yellow doors." Seeing no better choice, they all followed Samus back across the bridge. Harry kept an eye out for more eagle statues, certain more would move in any second. Luckily, they crossed the bridge without incident.

On the other side, there was a yellow door they failed to notice earlier. Ron opened it, revealing a hallway crawling with Side-Hoppers that led to another yellow door, this one turning out to be the last yellow door they were forced to pass up. Once they were back inside the heart of the sanctum, they immediately got to work, opening all the yellow doors they could find. Unfortunately, more than once they ran into a subzero room, forcing them to turn back. But they soon came across many useful things as well. They sniffed out a couple more missile and power bomb expansions, for one thing. More importantly, behind one yellow door was the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw that granted them map data.

Just as Ravenclaw said, four towers surrounded the floating, metal castle, connected by long bridges forming perfect right angles. Three glowing dots on the map projected on his HUD marked them as points of interest, no doubt having vital upgrades they needed. But the absurdly tall tower in the center of the hub castle...the image of a blue eagle rested on top of it, and the map revealed no rooms leading to the top.

All this puzzled Harry more and more, but Samus seemed more concerned with the immediate problem of getting the gear in the remaining three towers. She told him to worry about it later, saying that for now, it was better to use the map data to chart a possible path to another tower.

After several long, nerve-racking minutes of navigating more twisting hallways and treacherous vertical chambers, Samus declared they had finally reached a door that would lead to another bridge. But when they ran through it, all they found was a small room with another power bomb.

"What in the...I don't get it, the map data said that another bridge was beyond that hatch!" cried Samus, staring blankly at the wall. As Harry watched Samus's eyes through her visor, he saw a look of realization in them as she stared at the far wall. "Everyone, go back through that door and come back in after ten seconds," she suddenly said. None of them moved...until Samus went into morph ball mode. Realization dawning of them, they scrambled back through the hatch, hearing the rush of thermonuclear fire behind them before it shut.. After waiting a few seconds, they ran back in. Samus was standing by the door, waiting, reaching out to transfer the latest ammo expansion to the trio, and behind her was nothing but open sky, the morning sun shining behind another tower. She had vaporized the wall to reveal the next bridge.

Wasting no time on words, they started their mad dash across the bridge. More eagles descended upon them, but this time they were ready. Harry and Samus rolled up and let Ron lob them up at the flock. They dropped their power bombs in midair again, reducing every eagle in their blast radius to globs of molten metal. When they fell back down and unrolled, Harry looked back to see Voldemort aim his wand at Hermione while she was in morph ball mode. She shot straight up, and deployed a power bomb that incinerated the eagles dropping straight down.

They finished crossing the bridge with no further incident, opening up the tower's door with yet another power bomb. They rushed inside, finding a chamber that looked almost identical to the previous one, with the exception of there being no Chozo statue with an item.

"What trickery is this?" Voldemort demanded. "Ravenclaw's riddle said a vital artifact was in each of these four towers! I see nothing of the sort!"

"Maybe this whole room is a decoy," suggested Ron. "Better get back outside...maybe there's some platforms that'll lead up top and..." But Ron's voice trailed off when he looked back to the hatch.

Harry looked over to it as well and froze. The power had been drained, leaving the bubble door with a dull, metal sheen. "Never mind. Something tells me we're in the right place," muttered Harry dejectedly.

"Harry, above you!" screamed Hermione. Deciding to duck first and ask questions later, Harry shoved into Ron, tackling both of them to the ground. Even through his suit, Harry felt something fast and powerful rush by, and heard the slash of a blade. Harry looked up, wand out and blast charging, to see what it was. What stared down at him resembled a human woman, only made of bronze and clad in some sort of ancient warrior's garb, also made of bronze, complete with breast plate, shoulder pads, helmet, knee-high boots and some sort of skirt. The only things on it that were non-metal were a plume of blue feathers on its helmet and huge, blue feathery wings. It held a long, double-ended spear, the ends razor-sharp, and scowled at them before diving again.

Ron and Harry ducked aside. Harry fired his ice blast as it flew away but missed. He also saw more of those enchanted bronze statues descend into the chamber, double-ended spears at the ready, but now they also crackled with electricity. Lightning bolts lanced out from the tips; Hermione dodged the one meant for her, but the ones aimed at Samus and Voldemort found their mark, sending them flying into the far wall. Hearing that same crackling nearby, Harry whirled about, locking onto the closing enemy and firing missiles. But it batted them away with its spear, then fired a bolt he and Ron barely dodged. A small but growing feeling of dread rose. They still hadn't gotten enough energy to recover from their previous beatings.

The creature charged up its spear, diving at Harry and Ron yet again. But Samus jumped right at it, ensnaring its neck with her wisp whip and dragged it to the floor. She swung it around a few times and slammed it against one of the Chozo statues holding an illuminating orb. The statue broke apart, and before the bronze warrior could untangle itself from the debris, Samus rushed over and blew its head off with a charged blast.

But more were closing in, firing electric bolts. Harry and Ron couldn't duck in time and were hit by several in rapid succession. They hopped back to give themselves breathing room, and Ron tried Aguavenenumenti again. The bronze warriors' movements became slower and stiff, but didn't stop completely. But with them so sluggish, Harry seized on the opportunity and fired missiles at one, and Ron followed suit.

It couldn't deflect them in time. It took quite a few hits, but the flying statue eventually went down. Tthe other tried to fly away, but Harry jumped on its back and slammed it face-first onto the floor. Harry grabbed its wings and, after furiously pulling for a few seconds, ripped them clean off. The statue screamed in agony, but Harry ignored it and kicked it onto its back. He aimed his wand down at it, firing one icy blast after another until its head blew off.

Harry flexed his right hand to ward off the numbness, breathing heavily, his heart hammering in his chest. He saw Voldemort magically lob the spear from one statue through the torso of another, pinning it to the far wall. And that seemed to be the last one. A moment later, a small circular panel opened up in the center of the chamber. A metallic, clawed hand slowly rose, tightly clutching a blood-red sphere with gold wiring crisscrossing it.

"Well, there's what we came for, whatever it is," said Ron breathlessly, sounding as battered as Harry felt. "But just what the hell were those things supposed to be?"

Hermione looked to be contemplated his question. "Well, judging from their armor, it's almost like the design was inspired by..."

"Don't tell me, ancient Nordic mythology," Harry cut in acidly. "Talk about supreme ironies."

"At any rate, if this is what I think it is, more of Ravenclaw's sanctum will be open to us," said Samus, reaching out to touch the strange sphere. The moment her fingers brushed against it, her entire suit glowed with blinding radiance, forcing the rest of them to cover their eyes. When the light dimmed, Harry saw the teal membrane of Samus's suit had changed to a dark blue, and the golden, metallic armor had become a bright orange. Not only that, the membraney part of her suit now seemed thicker, more resilient...

"That's the varia suit, isn't it?" asked Harry. Samus nodded, and he and his friends walked over to lay a hand on her shoulder. Light flooded the chamber again. When it died down and Harry looked down at himself, he noticed his armor looked a little thicker, the metallic shade was a little lighter, but there wasn't much change beyond that. If it wasn't for the message on his HUD, telling him the varia suit was assimilated into his suit's systems, he'd be hard pressed to guess he got any armor upgrade. But when he looked over to Hermione, it was a different story. Many parts of her armor now had a lime-green tint to them...

But Hermione didn't dwell on it, asking, "Samus, this lets us survive extreme temperatures, right?" Samus simply nodded. "B-But...what about Voldemort? How are we supposed to get him past those freezing areas?"

Samus looked over at Voldemort, whose face was totally impassive. After a moment, she said, "He'd better hope his initial idea of a protective barrier for himself will work, and the sanctuary will let him use it. If it won't...he'd better stick close to one of us, just like how his misty form had to cling to me in morph ball mode."

xxxxxx

The five of them doubled back across the bridge, once again making short work of the eagle statues with power bombs. Some dropped sentry drones again, but were easily taken care off. The energy and ammunition all of them dropped replenished a good chunk of what they used up. Once back inside, they again got to work, returning to the rooms with subzero environments. This time, however, Harry and Samus ventured into them alone, considering Voldemort would hold them back. Most lead to areas where it was impossible to advance...icy ledges high above and out of reach, wide chasms that led to an icy death below. Aside from an energy tank nestled into the iced-over ceiling in a hallway, they found nothing useful.

Eventually, they all realized the last subzero room to check was the first one found upon entering the hub castle. As Samus guessed, Voldemort had to erect a barrier around himself to keep from freezing, and even his power was taxed by the biting winds and bitter cold inside. In addition, Samus had been right about Voldemort needing to stay close to one of them. Hermione grudgingly volunteered to 'hold his hand', something that no doubt infuriated Voldemort to no end.

A bad situation was made even worse when they found a whole string of subzero rooms awaited them, and most were populated by ravenous baby Sheegoths. It took what seemed like forever, but the five of them outwitted each pack and made it through. They soon reached the outside again, but no bridge awaited them. Instead, there was a wide oval platform, from which Harry had a breathtaking view of the morning sun and the cloudy sky beyond. He couldn't dwell on it, however, because of a far less inviting sight. All over the platform were four orb-pillars with eagle statues, only these were much bigger. Their wings were folded, and their heads moved to follow their movements.

They carefully searched for bombable walls or other hidden paths, but several minutes of fruitless searching yielded nothing. Harry looked up and around their big platform for any clues, noticing what looked like huge, grated fan units furiously spinning and pumping air for some reason. It looked like they could pivot and move, but Harry didn't see how that could help them. Just as despair and frustration threatened to settle in, however, Harry saw Samus's gaze focus on something on the floor. Before he could ask what it was, Samus rolled up and dropped bombs on the floor. Some panel was blown clean off, and another one of those runic orbs rose from that spot.

Hermione and Voldemort rushed over to inspect it. After a few moments, Hermione excitedly declared, "I think we've got something! From what I can tell, these eagles are supposed to help us get around the sanctum by flying, but here's the trick: they can only glide on powerful wind currents.

Harry looked up at the fans again, the truth quickly dawning on him. "So...the orb moves the fans around, and the magic currents they generate, so we can get where we need to?" he asked hopefully.

Hermione nodded happily before turning back to Voldemort. "Alright, you move around the runes while I bring up the map data, try to figure out where these birds should drop us off." Voldemort shot back with a stern look, but made no other protest as Hermione called out instructions while her eyes squinted to focus on her HUD. Loud groans of protest from the fans could be heard as they shifted about. Soon afterward, the statues unfolded their wings and began to hover, still clutching those blue, glowing orbs.

"So...do we ride these things or what?" Ron asked dubiously.

Hermione shook her head. "No, we have to latch onto those orbs with the Carpe Retractum charm, and Samus's grapple beam should work too. They'll airlift us to another part of the sanctuary." She then turned to Voldemort. "But since there's only four, looks like you and I are buddying up again," she said, a hint of mocking derision in her voice.

Voldemort snorted but made no retort, resigning himself to casting Carpe Retractum on the nearest eagle's orb. Hermione did the same. Both charms connected onto the same orb. The eagle dove up into the fan's magical wind current, taking them with it. Not wanting to be left behind, or leave Hermione alone with Voldemort, Harry quickly cast the charm on another orb, and the eagle clutching it carried him off as well.

The current carried the eagle on a swerving, looping path, a good distance away from the hub castle. Harry forced himself not to look down, certain that if he saw Madagascar below him, his concentration would waver and break the charm. He did spare a quick glance behind him, relieved to see Ron and Samus were not far behind, dragged along by their eagle statues. Doing his best to stay calm, Harry looked back to the central castle. The magical current's path curved back toward it, taking them over some of the spires, sometimes only a few feet over them. The sun was to their backs, and the reflective glint off one spire blinded Harry for a moment. But once his vision cleared, he saw something that nearly made him panic all over again.

More of those flying bronze statues were closing in, spears charged and at the ready. "Oh no...SAMUS!" he cried out fearfully.

"I see them. Get ready!" replied Samus.

"B-B-But how!? We can't use our wands and you can't use your arm cannon! How do we beat them!?" As he shouted, one statue was diving right for Samus.

Samus calmly said, "Simple. Like this." She swung forward and wrapped her legs around the bronze statue's neck. It dropped its spear out of shock, desperately trying to pry Samus's legs off. Samus then extended one fin and drove it down into its head. Its metal body instantly went limp, and Samus let it fall. Meanwhile, Ron was just swinging back and forth, clumsily kicking at the statue coming for him. Luckily, it worked. It dropped its spear, and then nothing could keep Ron from pelting it with missiles.

_Oh that's right! Us three can still use missiles!_ Harry realized. He spotted two statues ahead, flying right at Hermione and Voldemort. They deflected Hermione's missiles with their spears. On pure instinct, Harry desperately unloaded missiles at them, praying they wouldn't react in time. His ploy worked. They dropped their spears upon the first hit, and a few more missiles made them combust. Harry breathed a sigh of relief, but got a rude awakening when one of Hermione's missiles streaked past his head, catching an armor statue behind him unawares. Wanting to finish it himself, Harry whirled around, swung forward, and delivered a missile to its face at point-blank range, shattering its head completely.

Harry watched the headless figure fall, leaving a trail of blue feathers in its wake. He then noticed that their eagles were dropping back down toward the side of the hub castle. A small platform on top of one of the non-spire towers, with a curved metal ceiling covering most of it, looked to be their dropoff point. There was a tunnel leading from it to another tower, and Harry could make out a bubble door worked into the floor. The eagles hovered next to the small niche, obviously meaning for them to swing into it. The five of them did so, and the eagle statues promptly flew off.

"Well, let's hope Hermione and Voldemort were right about where those things led us, because there's no going back now," said Harry, watching the eagles fly off.

"Hate to break it to you, Harry, but you reached the point of no return long before this," came a cackling voice from high above.

Samus raised her arm cannon, her gaze sweeping across what sky was visible to them. Harry halfheartedly raised his wand. He recognized that voice…

His worst fears were confirmed when Myrtle Maxwell suddenly dropped down into view, hovering near the alcove. Harry dropped his wand arm, knowing it was useless to try anything. Only Samus had any hope of fending her off.

"TESLA!? What're you doing here!?" demanded Samus vehemently. No doubt the torture at Tesla's hands was still fresh in her mind.

Tesla laughed. ""Hate to break it to you, oh noble bounty hunter, but your little secret's out! Silly little Tunes might've been gutsy enough to try and take you all out on her own, but she still had the presence of mind to get a message out to us. Doctor A knows why you're here, and what you're after!"

"And you think you're gonna stop us?" spat Ron, slowly strafing to stand in front of Hermione. Harry understood why. If Tesla got a good look at Hermione, she might suspect Slytherin's weapon piece was on her. "Hate to break it to _you_, but there's five of us and one of you!"

Tesla smirked evilly. "Oh, I'd've brought plenty more for this party. Once we were able to track down your ship, Doctor A ordered a whole battalion to pursue. But then...turns out this next weapon piece is somewhere up here, and none of our aircraft can get through the charms barricading the place. Well, unless you count me," she said. Then she laughed again. "But as for the odds supposedly in your favor, ever hear the phrase 'divide and conquer'?"

The electricity crackling around her picked up in intensity. Harry knew Tesla would try something any second. But he heard something else: Voldemort whispering to himself. "That's it, keep her distracted a bit longer..."

Harry risked looking over his shoulder. Voldemort pulled out that flask of clear blue liquid and magically hurled it at Tesla. Tesla's jaw dropped from surprise, and couldn't keep it from shattering against her face. It swiftly vaporized. Judging from Tesla's coughing and hacking, she accidently breathed it in. Samus tried to use that opening, but a few bolts of electricity fired blindly forced her to back off.

"What exactly was that potion you doused her with?" asked Samus, turning to Voldemort.

"A special little brew meant to deal with troublesome spirits," said Voldemort, pointing at Tesla. "It will ensure her ghost will remain bound to that body, so once it perishes, she cannot flee and inhabit a new one. Oh, and thanks to the basilisk venom needed as an ingredient, that will happen sooner rather than later."

Harry looked back to Tesla, once again disgusted with how he was working with Voldemort. As much as he despised Tesla, she didn't deserve eternity trapped inside a rotting corpse. But when Tesla's hacking turned into insane laughter, Harry mentality kicked himself for being so soft.

"Nice try, Tommy, but I'm betting that basilisk venom had to be diluted for your potion to work! Good thing we Reformers get excellent medical benefits, such as specially-prepared bezoars! You may have sealed me in this body, but it's still ticking! So much for using your pet snake to do me in again!" Tesla taunted. Harry's heart sank, but a sudden realization filled him with revulsion. His aunt must have had one of those bezoars. If it weren't for that, they may have ended up killing her.

But Harry wasn't given long to dwell on that, for Tesla spoke up again. "Anyway, as the only one here ever sorted into Rowena Ravenclaw's House, I humbly welcome you all to her sanctum..._TO DIE_!"

Tesla reached out with both arms, fingers outstretched. Harry braced himself for a barrage of lightning bolts, but none came. Instead, Harry heard a strange groaning sound...as if the metal all around their niche was screaming in protest.

Once Harry realized what was going on, it was too late. The very floorboards began pulling themselves apart, and the sloping roof above them came apart as well, separating into what seemed like long, living, thrashing metal tendrils. "Did you all really think this metal was just bronze, that simple copper and tin would suffice for a technological powerhouse built in Ravenclaw's honor!?" came Tesla's shrill voice over the sound of twisting metal. "Oh no, plenty of iron mixed in, for the durability of what Val might call 'that ol' Detroit steel'!"

In desperation, Ron, Hermione and Samus fired off curses and missiles, but Tesla effortlessly deflected the missiles with her bare hands, and the curses dissipated a few feet from her. Then the destruction only got worse. Something had been pulled out or loosened underneath them, and the platform tilted. Voldemort and Harry were closest to the edge, and they slid off. His mind blank, unable to act, Harry hopelessly looked back up. He saw Samus rush forward, ready to send out her grapple beam. But the tendrils made from the mangled roof swung down, whipping Samus back to form a cage. It trapped her, Ron and Hermione. Tesla laughed with sadistic delight, knowing there was no one to help him or Voldemort as they slid off the edge.


	27. An Ill Wind

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 27: An Ill Wind

10-3-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

In a fit of helpless rage, Samus slammed her fist against Tesla's makeshift barrier. Only slivers of sunlight peered through the only thing keeping her from jumping down and getting to Harry. She stuck her fingers through a slit formed by two metal sheets pressed together, and pulled with all her strength. But even she couldn't budge them. "Ron, Hermione, get over here and help me!" she desperately called out. They ran over and added their strength, but were unable to pry them apart.

After a few moments, Ron and Hermione gave up and drew back their hands, but Samus kept on tugging at the metal. "If we can't pry them apart with brute force, then we'll use magic! Hermione, have at it!" Samus commanded impatiently.

"S-Samus...I-I don't think any one charm I can cast can match Myrtle's power..." Hermione protested weakly.

"You heard me, Hermione! Get your wand out and pull them apart _NOW!_"screamed Samus, so vehemently that Hermione seemed to shrink a little.

Hermione obliged and tried to pull apart the barrier with charms. But minutes passed and none of the sheets budged so much as a millimeter. "I-I-I'm so sorry, Samus! I-I-I've tried everything, but nothing's strong enough to affect this metal!" Hermione cried apologetically. "Even those charms I learned from Snape's book based on magnetism...the metal just won't give!"

Samus almost screamed at her, but that look tempered her rage, letting her know Hermione was just as worried about Harry. She looked at the barrier again, and instinctively knew even a power bomb would be useless. She punched at it again in frustration. "Why did she...what's Myrtle's game this time!?" she asked herself. "Why'd she trap us in here and let Harry and Voldemort fall!?"

"Well, you heard her...'divide and conquer'," Ron pointed out. "She's playing a chess game with all of us."

"I'm afraid he's right. And by saddling Harry with someone completely powerless against her, it'll be easier for Myrtle to pick him off," said Hermione.

"C'mon Hermione, don't count out Harry so fast. He did beat down his aunt mostly on his own," said Ron admonishingly.

"But against someone like Myrtle, where she has such an advantage..." Samus began, almost paralyzed with mind-numbing terror. Just when she felt she could cut it as a competent leader, everything turned upside-down in a matter of seconds. Myrtle was toying with all of them...

Her eyes slid along the floor, finally noticing the bubble door fixed into it. Samus forced herself to focus, drawing off years of discipline and training. "We got a good look at the outer part of the sanctum, right below us. There's solid ground about a hundred meters down. It's safe to assume Voldemort got both of them down safely," said Samus at last, trying to sound confident. She then drew up her map data onto her HUD, studying it carefully. "Halfway down, it looks like we can access a walkway that leads to another tower. From there, we can get back outside and reach the ground level. With any luck, the two of them can hold Myrtle off until we find them."

"Sounds like a plan to me, Samus!" Ron exclaimed eagerly as he shot the door open. "But, I still get this nasty feeling we're playing right into Myrtle's hands...again, the whole chess game thing..."

Samus's heart sank again. Now that she thought about it, it did feel like they were being herded, just like how Valkyrie duped her into freeing Kor-Zor in the first place. But what other option was there but to charge forward? Taking a deep breath, she jumped down into the open door, silently praying to the elder spirits of legend to grant her wisdom and strength, and to Harry as well. She had a terrible feeling he would need it.

xxxxxx

Harry had blacked out momentarily, numbed by fear and jolted by a sudden shift in momentum. But mere moments later, his eyes snapped open. He sprang up off the metal floor. Sunlight glistened dully off of it, the sun peering through two far off spire-towers. There was debris from the mangled platform everywhere. Looking around, he saw he was perilously close to the edge, and a steep, metal slope lay beyond. He reflexively backed up in fear, only to bump into someone. He whirled around and popped out his wand, barely able to keep from using it when he saw it was Voldemort.

"Hmph, you're quite welcome for slowing your descent and keeping you from splattering all over Ravenclaw's ivory tower," sneered Voldemort, heedless of how the frosty tip of Harry's wand was only inches from his face. Voldemort pushed past him, walking to the edge. "But I will forgive such ungratefulness for now...Lord Voldemort is nothing if not pragmatic at times like these. We face a more pressing problem."

Harry was about to ask what, but the haze began to fade from his brain. It was then that Tesla slowly slid into view, levitating herself. She stopped a few feet in front of Voldemort and hovered there. "Hello again, Tommy. I see you kicked up some wind to slow your descent, just as I knew you would," she jeered. "Even back when we went to Hogwarts together, I knew there was something screwy about you, and found in many ways...you're utterly predictable."

Harry charged up an ice blast and armed his missiles, watching Myrtle carefully. Voldemort, however, betrayed nothing but a cold calmness. "Just what are you planning here?" demanded Voldemort coldly. "If you mean to challenge me, be done with it. Just don't think even your abominable magnetic powers will fully protect you from me, Myrtle Maxwell, especially now that you are bound to that mortal shell."

Harry just knew Tesla's eyes were narrowing behind those goggles. Then, amazingly, her lips curled into a cruel smirk once more. "Oh, don't get me wrong, Tommy, I'll have it out with you soon enough. You and Harry both. That was the whole point of separating you two from the others. Fighting just the two of you at the same time will be oh so sweet..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" spat Harry acidly.

"Just that watching you two try to work together will bring no end of amusement. It's like putting a dog on the same team as its fleas," said Tesla mockingly. She then turned her attention back to Voldemort. "Don't try to act all big and bad here, Tommy. Doctor A flattened you without breaking a sweat, and against me, you haven't a prayer. Maybe if the others were still with you, though, you'd have a chance. But without Samus Aran's battle savvy, and her and Hermione Granger's brains...it won't take long to pick you two apart when the time comes."

"Enough of this, you sack of recycled Mudblood carrion!" roared Voldemort. "If it's a duel you want, then face me now!"

Tesla smirked again and shook her head. "In due time, Tommy, in due time. I've still got to find that piece of the anti-Kor-Zor weapon stowed away in here, for one thing. Lots of ground to cover, but I'll check back in soon enough. Besides, it'll also be a gas to watch you two run around like rats in a maze, sniffing out the cheese...while trying not to kill each other first! Have fun, boys!" With that, Tesla dove straight up, then flipped and flew down headfirst, out of sight. But they could hear her maniacal laughter echo long after she vanished.

It was a long time before Harry and Voldemort pulled their eyes away from the steep edge, turning to look warily at each other. Cold dread crept up on Harry once again. Tesla had a good point. Having Voldemort tag along was one thing, but being stuck with him, having to depend on him alone? As Voldemort's scarlet eyes narrowed at him, the frustration in them threatening to reach a breaking point, Harry was grateful that his helmet kept his intruding thoughts at bay.

Eventually, Voldemort turned away, surveying the outer level Tesla dumped them onto. "It would appear that we have no choice but to venture on alone," Voldemort said aloofly, his back to Harry.

"Shouldn't we try to regroup with the others? Make sure we'll have the manpower to fight Myrtle when she comes back?" protested Harry.

"Myrtle Maxwell has no doubt erected barriers to keep us from regrouping anytime soon," said Voldemort simply. "No, she means for the two of us to fight her by ourselves, and fight her we will. And come now, Potter, you belong to the House that espouses courage and daring. Are you afraid the ghost will not be as easy a conquest as your aunt, or are you fearful of my company?" he added sneeringly.

_Both,_ Harry silently admitted. Out loud, he said, "Considering how you need four power suits modeled after the Chozo originals to work that weapon, not at all. You'll keep me alive if you know what's good for you," he shot back.

Voldemort's face fell, but said nothing else as he turned and ran for a space between two spire-towers. Harry obligingly followed, only half-convinced by his own words. Tesla was right: there was no way she could've lined up a more hopeless pair.

They tried to make their way around the outer level, hoping to find a way back inside, but there were hardly any doors leading in or out. After going into the first one that did, Harry found that, regrettably, Voldemort was right. Tesla had manipulated the metal plating and walls, pulling them out to bar the way back in, and nothing they tried could remove them, leaving them trapped outside.

They kept on the move, occasionally fending off eagle and 'valkyrie' statues. They hardly said a word to each other, staying on guard in case Tesla reappeared...and in Harry's case, if Voldemort forgot himself and tried something. Was that Tesla's plan? Cut them off from the others, let their animosity reach a fever pitch and laugh as they took each other apart for her?

As Harry pondered this, he absentmindedly followed Voldemort around the outer level, going around an insanely-wide tower. It took a while for Harry to figure it was constructed of masonry and not metal; this was the absurdly tall tower that was supposed to lead to Rowena Ravenclaw's weapon piece. Harry looked up, seeing that the top still disappeared into clouds. Furthermore, it looked and sounded like strong, gale-force currents surrounded it, dissuading any attempt at flying up. How were they supposed to reach the top? And what if Tesla somehow reached it already?

Voldemort's cold voice jarred Harry out of his thoughts. "Potter, it looks like another array of eagle statues is over there...the ones that can tow us elsewhere. Seeing as we've had no luck finding a way back in, this may be our only recourse."

"And if that's exactly what Tesla was hoping we'd try...what then?" asked Harry delicately. "If she catches us using them, while we're gliding over open sky, what's to stop her from..."

"If you have any better ideas, I'm listening, Potter," Voldemort cut in coolly. "The fact of the matter is, the walking electric corpse is after Ravenclaw's piece too, and may have the means to beat us to it. Our only hope is to find more of the tools the Chozo left behind."

"So your banking on finding more weapons for me to use and letting me bail us out of this jam. I'm humbled by your faith in me," Harry said smoothly. Voldemort muttered something, but then ventured toward the statues. Harry followed again, this time more unnerved by the eagles' stares than the fear of Voldemort suddenly turning on him.

Voldemort immediately got to work, studying the glowing orb and its runes cautiously. At length, he declared, "If I am interpreting these runes correctly, and we both know I am, then these statues can take us...right back to the tower we started in."

At first, Harry was puzzled by this, but a sudden recollection came to him. There was a ledge with a door they'd been unable to reach. "That ledge we saw before...I bet these birds'll drop us off right in front of it. There must be new equipment on top of that tower, not inside," Harry thought aloud.

Voldemort's eyes narrowed strangely. Harry refused to show any anxiety. Why should he still be fearful of him, he reasoned, when he's been manhandled left and right and came to _HIM_ for help? Voldemort then got to work rearranging the runes. It wasn't long before the eagles were hovering over their poles, beckoning for them to latch onto their orbs. Harry and Voldemort did so, and they were carried off on a magically-directed wind current. It took a winding path around the towers of the hub castle, but it wasn't long before they glided toward one of the surrounding towers. Judging by the position of the sun, it was indeed the one they started in.

As they neared, however, Harry spotted more eagles coming their way. With Voldemort unable to use his wand, everything fell to him. He fired one missile after another, heedless of how distressingly fast his ammo count was ticking down. Some closed in on him, but those he dispatched by landing swift kicks, oftentimes smashing their bronze heads in. And luckily for them, the eagle statues ferrying them soon reached the ledge, just as Harry predicted, and hovered there. Harry wasted no time swinging toward it and charming it open. He landed beyond it, and heard it close after Voldemort ran in.

It was dark inside, the only illumination coming from the pale glow of more eagle pillars off to their right, lining a stairway that circled the tower's interior and sloped upward. The spiraling staircase seemed to go on forever, but finally, it ended at what at first looked like a dead-end...except a bubble door was nestled into the roof.

Harry shot it open, and he and Voldemort jumped up, finding themselves outside again. Several spires surrounded the wide, flat, circular surface of the towers roof, and along the edge were other tall, thin needlelike protrusions which were a dull, metallic grey instead. Sunlight peered through them all, casting a bright glow on an even curiouser sight. In the very center of the tower's roof was the tallest structure of all, a thin metal pole, the very top of which resembled a trident. But fixed upon the middle prong was a hoop perpendicular to the trident, big enough to encompass a human. It made Harry think of Quidditch hoops for a moment. The other two prongs were aligned with the center of the hoop; it looked like something was attached to them, but it was too high up to make anything out.

As Harry tried to make sense of it, Voldemort spoke up. "Potter, look along the roof...there are nine stone rings worked into it, and grooves along them. And a single eagle pillar planted into each, the bases of which have grooves too. I suspect this is another puzzle." Harry looked up, seeing Voldemort's description looked to be dead-on. He was near the outermost ring and its eagle pillar. Harry timidly reached for it, but nothing happened as he laid a hand on it. A sudden suspicion coming to him, Harry grasped it with both hands and tried to turn it. It gave way easily. Then he pulled at it, and to his amazement, the entire stone ring it was wedged into moved along with it. "So, the pillars can be turned, and the rings as well. But of what significance is this?" Voldemort thought aloud.

Harry was wondering the same thing. He took a good look around the outermost ring. There were grooves worked into the metal plating around the rings as well, snaking their way toward it. They cast an eerie, indigo glow, as if they were trying to siphon power toward something...

Suddenly, Harry was aware of an odd humming noise. He looked back toward the central pole, noticing its wide base, which seemed to be surrounded by an array of locks and shutters. All of a sudden, it dawned on him. "That pole's base has something we need. And the only way to open it up, is to turn all these rings, twist these eagle pillars, so that power reaches it and opens all the locks," Harry declared confidently.

Voldemort looked to the rings again, assessing the task before them. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get started."

xxxxxx

Samus's plan was straightforward and sensible, Ron knew, but the problem was Tesla must have known what she would try to do. It seemed every time Samus thought she plotted a route back outside, their way was blocked by metal debris ripped right from the floors and walls, no doubt by Tesla herself.

"I don't like this," muttered Hermione dejectedly. "This is just like what Petunia Dursley did to us. We're obviously being herded in a single direction."

"And being kept from making it back outside," spat Samus. "Hermione, try Valkyrie's magnetic charm again..." she added desperately.

Hermione let out a hopeless sigh. Ron understood why. Every other time she had tried the charm, she found she lacked the raw power to budge the metal. Even so, Hermione raised her wand and yelled, "_Ferrusoello!_" Some sharp, jagged sheets of twisted metal vibrated and rattled for a moment, but soon fell still. Hermione hung her head again; Ron looked into her visor, and his heart sank when it seemed she was ready to cry. "Samus, I'm so sorry. This charm of Asara's...I-I j-just don't know how to use it!"

"It's not your fault, Hermione. It'd be unfair to expect immediate mastery of all these new charms," Samus said. Ron could tell she was trying to keep her voice steady. "Let's go back...there must be something Tesla missed!"

The three of them turned back and ran, Ron's mind racing. Tesla was on the loose around a sanctum where she had an unbeatable advantage, his best friend was on his own and stuck with his mortal nemesis...how could things get any worse?

Instead of going back the way they came, they ducked down a different hallway. However, Ron noticed their thudding footsteps sounded strangely hollow. An inspiration came to him. He rolled into a ball, dropping bombs at random. He heard Hermione and Samus skid to a halt, both of them impatiently scolding him, but he tuned them out when a bomb blew apart a chunk of the flooring.

Hopeful that he found a route Tesla missed, he dropped in and rolled along the tunnels under the floor. He kept on navigating the newfound maze, blowing apart obstructive blocks and bounding up into higher openings. But as he rolled down one tunnel, he felt an odd pulling, extremely disorienting sensation. It almost felt like Disapparating, but left him horribly dizzy. Ron stayed still for a moment, warding off the weird feelings (even weirder than being compressed into a sphere), then rolled on. As soon as he did, he sensed something was wrong. The input he was getting from the morph ball mode's sonar sense was now completely different, as if the tunnel walls were now made of something else...and the whole tunnel felt like it was flooded.

Ron rolled on, and when he found the tunnel's exit and fell slowly, he knew for sure it was flooded. But when he unrolled, he received a far greater shock. He was in a small room sealed by a yellow blast door, but the rocky walls looked exactly like those in the tunnels underneath Slytherin's sanctuary. After blowing off the blast shield, Ron once again got a rude surprise. Right on the other side, there was a bubble door in the floor, which Ron recognized as the one leading to the bottom of the huge chamber that led to the ice beam.

Ron stared dumbly at the door in the floor, his mind reeling. Somehow, he'd been transported halfway around the world, back into Slytherin's sanctum. After taking a moment to take in a few deep breaths, Ron realized the Chozo must've built the four sanctuaries this way, allowing easy access back to previous ones to pick up any gear passed up.

_Nice,_ Ron thought to himself flatly, _but right now, this doesn't help us much. Can't waste any time looking for more goodies, not with the electro-ghost after my best mate._ Sighing with disappointment, Ron went back through the previous door, rolled up, and bomb-jumped back up to the hole. He rolled on, eventually feeling that disorienting rush of cold, but then a rush of relief when he sensed his surroundings were like Ravenclaw's sanctuary again.

When he bounded up from the bomb hole and unrolled, Hermione and Samus were standing around it, looking impatient. "Please tell me you found a way back outside," Hermione pleaded.

Ron shook his head. "Sorry, no. But once we find Harry, we've got to check this out. I dunno what it is, but there's something in those tunnels that takes you right back to Slytherin's other Chamber of Secrets."

"What are you talking about, Ron!?" exclaimed Hermione incredulously. "How could you be transported to the other side of the world like that? It's impossible to Apparate that far!"

"But not impossible by other means," said Samus. "I encountered something on Bryyo that teleported me via magic to another part of the planet. Ravenclaw must've used something like that in here. I'll bet all four sanctuaries are interconnected in this manner."

"Fat lot of good that'll do us right now, though," said Hermione bitterly.

"Agreed. We'll check it out later," said Ron quickly.

And so they took off again, Samus leading the charge. They found a path leading further down, and it finally led them outside. But for better or for worse, it put them right in front of another long bridge, leading to another tower with a crucial bit of gear.

"Anyone get the feeling we'll be ambushed by more than just crazy metal birds this time around?" Ron asked uneasily.

"If Myrtle's out there, we'll do the same to her that we do to the eagles," said Hermione defiantly. She rolled into morph ball mode and bounded up at Ron, who reflexively caught her. For a moment, Ron was touched by the way Hermione essentially threw herself into his arms. But when Samus charged out the door, charged arm cannon at the ready, he was reminded it was for a reason other than what he hoped for. Sighing, he followed Samus out, Hermione in hand.

xxxxxx

In reality, Harry and Voldemort had spent only half an hour trying to dope out Ravenclaw's most insidious puzzle yet. But it felt like they had been at it for days, yelling and screaming at each other as they moved the rings and twisted the pillars. Despite all their efforts, it seemed there was no hope aligning all nine rings, and their constant bickering only worsened the tension between them. However, when Harry realized that he could lift the eagle pillars from their housing, and switch them around, their previous failures suddenly made sense as the puzzle took on a whole new dimension.

"No no no, Potter! Place that one in the slot of the outermost ring!" Voldemort commanded as he surveyed the rings' layout again. Grunting impatiently, Harry did as Voldemort said, using his augmented strength to carry the pillar from the innermost ring to the outermost one. It sunk into the housing, and Harry pulled at it to move the ring. Once he got it back to the desired position, Harry twisted it a little. He sighed with relief when he looked down at his feet; the grooves in the pillar showed power was being routed. A quick glance at the next few rings showed they were in proper alignment as well. They were more than halfway there. "Excellent, excellent," said Voldemort boastfully. ""It should not be too much longer now."

"Yeah, thanks to me doing all the muscle work," Harry shot back, relishing the indignant look on Voldemort's face. After several more minutes of experimentation, switching out pillars from the outer rings, rearranging some of the outer rings yet again, and verbally sniping at each other all the while, it looked like they were finally there.

"If this pillar's grooves line up the right way, we've got this one!" cried Harry as he hauled the last eagle pillar to the innermost ring. He inserted it and twisted it around until power transferred through the engraved grooves. His heart leaping with hope, he looked up to see that, at last, power was reaching those locking mechanisms. One by one, they popped off with a loud clang, and soon the shutters swung open, revealing a cylinder-like object in which purplish electricity crackled and arced.

"The wave beam," said Voldemort dryly. "Somehow I doubt this will get us anywhere."

"Dunno about that. Remember Hermione's notion that getting to Ravenclaw's weapon piece involved some fancy electrical engineering?" Harry reminded Voldemort.

"Then claim it and put the Mudblood's theory to the test," said Voldemort coldly.

"Remind me, please, why we're all putting up with you," Harry shot back acidly as he walked over to the trident's base. But as he did, he silently answered his own question: _Because Dr. Valencia Asara has the potential to be far, far worse._ Harry was about to reach inside, but the doors suddenly clamped shut again.

Harry reflexively jumped back, yelping. He expected Voldemort to gloat and taunt him, but instead, he exploded with annoyance. "What trickery is Rowena Ravenclaw throwing at us now!? We solved her infernal puzzle! What more is there for us to prove!?"

"Whether or not you can ace one of the top students from her House," came a biting, saccharine-voiced reply from above. His blood running cold, Harry looked up to see Tesla swerving and looping around the trident, before making a three-point landing at the tower's edge. "I was wondering how long it would take you boys to figure out her puzzle. Honestly, any idiot could've picked up on how the pillars could be switched around right away! But oh well, fun and games are over! Now we fight for real!"

"Urgh, you purposely lured us up here, just to watch us agonize over this puzzle, keep us from claiming the prize at the last moment," sneered Voldemort acidly.

"Oh, that was certainly a big part of it," said Tesla with a twisted smile. "Then there's the fact that the two of you are trapped up here with no hope of escape. Like cursing flobberworms in a cauldron..."

"I should have seen this coming," said Harry tonelessly, enraged with himself. "Aunt Petunia pulled the same stunt back in Slytherin's sanctum."

"She did, did she?" inquired Tesla innocently. "A quick study, she is. And funny that you mention her...that's the main reason I made sure I'd take you out first. Oh, I've had my fun toying with the whole lot of you, Harry Potter, but now that the gauntlet's been thrown, I'm not putting off payback for Tunes any longer!"

"What's your preoccupation with the Muggle mutant all of a sudden!?" demanded Voldemort, sounding offended at how avenging an ex-Muggle was more important than taking him out. "One would expect you'd thirst for vengeance against Lord Voldemort, as so many others have tried...and failed!"

Tesla let out her most obnoxious laugh yet. "Revenge against YOU!? Tommy, please, I'm too busy basking in the insane irony to hate you that much. In your quest to gain immortality for yourself, you unthinkingly set things into motion so that I could achieve it myself half a century later! But I'll gladly drag you back to Inferno in chains so Doctor A can display you like a hunting trophy! You've sown the wind, Tommy...now get ready to reap the whirlwind!"

"You're not immortal anymore, in case you've forgotten," Harry cut in. Tesla's boasting hinted at how she knew of Voldemort's Horcruxes, and he had to talk fast, hope their verbal sparring would keep Voldemort from connecting the dots. He still intended to hunt them all down himself, without Valkyrie's help. "Thanks to Riddle, once that body is out of commission, it's game over for you."

"It's not like Tommy will be of any help in that department, Harry," said Tesla slyly. "And if you think you can take me yourself, go right ahead. It's you I'm itching to obliterate after what happened to Petunia."

"What are you talking about!?" demanded Harry.

"The only thing that could've possessed Petunia to follow you on her own was her desire to win you over, Harry," said Tesla, suddenly sounding bitter. "The doc is a busy woman, and couldn't handle all of Tunes's training herself. Guess who took responsibility for most of it? Yours truly, that's who. I took her under my wing and taught her everything she needed to know about being an Infernian soldier. Tunes confided in me, told me things she never breathed to the doc or even her family. She desperately wanted you to join us, Harry, probably more than anyone else in Inferno. I know her...she must've confronted you, begging and pleading. She wanted to repent, and how did you repay her? She's probably being lobotomized by Lestrange right now!"

"What! No, I made damn sure no Death Eaters got anywhere near..." Harry began.

But Tesla would hear none of it. "Don't bother trying to justify anything to me, Harry! She approached you in good faith and you tore her down! Just like how I'm about to tear you down!"

With a tone of voice like that, there was no doubt Tesla was going to come at them with everything she had. But stuck with only Voldemort, with few non-magical weapons of his own...what could he do?

Tesla reared her right arm back. Harry braced himself, anticipating nothing less than a bolt of lightning from the heavens. But to his surprise, when Tesla thrust her arm forward again, her wand popped out and she yelled, "_Lumosolis!_"

Instead of a simple magnified beam that mimicked the sun's rays, Tesla took advantage of how the sun was rising over their tower, and added the power of its ambient rays to her spell. A huge, concentrated beam of scorching radiation shot out. Harrt jumped to avoid it just in time, but still felt its baking heat even through his varia armor. Tesla swept the tower with her beam. Voldemort couldn't get out of the way, forced to conjure a barrier to deflect its energy, but even his power couldn't block it completely. Harry heard searing flesh, but it was almost drowned out by Voldemort's scream.

_I'll never live down bailing Voldemort out, but..._ Harry kept jumping around, unleashing a volley of ice blasts at Tesla. At last, Tesla dispelled the solar blast, using simple Shield Charms to deflect the ice. It didn't take Voldemort long to recover and join in, trying to use Sectumsempra, his slashing wand betraying an attempt to chop off Tesla's head.

But to their surprise, Tesla sped away; it looked like pressurized air was gushing from her boot soles, and she literally skated away. Both Harry and Voldemort kept up the offensive, but Tesla proved too quick and agile while skating on air, barely ever having to deflect a curse. She kept them at bay with occasional volleys of Cruciatus Curses and Glacius, obviously unable to marshal enough strength for another solar onslaught.

"Don't worry boys, I'll throw some electrons your way soon enough. Just want to leave you with no doubt I can stomp the both of you the old-fashioned way first!" sneered Tesla as she kept skating around, lobbing curses at them.

Voldemort kept on slinging curses wildly, not caring about any strategy; Harry, meanwhile, kept an ice blast charged. _If she isn't using her EM field yet..._

Harry fired some missiles to get Tesla's attention as she came around the trident post. She effortlessly batted them away, then rushed straight for him, ready to use her solar barrage again. With her attention fixed on Harry, Voldemort had a chance to strike from behind, unleashing a Cruciatus Curse that finally connected. Tesla winced, skidding to a halt. This was their chance. Harry immediately released his charged ice burst, while Voldemort used Lumosolis the same way Tesla had, only on a smaller scale.

Unfortunately, Tesla shot forth again, and launched herself straight up, spinning like a figure skater. Voldemort's beam of sunlight shot under her, vaporized the ice blast and struck Harry dead-center, knocking him back against one of the spires lining the tower.

Harry cried out in surprise, struggling to get back up. "Like I said, you two are hopeless on your own!" cried Tesla. Harry got back to his feet, watching Voldemort completely ignore him and keep going after Tesla. Tesla kept defending herself without her electromagnetic field, and at one point jumped like a figure skater again, soaring dozens of feet upward. This time, she pointed down at the tower and shouted, "_Torrentitum!_" Her charm struck the flooring, and suddenly it branched out, sending gale-force gusts in several directions. They rushed out so fast that both Harry and Voldemort were caught up, and smashed into the surrounding spires.

Tesla's grating laughter rang in Harry's ears as he struggled to get up yet again. But what really drove Harry mad is that she had every reason to laugh at them. So far, even without using her electromagnetism, she was knocking them around with ease. Two of his tanks were drained already. And she was brilliantly proving her earlier point: so far, he and Voldemort couldn't do anything by themselves.

"I think I've proven my point...no need to use my EM power as a crutch to flatten either of you," said Tesla as if she'd read Harry's mind. "But since I'm on a clock, let's move things along..."

By now, Voldemort had recovered, and was trying to use his ice javelin strategy. He swiftly hurled the shards at Tesla, but these were easily shattered with a wave of her wand. "When will you learn, Tommy..._NEVER_ use the same trick on a Reformer twice!" she called out with a laugh. Harry noticed Tesla's body was crackling with electricity. He was about to shout a warning, but it was too late. She lashed out with a huge electrical bolt; Voldemort tried to push himself away with a wind gust, but still got caught in the outer, arcing fringes of the bolt. "Bless dear old Ravenclaw, keeping her sanctum nice and pressurized, plenty of air molecules to ionize!"

Voldemort slowly righted himself and sent out curses. But now, Tesla had enveloped herself with her EM field, and they simply died away upon reaching her. She fired more bolts at Voldemort, forcing him to retreat further, then wheeled around and skated toward Harry, her forearms crackling with intense energy.

His eyes widening, Harry jumped aside. Even with the hi-jump boots, though, he couldn't put more distance between him and Tesla. Tesla fired off quick bursts of electricity, forcing Harry to swerve and dodge. He returned fire with ice blasts, but even though they didn't dissipate within her EM field, their impact was considerably weakened; she hardly seemed to feel them at all.

At last, Tesla managed to floor him with a direct hit. At once, Tesla was standing over him, pinning him down with her foot, ready to blast him at point-blank range. Acting out of desperation, Harry swerved and kicked her off; she jerked back, but was still on her feet. Voldemort was coming up behind Tesla, but she sensed his approach and drove him back with lightning. Harry used that opportunity to rush at Tesla, landing a punch to her face. He struck so hard, her goggles shattered. He threw another punch, but Tesla caught it, twisted his wrist around, and threw him to the ground. She then tried to stomp him, her boot crackling with power, and Harry barely rolled away in time.

Tesla stared at Harry hatefully for a moment through her shattered goggles, blood dribbling down her nose. She seemed indifferent to the pain. "Nice try, Harry, but I've been trained for hand-to-hand combat. You haven't," she spat disdainfully as she pulled off her ruined goggles. "And shame on you, hitting a girl with..." she began, but another round of ice javelins forced her to fly straight up. Her laughter filled the air right before she ionized it again, sending down one bolt of electricity after another, her more fervent efforts directed at Harry.

Harry and Voldemort returned fire with everything that didn't involve using magic directly against her. But missiles, ice javelins...Tesla ducked or destroyed them all, and she kept raining down lightning on both of them, scoring some painful hits. Only Harry's charged ice shots seemed to get through, but their power was still diminished.

"Voldemort, this isn't working...we'd better prove her wrong and come up with a strategy fast!" Harry shouted over to Voldemort. Then things got worse. The eagle pillars used for the ring puzzle...Tesla magnetically levitated them, and hurled one after another.

Harry jumped to avoid one, but heard another one rush at him from behind, and flattened himself against the ground just in time. As he looked up, he caught a glimpse of Voldemort coming up far behind Tesla. One look in his eyes said it all: _Get ready._

Harry sprang up and ran to the side, dodging more lightning. He looked back over to Voldemort, and saw that he was now levitating a pillar. A moment later, he hurled it at Tesla with all the force he could muster. Sensing the metal in it, Tesla whirled around to face him, but was far too late. She brought up her arms, but could not halt its momentum in time. The pillar's base struck Tesla dead-center, and as she was propelled over the tower's roof, Harry aimed and shouted the first curse that came to mind: "_Sectumsempra!_"

Tesla shrieked with unrestrained fury. She hurled the pillar away with her power, but was forced to drop down to the roof. Harry saw the gashes and cuts all across her face, blood pouring out. They both moved in, Harry firing charged ice bursts and Voldemort hurling Blasting Curses. It wasn't long, however, before Tesla blasted them back with electromagnetic force, knocking them both on their backs.

Still, Harry was encouraged. He looked up to see Tesla desperately trying to mend her wounds. What sympathy Harry felt for her was squelched when he remembered what she did to Samus. "What were the rules for that game you mentioned, Myrtle!?" Harry called out, knowing exactly how to incense her even more. "Ten points for a shot to the stomach, fifty points if someone shoots you in the head!?"

Tesla looked up, glowering at him dangerously as she smiled with bloodied lips. "Well, maybe you two aren't so useless after all. Very well, time to up the ante..."

xxxxxx

Ron tossed Samus, in morph ball mode, up at the swarm of bronze eagles coming over to the top of the tower they were approaching. Her power bomb easily obliterated half of them, and he and Hermione easily picked off the rest.

"So far, so good," said Ron after Samus landed and unrolled. "Tesla hasn't shown up to electromagnetize us yet."

"But that could mean she's already found Harry and entombed him in metal," said Hermione morosely.

"Don't think like that, Hermione. It'll get us nowhere," Samus said scornfully. "Harry's proven again and again how resourceful he is. All we can do right now is hope he can hold out, and hope whatever's in this tower will help us get to him fast." Ron saw the wisdom in Samus's advice, but still caught the slightly fearful edge in her voice. Not wanting to waste any more time beside the tower, Ron blasted off the red shield with five missiles. When the door opened for them, they were greeted with a rush of icy wind. Of course, their varia suits protected them, but the wind was hardly inviting. Not only that, the chamber beyond had no visible floor. Ron poked his head inside and looked down. A long drop awaited them, and thanks to the swirling, turbid mist, it was impossible to judge how far down they had to go.

Hermione stood beside him and peered down. "Well, that's certainly not inviting. But whatever may help Harry is down there," she said uneasily. They nodded hesitantly to each other, then jumped down. Samus quickly followed.

They fell for what felt like at least a hundred feet, but miraculously, their armored feet slammed into the flooring below, absorbing the impact. Once he was able to stand upright again, Ron waved his wand, conjuring a breeze to ward off the icy mist. They had reached the bottom of a large, cylindrical chamber where the metal playing on the walls was almost entirely coated in rime. Columns of pipes climbed the walls in some parts, and there were some vents, but too high up to try bombing open. Ice crunched under their feet. One part of the far wall looked different: a huge stone slab about thirty feet in height. Ron also noted three parts of the wall which seemed to be nothing but alcoves blocked off by walls of ice.

But there were no bubble doors, other than the one they just jumped through, which was too high to still see. Despite himself, worry and anxiety welled up in Ron. Where was the tool that could let them get to Harry? And more importantly, once they found it, how would they get out?

As Ron pondered this, he dimly became aware of a faint rumbling. He looked to Hermione, who usually always had an answer, but she merely shrugged her shoulders. Samus, however, seemed to know what was about to happen. "Arm your missiles you two. Get ready to move," she sternly instructed as she armed her own missile launcher.

Ron was about to ask what was going on, but received his answer when something smashed through one of the ice walls. It looked like one of those baby Sheegoths from earlier, only much bigger, with an array of sharp ice crystals on its back in place of a dorsal shell, and three pairs of glassy, opaque white eyes. Two more crashed through the other ice walls, snarling and howling before all three charged at them in unison.

"Oh no...these are the adult Sheegoths! Harry said those spikes will absorb every spell we throw at them!" cried Hermione. A Sheegoth spat out a blob of energy at Hermione that nearly floored her. But that left her open for another Sheegoth to rush forward and trample her. Ron dove at her, propelling both of them out of harm's way.

"Every spell but one, if I remember right," Ron added as he helped Hermione back up. Both of them ran together, trying to circle around the nearest Sheegoth. Once they did, Ron raised his wand and confidently yelled, "_Reducto!_" Several ice crystals of its back shattered. Ron continuously cast the curse until all of them were blasted off. "Right, now we have to hit its gills when it stops to rest!" Ron cried.

"Uhhh, when do they do that again?" asked Hermione warily. She got her answer when the Sheegoth whirled around and expelled its icy breath at them. Ron and Hermione leaped over it, landing on either side of the beast. As soon as it stopped, both of them used Lumosolis on its gills, making it shriek with fury. But when it whirled around again, Ron saw that all of its ice crystals were growing back.

Dumb terror almost overwhelmed Ron, and he barely dodged the Sheegoth's trampling charge. As he wondered how he could possibly beat the Sheegoths now, he heard Samus call out from across the chamber. "Don't waste time with Reductor Curses on the crystals! Unlike when Harry fought one, you've got missiles now! Both of you, take one Sheegoth and blow it away!"

The Sheegoth facing Ron tried to trample him again, but Ron jumped right over it, landing safely behind it. Over to his right, he saw Hermione running around another Sheegoth, goading it into using its ice breath. Taking the hint, Ron did the same, not giving the Sheegoth enough distance between them to build momentum, forcing it to attack at close range. After a while, it finally used its ice breath. Ron clumsily jumped aside and over it, but managed to keep clear. The monstrous ice creature finally came to a halt, pausing to wheeze, and Ron used that opening to pump missile after missile into its gills.

It took a few more minutes to fell the arctic predator. Occasionally Ron slipped up, not jumping in time and getting encased in ice, or headbutted aside. But eventually, the Sheegoth keeled over. However, with its dying breath, it let out one last burst of icy breath, trapping Ron again.

_Stubborn git's a sore loser,_ fumed Ron as he flexed his arm and legs to slowly break loose. Ron looked around to see Samus rush over to help Hermione, already having killed her Sheegoth. Both of them fired missiles at the last hyperventilating Sheegoth's gills, and it too toppled.

"Finally!" Hermione cried dejectedly, shaking her arms to ward off cold. No doubt a Sheegoth trapped her in ice a couple times as well.

"So we've beaten the predators Ravenclaw set against us," said Samus with a calmness Ron envied. "But where will this get us? We still have no idea what we're supposed to get in here..."

As she said that, the stone slab at the far end began to move. It slowly spun around, revealing a statue of a standing, thin-limbed Chozo artisan melded into the other side, holding out an orb. And right above it, there was another shimmering mural. No doubt Samus had already read it, for she was walking up to the relief statue, still on guard for traps. Ron took the opportunity to scan the mural and read it himself.

_Words cannot describe how our only allies in this war, these beings known as the Chozo, would have drastically changed perceptions held among Muggles and wizards alike, perhaps chaotically so. Fortunately, these alien beings are gifted with many great things, among them unsurpassed knowledge, kindly spirits and, perhaps most importantly, keen wisdom. For now, their presence shall be a secret only us four will bear, until it is time for you, our descendents, to finish what we started._

_Still, perhaps the one whose perceptions were challenged the most were my own. For many years, as a professor at our school, I took it among myself to take those of the sharpest intellect under my wing. Yet the madness of the beast named Kor-Zor has shown me knowledge alone is no guarantee of one's inherent goodness. His was knowledge beyond measure, yet his desire blinded him to the horrors he unleashed. For the first time, I fully understand why my three compatriots use the criteria they do. I can only hope that as time goes on, the traits I defined for those sorted into my House will not give rise to an even greater monster one day._

Ron finished reading, and couldn't help but shake his head. "Oh, the sad irony," he muttered. Not wanting to dwell on it, he looked ahead. Samus reached the statue without incident. She shot the orb, revealing a smaller, red sphere with two spikes protruding from the top, forming a right angle.

"Here's our ticket out of here, you two! It's the space jump!" cried Samus.

"Ron, this'll definitely let us get to Harry! That's what lets Samus fly!" exclaimed Hermione, her voice full of relief. The two of them ran up to Samus, who already took the upgrade for herself. Samus turned around and held out her hand. Ron and Hermione obliging took it, and a wave a golden energy washed over both of them. A message on Ron's HUD soon followed:

**SPACE JUMP TECHNOLOGY ASSIMILATED AND READY FOR USE.**

"So this'll let us keep jumping and jumping until we reach the top, right?" asked Ron dubiously. Samus and Hermione were walking away from the statue, looking up to try and find the exit. "Well, let's try it. Whatever else is in here can wait. Harry needs us now."

"Oh, he certainly does, Weasley. But you might as well get used to this ice bucket, since you'll be in here for a while," came a drawling voice from behind that Ron knew all too well. But before Ron could turn around, he felt an armored hand clamp down onto his shoulder pad. A blinding glare and sudden shock kept him immobile, and Draco drawled on. "Let's see here...space jump, morph ball, spring ball...basically everything Dr. Asara couldn't copy from Samus and hand to me."

"Malfoy, how did...YOU LET RON GO, YOU LITTLE FUCKWIT!" he heard Hermione shriek vehemently.

"But of course, Granger," sneered Draco. Ron felt himself get shoved forward. He toppled right onto Hermione. As they desperately tried to untangle themselves, Ron looked up to see a triple streak of radiantly burning beams lance past them. Judging from the agonized grunt he heard, Draco's plasma/spazer blast hit Samus dead-center.

Enraged beyond measure, Ron stood, charged wand and missile launcher at the ready. He didn't care how Draco tried to justify his new allegiance...he would pay for this. But predictably, instead of standing his ground, Draco leaped aside toward the wall, aiming his wand at a column of pipes.

They immediately burst. Ron watched with horror as hundreds of gallons of pressurized water shot out. Samus, still groggy from Draco's plasma blasts, was caught up in the torrent of water and slammed into the statue's base. Draco then pointed his wand at the vents. At once, frigid mist shot out, directed at the water spewing all over Samus, and it immediately froze, entombing her in several cubic feet of ice.

"NO!" screamed Hermione, firing missiles in desperation. But with another wave of his wand, Draco directed the gushing water at the two of them, swallowing up the missiles and pinning them against the wall, near the statue and Samus. The mist then froze the surrounding water as well, but their heads and shoulders were still sticking out. And right before they had been frozen in place, Draco had used charms on their suits, disarming their missile launchers and retracting their wands.

Draco jumped toward them, his feet landing on the ice a few feet from their heads. When he looked down upon them, it wasn't with his usual imperious sneer. He simply looked like he wanted to get a job over with. Still, he looked as cold as ever, if not quite as cruel. Ron didn't care about any of that, however. "So much for wanting a fair fight, you backstabbing little shit," spat Ron. "Somehow, Tesla got you in too, huh? She made sure we'd find this tower, and you were waiting..."

Draco scowled at him. "Very good, Weasley. She ensured Potter and the Dark Lord would make it to the last tower as well. No doubt she's beating them down as we speak, and if you don't mind, I better get over there and help her finish the job. No problem since I have your space jump now. In the meantime, I'm afraid I have to leave you here until the rest of Dr. Asara's forces make their way in. Don't think we didn't notice those serpents on your armor, Granger. Somehow, you must've gotten Slytherin's weapon part...and sorry to say we'll have to pry it off."

Astonishingly, Draco's eyes softened as he finished, and his voice suddenly got more shaky. "If I didn't know you better, Malfoy, I'd say you don't want that," Ron spat.

"He doesn't. I can see it in his eyes," Hermione said coldly. "Something's happened...he knows serving Valkyrie as a Reformer is no better than serving Voldemort as a Death Eater."

Draco scowled again. "Maybe you're right, Granger. But with Dumbledore gone, no one in the Order would lift a finger to help my family, and we've all fallen out of favor among the Death Eaters long before this. Whether I like it or not, Inferno is all we have now."

With that, Draco turned and walked away. Once he was far enough, he waved his wand, and water slowly flowed over Ron and Hermione's shoulders, forming more layers of ice. "Don't you dare turn your back on us, Malfoy!" roared Ron. "Get back here and fight like a man!" For a moment, it looked like Draco's head drooped, but then he began to hop up and down, his body occasionally spinning. He was obviously trying to work the space jump, and once he got it down, he bounded out of sight.

"This isn't over, Malfoy!" Ron called out after him. "You and I...we've got unfinished business!" Incensed more than ever, Ron struggled with all the strength his suit afforded him, but the ice was packed too thick. "Hermione, you having any luck!?" he asked, unable to turn his head, ice now up to his neck. The deafening silence told him all he needed to know. Now the ice layers had reached his visor...

An ear-splitting shattering noise would've made Ron jump if his suit hadn't been nearly encased in ice. He then heard whipping and sizzling sounds off to his right. Confusion and fear mixed and churned in his heart...what were they in for now?

Ron got his answer when Samus's armored feet came into view through the top half of his visor. "Thought he'd never leave," she spat venomously right before using her wisp whip the melt the ice around them. She had to work fast to keep it from refreezing, but eventually Ron and Hermione got their wand arms free. Using Incendiary Charms, they freed themselves completely and got clear of the freezing mist.

"Samus, how'd you get free?" Ron asked, not sure how she managed such a miraculous escape.

"Draco obviously forgot I have an arm cannon instead of a wrist-mounted wand. Charged up a power shot, and once enough ice melted to let me arm my missiles, I blasted my way out," said Samus quickly. "I waited until he left so we could tail him, so let's move." Samus then went into a bounding, spinning jump.

Ron and Hermione looked hesitantly at each other, then tried to do the same. As with Draco, it took them a while to get the timing down, but soon they span and soared up out of the chamber for the bubble door Samus left open for them. It was horribly disorienting, but somehow, it didn't make Ron dizzy. And though it was less graceful and speedy than a broom, somehow the space jump felt so much more thrilling. He hoped the experiencing of flying like this wasn't making Hermione lose her nerve, but his worries were mostly about Harry. _Stuck with freakin' Voldemort against Myrtle, and Malfoy's coming to make matters worse! Not on my watch!_ he thought resolutely as he bounded for the door. _Hang in there mate...we're on our way!_


	28. Ride the Lightning

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 28: Ride the Lightning

10-13-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997).

xxxxxx

Harry's hopes were quickly dashed soon after he and Voldemort grounded Tesla that one time. That only fueled Tesla's rage, and they hadn't been able to ground her since. On top of that, she'd used a new tactic to toy with them. She would fly off the roof, circle around the tower out of sight, pop up randomly to throw electric bolts at them, then dive out of sight. More than half of Harry's suit energy was gone, and Voldemort wasn't looking good either.

"Cowardly slime!" bellowed Voldemort. "Face us now, girl!"

At that moment, Tesla shot up into view again, but now she threw something else into the mix. Several pieces of twisted metal plating, pulled from around the tower, hovered around her. A quick glance around told Harry that the whole tower was encircled by jagged, floating pieces of sheet metal.

"Quick...back-to-back!" Harry quickly demanded. Thankfully, Voldemort did so without protest. With their backs together, they could Banish the tower's metal fragments, coming at them from all directions, with relative ease. The bits of plating clattered and scraped all across the roof, creating an awful, nerve-racking din.

Once all the metal sheets were hurled, Tesla dove at the roof. She swooped down so quickly, Harry had no chance to dodge the electrically-charged punch thrown at him. She stopped near the trident pole, hovering a few feet above the roof, smirking as Harry staggered back to his feet. "Watch yourself, Potter, she's up to something again," Voldemort warned.

_I hate it when he's right,_ Harry thought acidly as Tesla rapidly span like a top, electricity arcing everywhere. Faint scraping sounds clued Harry in: she was drawing all the sheet metal toward her. He saw one jagged piece flying right for Voldemort's back. Harry tackled him, flattening both of them to the ground. They quickly sprang back up and ran a circle around Tesla, dodging eagle pillars and sheet metal as Harry fired charged ice shots. They connected, but Tesla kept on spinning. Finally, when every single piece was surrounding Tesla, they all rearranged into what resembled a spiked ball, uninviting bits of jagged metal sticking out everywhere.

"Keep moving!" Harry cried out to Voldemort, having a bad feeling he knew what was coming. As he feared, the ball shot forward, nearly steamrolling and impaling them. On and on it went, each miss narrower than the last.

Voldemort propelled himself away with wind, trying to flank Tesla, but when he did, it proved a useless gesture. She could still negate every curse Voldemort hurled from within the ball. _Come on, don't you ever learn!?_ Harry thought angrily, realizing he would have to handle this himself. _Hold it, she won't be able to deflect missiles like before,_ he realized, and fired missiles with wild abandon.

Eventually, most of the ball broke apart. Tesla hurled the pieces remaining near her at both of them. Once they dodged and were ready to counterattack, Tesla dove out of sight again.

"We're getting nowhere. Magic won't connect, missiles won't connect, charged shots get their power chopped in half..." Harry thought aloud.

"We must find a way to make her drop her EM field, then strike," said Voldemort coldly.

"Any ideas?" Harry asked hopefully.

Voldemort scowled defiantly. "None at present."

"Fine, I'll find a way to bail us out," Harry shot back. A moment later, a possibility came to him. "Wait a minute, she has to drop her EM field to use her own magic. We just have to put her in a situation where she _HAS _to use magic. Then, in that split-second, let her have it!"

They had no time to go anywhere with that plan, however. Tesla soared up, fired a bolt that blasted them off their feet, then retreated again. As Harry propped himself back up, he noticed one of the metal sheets near him. "Voldemort, think you can transfigure this plating into another metal? Something non-magnetic?"

"I...suppose. For what purpose?" demanded Voldemort.

"Turn these into a metal her power can't affect, meld them into something really big, then hurl it at her," explained Harry, a plan taking shape in his mind. "The metal will probably absorb any lightning bolts she throws, so she'll have to Banish it away. That's when we'll have her."

"Very well," Voldemort said at length. "What...metals will her power not affect?"

Harry's palm smashed into his visor. "Come on, didn't you learn _ANYTHING_ at that Muggle orphanage!? Just about any metal will work! Copper, titanium, lead...yeah, go with lead. Nice and dense and heavy..."

As he finished explaining, Tesla rose again. Voldemort quickly darted off, hopefully to do as he suggested. Harry ran forward to present himself as a target, aiming to buy Voldemort time. Lightning bolts rained down, and Harry barely managed to dodge them all as he returned fire. Tesla hovered closer, then lower, her smirking face beaming at him as she hurled more electricity.

_Come on, now's the perfect time...Voldemort, where are you!?_ Harry thought desperately. Harry got his answer when Tesla suddenly looked to her left. A spiked mace ball, at least ten feet in diameter, rocketed toward her. Her expression now one of shock, Tesla dropped down and Banished it over the edge at the last minute. The second she was open, Voldemort let loose a Blasting Curse that hammered Tesla to her knees. He kept up the assault while Harry charged a shot. Before she could throw up her electromagnetic field, Harry aimed and screamed, "_Glacius!_"

The searing pain and recoil made Harry's head jerk away, wincing in pain. But when he looked back, he saw Tesla was helplessly entombed in a tall pillar of jagged ice.

Harry took a moment to catch his breath. Voldemort walked up beside him. "Hmph, impressive, and a far more decisive move than I would've thought possible of you, Potter," he grudgingly acknowledged. Harry simply ignored him, certain it wasn't over yet, a suspicion confirmed when the ice began to crack.

"Oh bloody hell..._DUCK_!" Harry cried, flattening Voldemort to the ground yet again. Ice chunks flew over them. When they stood back up, they saw the arcing electricity surrounding Tesla was crackling more fiercely than ever.

"You bloody fools...didn't you two learn _ANYTHING_ while living with Muggles!?" Tesla roared.

"Actually, I asked Voldemort just that not too long ago," Harry said delicately.

"Well, understand this...extreme cold makes stuff superconductive!" boasted Tesla. "Thanks for the power boost! Now I can enshroud this whole tower with my EM field, no problem! Let's see you two fight with no magic whatsoever!"

Tesla spread her arms wide, and the very space around the tower seemed to ripple and undulate. A warning message flashed on Harry's HUD: **INTENSE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD DETECTED. MAGIC POWER NULLIFIED.**

Tesla methodically marched toward them. His wand now useless, Harry pulled out the Paralyzer and armed his missile launcher. He opened fire with both, but the beams didn't even faze Tesla, and she knocked away the missiles. Tesla let out a sigh of impatience right before she lashed out with lightning, giving Harry no time to react, and he was floored yet again.

For some reason, Tesla didn't bother striking while he was down. As he groggily propped himself up, Harry realized how lucky he was that she hadn't: he had less than two tanks remaining. Figuring she was going after Voldemort, he listened closely, expecting to hear more lightning bolts. Instead, all he heard were strange, whipping noises. When he could finally look up, Harry saw Tesla had drawn cables from the bridge below. Each long piece of cable was tied to a spire at one end, and the other end bound Voldemort tightly.

"There he is...my killer, your mother's killer, trussed up like a pig for slaughter," Tesla sneered, her back turned to him. "None of us can understand why you'd side with him over us. Oh, I still intend to turn your nervous system inside-out, but I just gotta see... You've got an opportunity to watch him pay for all the misery he's caused. Will you pass that up? Will you really defend the criminal from his first victim? Let's find out."

With that, Tesla sent millions of volts through the cables. Even Voldemort couldn't keep from screaming with abuse like that, and for a fleeting instant, Harry was tempted to let Tesla keep it up. She had a point. How could he, in good conscience, keep Tesla from meting out justice like this?

_Because she's working for someone possibly even more demented, and Voldemort could be our only hope of beating her,_ Harry reminded himself as he inched forward, watching Voldemort writhe in agony. Temptation threatened to overwhelm him yet again. He knew Voldemort deserved this, and worse, but he was no longer the Wizarding world's greatest threat. He stared at Tesla, his back still to him. Something on the back of her suit stood out...

Harry then knew what it would take to defeat Tesla. But did he want to?

He sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them, his decision was made. He clicked on the Paralyzer's plasma whip and thrust it forward. Tesla turned too late and was ensnared. "What the hell!?" Tesla blurted out, obviously not expecting this.

The element of surprise still his, Harry gave the Paralyzer a jerk. As Tesla soared toward him, Harry held out his left arm, letting Tesla's jaw collide with his armor. Tesla crumpled to the floor, but it wasn't long before she struck back, trying to sweep Harry while her leg crackled with electricity. Harry barely jumped over Tesla in time, and shot a missile down at her. An electric blast from her destroyed it, but the detonation still sent her flying across the tower.

"What's with you Harry? What's with ALL of you!? We offered to string Voldemort up for all of you, and you side with him instead!" Tesla cried out, quickly rising to her feet. Harry's only response was to jump right at her and ensnare her with the Paralyzer again. In one swift motion, he swung her around and hurled her at a piece of jagged scrap. She used her power to swerve and slow her momentum, but her arm was still stabbed forcefully. Harry had hoped her back would be impaled. If he could take out what he was certain was there...

"Enough of this!" bellowed Tesla, raising her bleeding arm high. The scrap piece she cut herself on rose behind her. She hurled it at Harry, but Harry jumped aside and fired a fully-charged Paralyzer shot at her face. This time, the light blinded Tesla, and Harry rushed in, grabbed her by the throat, and chokeslammed her. Before she could recover, Harry kicked Tesla over, pinned her down with his foot, then fired missiles at her backside at point-blank range. This time, Tesla couldn't keep from screaming. Harry knew he had finally found her one weakness...and further confirmation came when her back began to combust and spew smoke.

Almost at once, the rippling effect that engulfed the tower faded away. Harry gave Tesla, now quivering and sobbing, one last kick to knock her away, then popped his wand out. To his relief, sparks flew from it, the same as the day he first picked it up. With a reluctant sigh, Harry aimed it up at the cables binding Voldemort, and snapped them apart.

The Dark Lord crumpled unceremoniously to the roof. He slowly got up, cursing under his breath as he looked for his wand, his body still steaming and crackling. When he finally found it, he turned to Harry, then took a good look at Tesla. "Her suit...smoldering? Her electric field...gone? How is this possible? Just what did you do?"

"Bet you're glad you listened to Captain Granger now. Wouldn't have figured it out if not for that look inside your head," explained Harry with a bite of sarcasm. "She let it slip that her suits have cooling systems back in Salem, remember? So no doubt using her electromagnetism generates a lot of excess heat. My guess is that enchantments usually take care of that, but when she's got her EM field up, a built-in cooling system does the job. That's what those vents on her shoulders were part of. Take the cooling system out, her EM powers are practically useless."

Harry looked over his shoulder, seeing Tesla had finally risen. Smoke still rose from her back, and now her face looked flushed and sweaty. Still, she had regained her composure, and looked as deranged as ever.

"So you figured that out...big deal. I can still finish this the old-fashioned way!" Tesla cried out defiantly. Her wand popped out, and she cut loose with a Lumosolis blast again, forcing Harry and Voldemort to scatter.

Voldemort quickly retaliated with his black, necromantic lightning, but Tesla willed several pieces of the roof's metal plating to curl up and shield her. Harry saw the effort bring Tesla to one knee. Even this minor use of electromagnetism nearly made her pass out. Tesla flung curses back at Voldemort from behind cover, but while she was focused on him, Harry ran around her barriers and unloaded with a charged ice blast. The impact knocked her out from behind cover. Voldemort cut loose with the black lightning while Harry unloaded missiles. The double-whammy knocked Tesla into the air with a scream, but when she came crashing down, she was deathly silent and barely moving.

_I can't believe it, we actually did it_, Harry thought. Another Reformer was down, and thanks to Voldemort's spirit-binding potion, half of Valkyrie's squad was now theirs. Voldemort grabbed Tesla by the hair and hoisted her up; her face was a bloody mess, her ravaged containment suit was sparking everywhere, and her injured arm had yet to stop bleeding. But Harry had no pity for her this time.

"So, my dear little reanimated Mudblood, what was that about Lord Voldemort being unable to stamp you out twice?" sneered Voldemort, holding his wand up to Tesla's throat.

Rather than being intimidated, Tesla was as defiantly flippant as ever. "N-Not without your number one anti-fan doing the l-lion's share of the grunt work, Tommy," Tesla croaked out. "No matter how much you bluster, Tommy, there's no getting around how things'll n-never be the same after the Day of Reckoning, and it's coming soon. Beating me makes no d-difference...you'll never be known as the master of darkness ever again..."

"Are you saying Valkyrie's getting close to unleashing Kor-Zor's full power?" Harry asked breathlessly.

"You better believe it, Harry," bragged Tesla, casting a sideways glance at Harry with bloodshot eyes. "Only a few days left until everything is ready, until we've caused enough chaos and destruction...and then it'll be time. Snake-Eyes here still thinks he's the Darkest mofo around...let's see him top shrouding the entire planet in total darkness!"

"And just how will this help with Asara's true goal!?" demanded Voldemort, not rising to the bait. "We've deduced her true intent...the scandalous bitch seeks to mutate every wretched Muggle, the way she did Potter's worthless aunt!"

"You mean_ I _deduced her true intent," Harry cut in curtly.

Tesla slowly turned to face him, bloodied lips curled into a bone-chilling smile. "Good for you, Harry. But tell me...you still dead-set on opposing the doc, knowing that? Aren't you, your best mates and those Order types supposed to be the ones who actually care about Muggle-kind? What better way to ensure their protection from folks like Pink-Eye here, than to give them our power?"

"Yeah, sure, it sounds good in theory," Harry shot back defiantly, but truthfully, Tesla's questions caught him off-guard. "But whatever Valkyrie's reasons..."

"But _NOTHING_, Harry!" spat Tesla. "Doctor A hates the Muggle world more than you'll ever know. But she refuses to condemn the entire lot of them to a chaotic future, letting them keep right on destroying themselves, and this world along with them. Not when she's got the will and the smarts to bring about the next phase of human evolution, change everything for the better. If you're willing to keep on letting them be picked off by wankers like Tommy here...you're no better when it comes to Muggles than he is!" Harry was surprised to find himself stricken by Tesla's rant.

"Enough of this twottle!" roared Voldemort, jerking Tesla's head so that she stared right back at him. "So you admit your master's plot is to make the unworthy Muggle scum that scurry about just like us. Very well...how is it to be done!? How can Kor-Zor's dark power possib_BLLEARCH_!"

Harry jumped back when he saw three wide bursts of sizzling plasma rip through Voldemort, almost hitting him as well. Then, after Voldemort sank to his knees, Harry gasped in shock as Draco's armored form soared over him, brandishing his spear. "Aww, no chitin and talons and drool this time, Potter? Too bad!" Draco drawled as he brought his spear down.

Harry jumped up, clumsily throwing an uppercut. Draco tried to swerve away, but Harry still nailed him in the head. They clattered to the roof, a tangle of armored limbs, but Draco eventually kicked him off. Harry popped his wand out and began charging a shot, but in an eyeblink, Draco was all over him, delivering a volley of quick punches that floored Harry.

"Well I'll be...fighting like a Muggle has its advantages after all!" Draco cried triumphantly. His teeth clenched in anger, Harry sprang back up, only to see Draco carefully backing up toward Voldemort and Tesla. Just as Voldemort was back on his feet, Draco swung around and impaled him with his spear. He nervously flung him away, then helped Tesla to her feet. "Oh no...Tesla, looks like Dr. Asara'll have to clone another..."

"Not this time. Voldemort doused me with some potion that bound my spirit form to this body," Tesla said nonchalantly. "But don't worry about me...you've put the other three in cryo, and I've softened up these two clowns. Finish the job. Destroy them for good!"

Harry had a shot charged and his missiles armed, but held back when he saw Draco stare straight at him. It was as if his earlier bravado faded entirely, his eyes showing reluctance. "T-T-Tesla, no! I-If you're s-stuck in that body, I've got to get you back to Inferno!" Every syllable Draco uttered made it clear he was looking for excuses to not attack. Whatever the reason, Harry knew cowardice wasn't the root of his reluctance.

"Get them, Draco! That's an order!" bellowed Tesla, ignoring Draco.

"You can't order me about! We're both Reformers!" protested Draco.

"You're only a Reformer in training, and I have seniority!" Tesla spat. "This is your duty as part of the doc's elite guard..._TAKE THEM DOWN_!"

By now, Voldemort healed his wounds and was sidling up to Harry. Even with his armor separating their minds, Harry could sense Voldemort was itching to strike. "Mudblood bitch kept us talking long enough for my deluded old follower to arrive," he muttered under his breath. Then, more loudly, he said, "Draco, you should know better. This sack of carrion could stand against me for a while, but you're gravely mistaken if you think _you_ can." Draco turned to him, apprehension still showing in his eyes, but nowhere near as much as when he faced Harry.

"Well, even if he isn't, Malfoy's still shit out of luck," came a voice that made Harry's heart swell. It was Ron. Next came the sound of ice beam shots. Draco's head jerked back, his eyes widening. He grabbed Tesla, barely jumping in time to get out of range of Samus, Ron and Hermione's barrage. The three of them stood by the bubble door in the roof, murderous expressions behind all their visors. "Come on Malfoy, don't look so surprised. I mean, isn't there a rule somewhere saying the bad guys should never just leave their enemies for dead?"

"Anyone who's on Voldemort's side shouldn't be calling anyone else a 'bad guy', ginger," Tesla shot back. She then coughed up blood, making Draco turn to stare worriedly at her. "_FORGET_ about me, Draco..._ATTACK_! At least blast away Harry...with his suit out of commission, they can't use all four pieces!" Draco just glanced around nervously at the five of them, the reality of the hopeless odds sinking in.

"Very well, Draco, if you won't attack..._I WILL_!" roared Voldemort, raising his wand. Draco was faster, popping his wand and firing a spazer shot. His blast struck the floor near Harry and Voldemort, causing ice chunks, crackling electricity and fiery sparks to fly everywhere. Harry was knocked flat on his back, but when he sprang back up, he saw Draco held Tesla in both arms. He jumped just as Ron, Hermione and Samus opened fire. He went into a spin in midair. Harry gasped when he saw him turn around and bound, as if Draco had the space jump. Draco soared over the spires, then allowed himself to fall.

xxxxxx

Hermione helplessly watched Draco drop out of sight. Filled with a sick dread, she used her own space jump to bound up to a spire, her fear of flying without a plane forgotten. She grabbed onto the tip of one spire and looked over the edge. She could make out Draco, still clutching Tesla, barely a second before they vanished beneath the clouds.

Sighing and shaking her head, Hermione jumped back down. "They're gone. I can't believe Malfoy just threw their lives away like that," she muttered.

"Don't worry, Hermione...they'll be back. Malfoy's spear transforms into a broom, remember?" Ron pointed out.

"And Draco mentioned something about Inferno airships lurking right outside this castle," added Samus. "No doubt he'll regroup with Inferno's forces. At least with Tesla out of the equation, for now, they have no way in."

"Wouldn't put any Galleons down on that, not after seeing Inferno burrow into the Ministry," said Harry grimly. But Hermione could tell his heart was swelling with relief after seeing his friends were alive and well. She felt the exact same way about seeing him. "Anyway...good to see all of you again, especially after having only Riddle and Myrtle for company," he added. Voldemort simply ignored him.

Hermione ran up to Harry and hugged him tightly, though their suits made it awkward. "Oh Harry, we were worried sick. We thought Myrtle would pick you apart!" she sobbed.

"Yeah, well, I bet Tesla thought no one would ever dope out her one weakness, a cooling system on her back. But there you have it," Harry replied confidently. "And what happened with Draco? Did Tesla lure you into a trap that he sprung?"

Hermione nodded, launching into an explanation of how Draco was waiting to ambush them in the tower housing the space jump, aiming to leave them in an icy prison. "And the space jump let us tail him all the way to the bridge outside," Hermione finished.

"And speaking of the space jump, let's get you outfitted," said Samus as she walked up behind Harry. She planted a hand on his shoulder, and her touch transferred the data to Harry's suit. "And well done Harry, handling Tesla after she tried to stack everything in her favor," she added, but Hermione noticed Harry didn't look too encouraged by Samus's compliment.

"Yeah, thanks for finally shutting that undead bag of laughing gas up," said Ron. "But was she guarding anything up here? Ravenclaw said all four towers had something important, and right below is where we came in..."

Harry smirked and turned to the roof's center, where a large, trident-like pole rose from a strange base covered with locks and shutters. "Well, with Myrtle gone, and this power transfer puzzle already solved, there shouldn't be anything to keep this shut," he said, flicking his wand. The shutters snapped apart, revealing what Hermione guessed was the wave beam.

"Excellent!" cried Samus as they all made their way to the trident's base. They reached in to grab hold of the module at the same time. All four of them crackled with purplish energy for a moment, while Voldemort simply looked on, his bloodied, bruised face impassive.

It eerily resembled Phazon infection in Hermione's eyes. After fiddling with the panel on her right gauntlet for a moment, then popping her wand, she sighed with relief when she confirmed it was just an electricity. She then hit the button for the ice beam, and her wand frosted up again while electricity still arced around it. _Weird...you wouldn't think wood conducted any electricity. Maybe the ice beam effect will fix that, however,_ Hermione mused. Once she realized she was thinking too deeply into it, she sighed and looked back up.

Everyone else was looking up, too. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that that trident had some significance. It was Ron who finally voiced what they were all thinking. "So...anyone got any idea what this pole does? Think it has anything to do with 'grounding' our last target?"

"I suspect it does," said Samus. "We've recovered the gear in all four towers, scoured most of the castle...only that huge central pillar where Ravenclaw is hiding is inaccessible. This must somehow do something to fix that."

"And here's further evidence," Voldemort called out from the roof's far side. Everyone turned to look over at him. He was clutching the spiky top of a spire as Hermione had earlier, looking at something far off in the distance. "Using a simple Telescopic Charm, I can see there's another one of those tridents on the tower where Draco ambushed you. No doubt all four have one."

"And we just need to figure out how to use them," Harry added. He looked up again. "Still makes me think of a Quidditch hoop...maybe someone's supposed to get up in there and do something."

"I'll do it," Hermione volunteered, earning surprised looks from everyone. Hermione wasn't too keen on flying again, but so much about exploring these monuments to history was inspiring. Not only were these sanctums a look into the minds of the four historical figures she'd studied so religiously, they were a look into mankind's first encounter with an alien race. This first contact brought about unions of evil and unions for good, with light eventually triumphing over darkness. The whole thing had an exciting, uplifting aura to it. _Too bad things among humans and aliens aren't as rosy in Samus's time,_ she mused as she nervously bounded up to the trident's hoop.

It was still horribly disorienting, flying in such a manner, but Hermione refused to let this nagging old fear foul her up. Even without that nervousness, however, it would still be hard to control the space jump. It took Hermione some time, but she eventually reached the hoop, having to reach out to grasp the lower half.

Breathing heavily, she pulled herself up and carefully balanced herself inside. She looked up and down the hoop's interior, but nothing stood out. No circuitry, no wires...it looked to be solid metal. Sighing, Hermione looked to one of the prongs. There was some sort of handle. Hermione carefully reached over to grab it, and was surprised to find she could pull it out. The handle was attached to a thick sheaf of wires. She turned to see the final prong also had a handle, and she pulled that one out too.

For a moment, Hermione just stood there in the hoop, wondering what she was supposed to do. Then she remembered Harry mentioned something about power transfer. The ice beam was needed to solve Slytherin's final puzzle. Was the wave beam's power to be used here? How was she to harness it?

Hermione took a good look at the hoop again, trying to remember all she could about electrical engineering. _Let's see, electricity is created on the principle of something magnetically charged spinning around in a generator,_ Hermione considered. _Hold on, spinning and charged...could it be..._

A wild hope swelling in her heart, Hermione popped her wand and held it between her thumb and index finger. Her right middle, ring and pinky fingers still grasped the handle, and with her other hand, she shut off the ice beam. "OK, everyone, get ready for...something!" Hermione warned as she charged a shot. She began space jumping inside the hoop while grasping the handles. Doing so kept her inside the hoop, her entire body crackling with electricity. When she was able to catch glimpses downward, she saw her theory was correct...electricity was traveling down the trident, and the entire roof was ablaze with radiant light.

But as time wore on, Hermione got the notion that outside a fancy light show, nothing was happening. So she let her spinning body come to a halt, then jumped down from the hoop, landing near her friends. "So, did anything useful happen?" she asked shakily.

"Samus was running scans the entire time you were generating power in that thing," said Harry. "From what she can tell, whenever someone uses one of these hoops, the power generated is transferred along cables in those bridges. Shunted somewhere into the hub castle."

"You also essentially turned this entire tower into one big electromagnet," added Samus. "And from what I could tell, a lot of the power matrices along the roof were dangerously unstable. If something had set them off..."

"All very fascinating, but how does this get us any closer to reaching Rowena Ravenclaw's prize?" Voldemort cut in.

"Isn't it obvious? We have to generate power in all four hoops," Ron deduced.

"Well, with the space jump, it should be easy to backtrack to the other towers," said Harry. "Then again, with all those magic statues still flying around, it might not be a good idea to try flying right to them. Not without the screw attack, anyway."

"You may have to. We still have no way to remove those roadblocks Maxwell pulled into place," Voldemort pointed out.

Hermione hated to acknowledge it, but Voldemort had a point. However, as she looked at a nearby piece of twisted metal plating, a possibility came to her. "Maybe we do now," she said hesitantly, and all eyes turned to her. She slowly raised her wand and charged a shot, with only the wave beam still active. Then, she aimed at the plating and yelled, "_Ferrusoello!_" At once, the huge piece of scrap was blasted off the roof, as if a giant finger had flicked it away. Nearby eagle pillars and scraps were repelled as well.

"Wow, another charm that combines with a beam?" Ron inquired.

"Yeah, but just like the 'Glacius Beam', it eats up five missiles," said Hermione, checking her HUD.

"And of course, it's not as powerful as the magnetic force Tesla throws around, otherwise the magic couldn't work," Samus added. "Still, it'll be more than enough to take out her roadblocks."

"So me, Ron and Samus had all better backtrack to a tower. Then we can send out a signal for Hermione when we're in place. Then we turn up the juice," said Harry.

"Of course, Samus will need me to send out a magic beacon," sneered Voldemort. "Unless, by some miracle, such a minor feat is no longer beyond her."

"If you don't want to tag along this time, don't feel obligated to," snapped Samus.

"Yeah, whatever, let's just get moving," Harry said quickly. "We can't count on this sanctum's enchantments keeping Inferno out forever, and from what Myrtle said...it sounds like Valkyrie's only days away from collecting all the dark energy she needs."

They all considered the weight behind Harry's words. There was very little discussion after that. Hermione watched everyone else head for the door in the roof, and the deafening, dreadful silence lingered long after she was left alone. She paced impatiently around the roof, knowing it would take quite a while for anyone else to reach the other towers. As she paced, her eyes fell on a dislodged pillar, the eagle statue on top seeming to gaze right at her. The symbol of the House that Valkyrie and Tesla hailed from.

As she stared at it, Hermione recalled how so many Infernians compared her to Valkyrie. A Muggle-born witch with ties to the United States and the Order of the Phoenix, gifted with great intellect. Someone who cared so deeply for so many, especially non-humans, and others viewed her as eccentric because of that...

And yet despite all that, despite everything Valkyrie could offer, the two of them were on opposite sides, all because there were lines Hermione swore she would never cross. Hermione realized, though, that at one time, Valkyrie might have sworn the same thing to herself. _But what kept me from snapping like Asara did, and convincing myself I have the right to play God?_ Hermione wondered. _Was it because I've never suffered loss on the scale she did, or was it something else about her, something even my grandfather couldn't see?_ But no answers came to Hermione as she patiently waited for the signals.

xxxxxx

While Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Samus Aran each scampered off to a tower, Voldemort headed back to the hub castle's outer level, waiting to see what effect the power transfer would have. Truthfully, he needed the time alone to ponder and plan for whatever lay ahead, as only Lord Voldemort could. But more importantly, he needed to focus, so that the boiling rage within him could simmer down.

Not too long ago, Potter outsmarted him in Salem. Now, not only was he forced to endure this galling partnership with all his greatest enemies, but Potter had the nerve to _SAVE_ him! He, the Dark Lord, who until recently no one else dared name aloud, saved by the one who always beat him through dumb luck and blind chance! It was enough to nearly make even him, always known for his veneer of icy calm, explode with fury.

He thought back to their battle with Myrtle Maxwell. Somehow, Potter figured out ways to get around Myrtle's abominable powers, and ultimately shut them down. It was almost as galling as how Valencia Asara's elite soldiers surpassed even his greatest Death Eaters, even Potter's wretched Muggle aunt! It took the entire 'golden trio', outfitted with those suits from Samus's time, to bring her down!

_And no doubt the Order hasn't taken advantage of that. They'll be far too soft on her, despite how much they hated Dursley even BEFORE her transformation,_ Voldemort mused. He smiled to himself. _Perhaps, when next we return to Hogwarts, they will be so desperate, they will allow me to interrogate her._

Indeed, there was much Voldemort desired to know about Valkyrie and her Inferno, especially after what Myrtle had let slip. It was as if she knew her murder was a stepping stone toward immortality. Did she actually know of his greatest secret?

Voldemort shook his head. _No, if Asara knew of my Horcruxes, she would used the knowledge as a bargaining chip to buy Potter's allegiance. And if I were in his place, I would jump at the opportunity to eliminate my worst enemy...just as Asara had done to play me._

Voldemort concluded that thought with an annoyed sigh. But still, nagging doubts remained. But while considering the matter further, he caught a glimpse of magical sparks exploding among the clouds. And that was the third and final signal.

At once, Voldemort cast a Telescopic Charm to let him glimpse the tower directly ahead. Samus was right in front of the trident post, refastening her helmet. _Ah, so she's advanced to the level of childish light-tricks,_ Voldemort thought with a sneer. Samus then swiftly bounded up to the hoop, flicked open the hook on her arm cannon, and used it to grab one handle while grasping the other in her left hand. Then, while charging her wave beam, she space jumped within the hoop, generating power.

He was about to circle the central tower, make sure that Potter and his annoying friends were doing their part, but a loud, reverberating noise made him stop. It was as if the whole castle was quaking, the metal vibrating. Suddenly, Voldemort realized that sticking around the hub castle may not have been the wisest choice.

_Restricting enchantments be damned,_ Voldemort thought, ready to fly off the outer level. But in the split-second between thought and execution, explosions went off all along the base of the stone tower. His priorities suddenly changed, he erected a magical barrier to block the rush of smoke and debris. For a moment, the smoke blocked Voldemort's view, but he could see chunks being blasted clear off the castle's edge. He could also see chains of explosions travel up the tower, blowing more of it clear away.

Still, Voldemort easily stood his ground, but then it sounded as if a rockslide was coming his way. Not only that, the tower itself was wobbling and swaying, looking about ready to topple over. Voldemort summoned a wind gust to blow him clear, nearly to the edge. But once he did, he saw his troubles were not over: the tower seemed to be sinking, as if the base itself was crumbling. Voldemort threw up another barrier to block the cloud of dust and dirt that rushed across the entire hub's roof.

Once Voldemort was certain the worst was over, he dispelled the barrier and summoned another gust to blow the lingering dust away. Once they were gone, Voldemort saw that the top of the tower was now visible; the base was blasted clear so that the rest had fallen. And directly ahead, Voldemort could see a bubble door on the tower's exterior, one they could easily jump to...

xxxxxx

Samus was the last to return to the hub castle's outer level, which was now littered with rubble. She had caught plenty of glimpses of the explosions rocking the tower, taking out the base. And as she surveyed the aftermath, it still seemed too ostentatious to be Rowena Ravenclaw's idea of a puzzle. Still, it did involve engineering know-how centuries ahead of Ravenclaw's time.

Deciding not to dwell on it, Samus zigzagged through the huge chunks of masonry strewn about everywhere, running for where she saw Voldemort routinely send up sparks. _They seem no bigger or brighter than the ones I sent up, _Samus thought. _Dare I believe my skill with witchcraft is progressing that well?_ Samus knew it was a foolish hope to entertain. When the time came, she'd have to rely on her old skills to take Valkyrie down.

Once she reached the others, she immediately saw the bubble door in the tower's side. "Well, we're all here, we have our tanks and weapons nearly back to max, this bloody tower puzzle's been solved...let's just head on in before more Inferno goons get here," Ron urged impatiently.

"But there's more traps waiting for us for sure," Harry pointed out. "Now that it's lower, why not fly up?"

"That's why," said Hermione flatly, pointing straight up. Samus gazed upward, where bits of gravel and dirt were caught in wind currents still crisscrossing the top of the tower. Upon further inspection, Samus could make out the enchanted fans generating them. "No way the space jump or Voldemort's flying trick can overcome currents like that. The only way up is through the inside of the tower," Hermione finished gravely.

Everyone looked uneasy. There was no telling what awaited them. But they had come this far, and Ravenclaw's quarter of the weapon was crucial to their plans. They had no choice but to venture inside.

Samus led the way, opening the bubble door and then charging a blast as she span toward the open hatch. She heard the trio of would-be hunters follow her in the same fashion. When she landed inside, she held her arm cannon at the ready, cautiously surveying the interior. It seemed to be a chamber that encompassed the entire tower's interior, the outer rim lined with eagle statues perched on luminescent orbs on poles. What was most peculiar, though, was that the ceiling was only about ten meters high, and no other bubble doors could be seen anywhere.

"What's the point of this place?" Harry thought aloud, keeping his guard up and a shot charged as well. He got his answer when Voldemort followed them in. As soon as the hatch shut behind him, Samus heard the power drain away. Then the whole room lurched. The room was actually an expansive elevator.

"Ah, an oversized elevator. OK, that's not so bad," Ron said, sounding relieved.

"I dunno. I'm getting a bad feeling about this," said Hermione.

"And why is that?" asked Voldemort shortly.

"Well, um, it's just reminding me of some idiotic arcade games I've tried. It seems every time there's a part on an elevator..." Hermione began, but stopped abruptly when the elevator ground to a halt. It stopped at a level with many large holes in the wall. Before Samus could even blink, a baby Sheegoth stomped out of each hole, and the elevator resumed its ascent. "It gets flooded with bad guys," Hermione finished dejectedly.

"So let's do what you do in those arcade games...take 'em out!" Harry cried, jumping over a baby Sheegoth trying to ram him. A few missiles fired while in midair easily took care of it, but over a dozen remained. Samus fired her charged shot at the ground to halt three stampeding Sheegoths, which disoriented them. Then she switched the ice beam effect off while trying to flank them. She felled two, but the other whirled around and spat energy blasts before she could land any shots.

The others weren't having too much trouble. Voldemort kept sending out blobs of black fire that looped around and struck from behind, easily cracking their dorsal shells. Ron and Hermione, having recently fought the fully grown adults, had no problems with the infants. It almost looked like the elevator's pit-stop would be no real trouble, but before all the Sheegoths could be killed, it stopped again, with holes in the walls. This time, the 'valkyrie' statues flew in, electric spears at the ready.

"Just bloody brilliant...heads up everyone!" exclaimed Harry, the next to notice them. After charging a shot, he space jumped into the nearest statue, dizzying it. Ron followed up with Lumosolis a few times; his charms were so intense, a few seconds of contact melted off its arms, then its head.

But another swooped in from behind and stabbed him in the back, knocking Ron flat on his face. Hermione and Voldemort were too far away to help, both of them dispatching another gaggle of flying statues with Glacius and Torrentus. To make matters worse, more statues were swooping down on Ron, no doubt for the kill. Samus cried out in alarm, about to rush over to help.

It proved to be unnecessary. Ron had dropped a power bomb. The thermonuclear burst didn't vaporize the valkyrie statues as it did the eagle statues, but they glowed white-hot, paralyzed. Then Ron unrolled and grabbed the tip of a spear, while a statue was still holding it. With all his strength, he swung the spear over his head, with the statue still hanging on, and slammed the glowing bronze monster into its partners, flooring them. He swung it over his head again and again, smashing every nearby enemy until they all collapsed into heaps of cracked, superheated metal.

But again, just when it looked like everything was under control, the elevator stopped, letting both baby Sheegoths and valkyrie statues swarm in. "Enough of this!" cried Hermione, losing her patience. Samus saw Hermione charge the wave beam by itself. "Everyone, when I count to three, get ready to jump. I think I know a way to clear the rest out..."

Samus readied herself, knowing that Hermione was probably on to something. When Hermione shouted, "THREE!" she jumped straight up, aimed down, and then cried, "_Fulguritum Militus!_" A blinding blast of electricity shot straight down, and when it impacted the elevator floor, it sent out a wide shockwave that swallowed up everything in its path. Thankfully, everyone else had had the sense to do as Hermione said, even Voldemort, but the Sheegoths and low-flying statues caught up in the shockwave weren't so lucky. It either blew them apart or left them horribly weak. It was no trouble to mop up after that and siphon the leachable energy they relinquished.

"So it seems the wave beam can merge with any charm that's deals with electrical forces," Voldemort noted offhandedly as he burned a straggling baby Sheegoth to death.

"Yeah, but this one comes at a hefty price. It ate up fifteen power bombs," Hermione replied dully.

_Don't give him sensitive information like that,_ Samus silently chided. If (or more likely when) Voldemort decided he no longer needed them, she didn't want him to know how much their strongest attacks cost them in terms of ammunition. Still, with the elevator cleared, they could all breathe easier for the moment. The elevator kept going up, and when it finally ground to a halt, there were no holes present in the walls. However, a circular hole opened in the top of the elevator, right in the center, and a circular platform directly below it began to glow.

Getting the hint, the five of them stepped on, and it carried them up, merging with the roof. The top of the tower was still so close to the overhead clouds, Samus almost felt as if she could reach out and touch them, and they were now so thick they blocked off much of the afternoon sun hanging overhead. _Have we been stuck here that long!?_ Samus thought dejectedly as she continued to gaze up. She then started to notice that the magical wind currents also crisscrossed over the top of the tower, essentially creating a dome, imprisoning them.

"Hmmm, aren't those more of the rune-covered orbs right over there?" Harry asked, pointing to the tower's edge. "Think maybe they'll shut down those currents?"

"Worry not, I'll dispel them for all of you," Voldemort offered as he strode over to the orb. The four of them followed closely. Voldemort made short work of that orb's logic puzzle, but only a few of the currents died away. Another quick glance revealed there were several other orbs nestled in between the tower's merlons. So Voldemort and Hermione circled the outer edge of the tower, shutting the currents down.

"That's it for the currents, whatever good that does us," said Hermione as she regrouped with the others, Voldemort not far behind. "Now all we have to do is find out what Ravenclaw wants us to do up here."

"Uhh, Hermione, maybe we should just go and ask her," said Harry uneasily, pointing over to the tower's crenellated edge. All heads turned to where he was pointing. In between two merlons, there now sat a lone figure, who had somehow appeared unbeknowest to them as if by magic. Long, silky black hair cascaded onto the battlement, and for a brief moment, Samus thought Valkyrie herself had come after them. But then she noticed that whoever she was, she wore the robes of a Chozo elder.

"So, you've finally made it here," came a soft, calm voice, heedless to how Samus was approaching with her arm cannon raised. She kept on staring at the cloudy horizon, then looked up to where the clouds obscured the sun. Her long hair fluttered in a stiff breeze. "I must admit, I did not expect you to venture through the entire sanctuary so quickly, especially with the two interlopers doing their best to stymie your team. Unfortunately, I was forbidden to interfere until the tower was opened and you found your way here," she said before she stood and turned around. She had a youthful but pale face and piercing, hazel eyes that showed great warmth, but betrayed deep sadness.

Samus just stared, her gaze and aim never wavering, though her piercing eyes made her uneasy. "So, are you Rowena Ravenclaw...or rather, an android duplicate fashioned after her, just like the one that mimicked Salazar Slytherin?" Samus demanded at length.

Ravenclaw smiled and nodded. "I most certainly am. And I already know who you five are, thanks to your confrontation with Salazar's artificial intelligence. Everything he saw and heard, I am privy to," she said calmly. "But tell me, the intruder who could cancel out magic...was she the one mentioned before, the one killed by Salazar's descendent and revived by the one who freed Kor-Zor? And was she truly Sorted into my House?"

"Yes, she was," was all Samus could think of saying.

"And the one who freed Kor-Zor to use his dark power, this 'doctor', I must know...did she hail from my House as well?" asked Ravenclaw somberly. All Samus did was nod, her arm cannon still less than a meter from her face.

Ravenclaw sighed and stood up, then idly walked along the tower as if nothing was amiss. "Then it is as I always feared ever since we learned of Kor-Zor," she said sadly. "After seeing what knowledge unrestrained by wisdom could do, I questioned the foundations I had set for my House. Only then did I appreciate the character traits sought by my three friends. Helga always valued a sense of honor and loyalty. Godric prized those who possessed unparalleled moral courage. Salazar's elite, handpicked students were all thoughtful and crafty, and would carefully consider how their choices would affect both themselves and their loved ones. None from their Houses would think of such madness, to release such an unspeakable horror. Do you know for what purpose she seeks Kor-Zor's dark power?"

"Well, we figure Valkyrie's somehow going to use it to change every Muggle on Earth into our kind," said Harry. "She hates both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds with a passion, and she wants to bring everything that separates them crashing down."

"Yes, transforming all of the Muggles would do that, creating confusion and chaos on an unimaginable scale," said Ravenclaw thoughtfully. "I'm sure this Valkyrie has her reasons for desiring this, what would seem like a noble cause on the surface, but such wanton tampering with nature's delicate balance..." Ravenclaw buried her face in her hands. "To think, because I espoused how raw knowledge was more important than anything else...it cannot be plainer that I am partly responsible."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you're not the only one who's inspired a power-mad psychopath," said Ron, casting a nasty glance at Voldemort.

"You fools! Can't you see what she is doing!?" Voldemort roared, not even looking Ron's way. "The robot is doing what Maxwell did, buying time until she can spring a trap on us!" He raised his wand and cast a Blasting Curse, but Ravenclaw knocked it away with a contemptuous flick of her wrist. It impacted the floor around Samus, forcing her to hop back. She growled with annoyance, but realized Voldemort might have a point. She looked around to see if anything was out of the ordinary, only then realizing the clouds surrounding the sanctum were darkening.

"Well, you are partially correct," said Ravenclaw silkily. "It was my intention to keep you all distracted while the weapon designed solely for my use could assemble itself..."

Then, something rose over the tower, directly behind Ravenclaw. It took a few seconds to make out what it was. It resembled the main body of a giant, blue bird, only it sported thousands of metallic feathers, covering its body like armor. Bladelike tailfeathers, several meters long, fluttered underneath. Samus thought she could make out some sort of cannon mounted into its shoulders, and wondered if more armaments were hidden in its back.

It had no head, wings or legs, but a sudden gasp from Harry made Samus look behind her; what resembled a giant, blue, metal wing was soaring toward them. It soared over them and attached itself to the side of its main body, while more wings shot toward it. Soon, four metallic wings were furiously flapping, filling the air with a fearsome, sharp noise. Next came two leg units, gears visible in all their joints, with a deep bronze luster and talons that looked capable of gutting Kraid effortlessly. Finally, what resembled a bird's head attached itself to the top, its huge, mechanical irises a dreadful, blood-red shade, within which were fierce, white orbs of light glaring at them all. Its huge bronze beak opened, revealing an array of rapidly-spinning gears as it shrieked so loudly, all five of them winced and stooped from shock.

Ravenclaw, however, was unfazed, staring curiously at all of them. When Samus could look back up to the robotic eagle, she noticed something peculiar about the head. Along its very top seemed to be a glass covering, filled with a strange, shimmering fluid. It was the same fluid that filled Slytherin's harnesses. She raised her arm cannon to blow Ravenclaw's head off, but it was too late. Ravenclaw made a graceful leap upward, turned in midair, and landed belly-up onto the glass barrier. She slowly sank through it. Once Ravenclaw was immersed in the cockpit's silvery fluid, the mechanical bird shrieked again. The battle for the second weapon piece was on.


	29. Reap the Whirlwind

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 29: Reap the Whirlwind

11-17-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

The robotic eagle shrieked again as it furiously beat its four wings. Thrusters fired from around its metal tailfeathers, adding to the deafening din that was liable to rupture all their eardrums. It steadily rose, hovering over the tower's roof menacingly, its head angled down to leer at them. As high as it was, though, Samus could still make out Rowena Ravenclaw's head within the cockpit, her hazel eyes cold and calculating. Samus armed her missiles and fired, but the eagle suddenly shot up and dove under their arena, and the missiles couldn't track it. Samus ran to the edge and peered over, but Ravenclaw's mech had disappeared under a layer of clouds that were now nearly pitch-black.

"Great, she's circling the tower, just like Aunt Petunia did," Samus heard Harry grumble. "Wanna bet she'll have heavier artillery to throw at us? Everyone better spread out, keep an eye on a separate part of the tower...."

"As you wish, Potter. But should it surface near me, it won't descend again, I promise you that," Voldemort said arrogantly as the four sorcerors broke off and spread out. Samus then backed away from the battlement, missiles still armed as her eyes warily swept across the sky.

They didn't have to wait too long for Ravenclaw to resurface. Her robot eagle shot up through the black clouds like a missile, wings folded against its body, but it promptly spread them out, and Samus noticed several glowing spots underneath them.

Hermione and Voldemort were nearest, and immediately sensed the danger as well. But before they could move, fiery blasts shot up from its wings, then rained down on them, exploding with deadly, concussive force. Voldemort was blown clear, his robes ablaze, but due to her suit's mass, Hermione was flattened against the roof. Incensed, Samus took aim, and found her visor could lock on to certain points. Namely, the hinges around its wings, neck, and talon-tipped feet.

"The joints! Everyone, its joints have lighter armor!" Samus exclaimed as she unleashed a volley of missiles. Ron and Harry had already been running for the eagle, alternating between curses and charged blasts, covering for Hermione. But the three of them could only get in a few shots before the eagle veered off to the right, circling the tower as it screeched again. It spun about like a drill as it did so, and more concussive blasts were sent out at them, striking the roof at random. Harry and Ron were trying to help Hermione up, but Voldemort was already back on his feet, lashing out with black lightning. Samus joined in with charged wave beam blasts, but the eagle was too swift and maneuverable. Hardly any of their shots connected, and the constant barrage of bombs forced them to keep moving. By the time Samus's trio of would-be hunters were ready to join in, Ravenclaw's mech dove out of sight again.

"It's too fast for us, and it won't stay still long enough to unload on it," grumbled Ron as he checked something on his HUD.

"Well, we must figure out how to slow it down!" snapped Voldemort. "And none of this nonsense about aiming for the joints. If it's anything like the previous guardian, we target Ravenclaw herself! We target the head!"

"Guarantee that she'll keep it so we never get a clear shot," Samus replied dejectedly. "But you're right about the joints...doubt that'll do much damage either. No, there must be some other way to get at...."

Samus wasn't given the time to complete her thought, for she heard another deafening shriek behind them. They all whirled around to see it rose up behind them, wings outstretched. Her teammates all raised their wands, but the eagle thrust its head forward and its beak snapped open. It emitted the most thunderously loud shriek yet, creating a barrage of sonic waves, knocking them all off their feet. They scrambled to get back up, but Ravenclaw was already on the offensive again. She flapped the eagle's wings, sending out dozens of giant, knife-like metal feathers. As everyone else desperately tried to Banish them away, Samus kept firing missiles at the neck and leg joints while continuously dodging the feathers. As she predicted, Ravenclaw kept the head angled so she couldn't target her cockpit.

After sparing a quick look around, Samus noticed a feather had run through Voldemort's leg, while another was stuck between the plating of Ron's shoulder. And there was no telling how many others had drained energy from her friends' suits. However, the deluge of feathers was abating, and they weren't ready to give in yet, boldly starting to go on the offensive. Voldemort aimed his necromantic lightning and Blasting Curses at its head, no doubt in a desperate attempt to hit the cockpit. Her three friends mostly concentrated their fire on the wing and leg joints.

Samus added her fire to their own, but a few seconds later, she saw missiles shoot up from the eagle's back, right before it lurched above the clouds. "EVERYONE SCATTER!" Samus demanded as she heard the missiles' descent. No one objected in the slightest, as they all desperately dove out of the way. But some came down too close. Ron and Hermione were knocked off their feet, while Harry and Voldemort were blasted upwards, the latter still having a feather in his leg.

Samus kept looking up, wildly glancing about for the eagle with arm cannon raised, as she made her way to Ron and Hermione. She quickly helped them up, helped Ron remove the feather in his shoulder, then turned to where Harry and Voldemort had landed. Harry was already on his feet, while Voldemort was on one knee. He had pulled out the bloodied feather and was busily healing the stab wound.

"Can it be any plainer that a full-frontal assault will get us nowhere!?" Voldemort spat. "We must use this time to think. Now then, Slytherin's guardian required brainpower to defeat...there must be some obvious tactic that we're overlooking!"

"For once, Voldemort's right," said Harry. "Tackling that thing head-on hasn't done us any good. He's right...we've got to get at that cockpit. Maybe if we make a diversion while one of us space jumps at it."

"No good. Ravenclaw's no fool. She'd expect something like that, and we're no match for her in the air," said Ron.

"You four may not be, but with my magical winds, I could possibly...." Voldemort began.

"Too risky. Without your own suit, you're much more vulnerable to...." Hermione began to cut in, but the clanking sound of the eagle's beating, metal wings shut them all up. They turned to find it sending out more feathers like shuriken. These were easily dodged or deflected, but it then followed up by sending out more concussive bombs from under its wings. One came too close to Saums, nearly draining an entire tank. Ignoring the pain, Samus locked on and fired missiles, but hardly any connected before the robot shot above the clouds.

"Can't take it head-on, can't fly at it, there's nothing up here that'll help us," Samus muttered to herself. "Hold it, nothing up _HERE_ that'll...wait a minute, could Ravenclaw's riddle mean...." A desperate, wild hope swelling within her, Samus recklessly ran to the tower's edge and peered over the battlement. Some of the black clouds had parted, and Samus caught a glimpse of one of the sanctum's four peripheral towers. "'Your final target to be ground'," Samus repeated to herself. As soon as those words parted from her lips, she caught sight of Ravenclaw's robot soaring below their tower, over the peripheral one.

"Samus, didn't you say a powerful electromagnetic field was generated every time someone charged up a tower?" asked Harry, his tone one of dawning comprehension.

"Exactly. Maybe, we're not really supposed to fight that thing up here. If one of us can get back to one of those towers and charge it up, Ravenclaw might be drawn to it as she passes by. Once trapped, we might have her," Samus said hopefully.

"But Hermione had it right when she said we'd be too vulnerable space jumping around," said Ron morosely. "Maybe Voldemort could do it, but he can't charge them up."

"Perhaps I can be of other use," offered Voldemort. "If I use my skills to contain and confuse Ravenclaw, rather than attack directly, she might be distracted enough so that one of you can slip back down into the santcum."

"And it could _only_ be one of us," noted Harry. "It'll take more than Voldemort to keep Ravenclaw occupied, and if she noticed everyone with armor was suddenly missing, our plan would be blown wide open."

Hope was swelling more and more within Samus, but there was no more time to discuss their plan. Ravenclaw rose above them, sending out more feathers and bombs. This time, however, Voldemort was ready. He drew in moisture and conjured chunks of ice, then sent them at the eagle while simultaneously conjuring a small tornado that enveloped it. As Ravenclaw was mercilessly battered by winds and ice, Samus opened fire with charged blasts.

"No more time for talk. Keep it busy. I'll go charge up a tower," she heard Ron say quickly. For a moment, Samus was fearful about Ron charging off recklessly, but quickly reasoned there was no ther way. She fired wave beam shots at the eagle's face, hoping to blind Ravenclaw just long enough for Ron to slip away. She didn't dare glance behind her and give Ron away, settling for merely hearing the faint whir of a space jump.

xxxxxx

_Someone reimnd me...WHY did I volunteer for this!?_ Ron thought to himself acidly as he soared over the tower's edge. To make sure Ravenclaw didn't spot him, he then dove straight down. Once he fell halfway down the tower, he conjured a gust of wind to blow him toward it. He crouched against it, his boots grinding down it noisily, then he sprang away, heading for the peripheral tower straight ahead with the space jump.

As he bounded toward the tower, Ron realized he could still hear the explosive din from Ravenclaw's weapons. He caught quick glimpses of the tower, and his heart sank as he saw her weapons light up the darkened sky. _Got to get to that tower straightaway and charge it up!_ Ron thought with renewed determination, bounding over the suspension bridge. _Once Ravenclaw's captivated by my magnetic personality, we've got her!_

When he finally neared the tower, Ron clumsily collided with it and fell a good thirty feet, getting entangled in the suspension wires of the bridge. "Ugh, still haven't got this bloody space jump figured out. Gimme a good Cleansweep anyday," Ron muttered irritably as he tried to detangle himself. He immediately froze when he heard a familiar shriek. His blood running cold, Ron craned his neck up. Through the haze of the blackened clouds, Ron saw the eagle soar overheard. Thankfully, it didn't swoop down onto him.

_Clouds must've hidden me...for now,_ Ron thought uneasily as he finally freed himself. With one good bound, he was spinning again, gingerly making his way up to the top. After what seemed like forever, he finally was situated in the hoop, grasping the handles and ready to start. But he waited, peering up through the clouds, watching and listening for any sign of the eagle and praying the clouds would keep him hidden.

Then he looked back to the main tower. Once again, Ravenclaw's weapons lit up the sky. Ron clenched his teeth, worrying for his friends...especially Hermione. A sudden pain in his shoulder reminded him he hadn't got away from Ravenclaw unscathed either. _This is insane...Slytherin attacking us all was no surprise, but Ravenclaw was supposed to be all calm and thoughtful! Come on!_ he thought angrily. _Whatever this weapon is, I guess they wanted to make damn sure whoever assembled it was fit to use it,_ he reasoned.

As Ron mused over this, another shriek overhead told him Ravenclaw broke off again. He couldn't see anything through the clouds, but that shriek was too close for comfort. Ron popped his wand, charged his wave beam, and began spinning inside the hoop. He caught glimpses of electricity arcing down the trident.

_Please let her still be in range, please don't let her catch on too quick, _Ron silently pleaded as he kept bounding, willing himself to spin faster and faster. Anything to give the tower enough juice to draw in Ravenclaw. All this alien gear was so strange to him, though, and he was spinning so fast even his system couldn't stabilize his vitals. Nausea almost overwhelmed him. He pressed on, but just when Ron felt he could take no more, sudden crash made the trident lurch and Ron let go.

He tumbled painfully to the ground. It was an agonizing struggle just to sit up, but when he did, Ron saw Ravenclaw's eagle only a few feet away, helplessly on its back. Its head swerved about wildly and its talons kicked at the air, but its wings were flattened against the tower.

"YES! IT WORKED!" Ron cried as he stood up, the pain forgotten. The head was upside-down and facing him, but hardly any the cockpit was exposed. Still, Ron unloaded missile after missile, but it didn't seem to be doing much good. After a while, black lightning came from the direction of the main tower, but couldn't connect with the head. _C'mon Ron, THINK! While she's still trapped! Gotta be some other way of doing some serious damage FAST! Maybe a bomb will...._

As that thought popped into Ron's head, it made him recall something else. Something Samus said about 'power matrices' being 'dangerously unstable' and could easily be set to blow.

"Let's find out!" Ron cried hopefully before rolling into a ball. He rolled right up to the eagle's head; his sonar even let him sense the contours of Ravenclaw's face within the cockpit's gel, screwed up in frustration. It only made him hesitate a moment before dropping a power bomb. Then he quickly unrolled and ran away, straight for the edge. As he heard the power bomb go off, he glanced over his shoulder while jumping off. It had indeed set off some sort of chain reaction. Explosions were going off everywhere, and Ravenclaw was caught right in the middle. The chain reaction spread rapidly, the explosive force propelling Ron forward even further, disorienting him and making it hard to focus on space jumping.

xxxxxx

"Oh no, no, NO!!" Hermione wailed as they watched the top of Ron's tower explode and go up in flames. Harry, likewise, was horrorstruck, while Voldemort, though clearly surprised, looked otherwise nonchalant.

"Don't tell me...the unstable power grids, he purposely set them off!" Samus cried out in frustration.

"Something tells me that's how Ravenclaw intended things to be when this sanctum was designed," Voldemort said evenly. "Nothing we were doing had much effect. Perhaps blowing the towers is our only means of dealing enough damage."

"You may be right, but...what about Ron!? The kid better have...." Samus began, but stopped when she noticed the flaming, red-hot form of Ravenclaw's eagle rise from the tower, like a phoenix being reborn. But there was still no sign of Ron.

"Ron'll come through. He's survived worse," Harry said half-heartedly.

"Really? He has?" Voldemort quipped.

"Save it for later you two! She's coming back and she looks mighty pissed!" shrieked Hermione as Samus saw Ravenclaw soar straight for them. It passed right over the tower, dropping more incendiary bombs. One struck Samus dead-center, draining a tank and a half, but the others dodged them easily this time. Then Ravenclaw began hovering. No doubt she was going to pelt them with metal feathers again, but Samus heard the missile modules on its back being armed.

Thankfully, Ravenclaw never got the chance to do either. Ron bounded up alongside it, his body arcing with electricity as he charged his wave beam. Before Ravenclaw could do anything, Ron bounded right above the eagle's head, then let himself crash down onto the cockpit. The shock disoriented Ravenclaw, and the eagle flailed its head as it continued to hover. Seeing an opening, Samus commanded everyone to unload on the eagle's joints. Meanwhile, Ron thrust both arms into the liquid mass that was Ravenclaw's cockpit, pelting her with Blasting Curses and missiles at point-blank range.

It wasn't long before Ravenclaw managed to fling Ron off the eagle's head. But its body was still steaming from the tower's explosion, and smoke was pouring out from some joints, leaving a trail as it soared away.

Ron skidded along the tower before crumpling, exhausted. Hermione immediately rushed to his side. "Oh Ron, off all the stupidly brave things you've done...." she began tearfully.

"Save the romance for later, please. We're making some progress, but Voldemort's right. The only way we'll finish Ravenclaw off anytime soon is if we lure her into the magnetic fields of the other towers," said Samus.

"Can we do that? She's wise to how we've figured out the rest of her riddle now," Harry pointed out.

Realizing Harry had a point, Samus sighed as she looked around. Her eyes again fell upon the runic orbs that controlled the enchanted fan units surrounding the tower. "Not if Hermione or Voldemort can use those fans again, and blow her into the range of one of them," Samus suggested.

"It...may be possible," Voldemort said softly.

"Fine, we'll leave it to you," said Hermione as she helped Ron back onto his feet. Once he could stand, Hermione dashed for the edge and jumped off, just as Ravenclaw rose from the opposite side, missiles armed and ready.

Over a dozen missiles rained down, but this time, they blasted apart most of them before they could strike the tower. Seeing that her sortie was foiled, Ravenclaw willed her eagle to shriek, trying to floor them again with a sonic blast. This time, however, Samus managed to stand her ground, and fired a missile right into its beak. The eagle squawked as if edged away from the tower, for everyone else was recovering and lobbing curses at its joints. It veered to the left, spinning while sending out incendiary bombs as it circled the tower. They came too fast, and none of them endured the barrage unscathed, but eventually the eagle veered off.

"Now would be a perfect time for the Granger girl to have a magnetic field ready," grumbled Voldemort hoarsely as he put out the flames engulfing his robes.

"You're in luck. I see some light coming from that one!" Ron said, pointing over the edge. "That's your cue, Snakey! Get to work with one of those orbs!"

Samus could feel the anger radiating from Voldemort, but luckily, he simply did as he was bid. He walked up to the nearest orb and tinkered with it. "We are in luck. I believe Ravenclaw will cross the current's path if I manipulate the fan like so, and...AH! Lord Voldemort has done it again! Ravenclaw is powerless against this wind current, and she's rapidly approaching...the eagle's grounded once more!"

Samus ran up beside Voldemort. Off in the distance, beneath the clouds, Ravenclaw was pathetically trapped against the side of the tower Hermione jumped to, just as Voldemort had boasted. Acting instinctively, Samus aimed her arm cannon, but the the top of the tower exploded before she could fire a single shot.

A sudden twinge of panic overwhelmed Samus. Ravenclaw's eagle forgotten, she desperately searched for any sign of Hermione. Several moments passed in horrible silence until Ron leaned over the battlement and shouted, "Hold it, I see her!" He pointed off to their right, and sure enough, Hermione's spinning form was bounding back up to them. However, her movements were horribly awkward in comparison to the way she could fly; she had yet to fully master the space jump, made worse by her aversion to flying. And that situation was made even worse when Samus spotted Ravenclaw's mech creeping up behind her. Smoke and sparks were gushing out from its joints, but otherwise it was still fully functional. It sped up to her, beak opened wide as if to bite Hermione in half.

No words were spoken between Ron and Samus. There was no need. Both instinctively armed their missiles and let them fly. Just as the beak would have clamped down on Hermione, she made a huge bound upward, letting their missiles sail under her. They all struck Ravenclaw's cockpit dead-center. With a shriek, the eagle veered off and dove back under the black clouds.

At last, Hermione was within reach of the tower, but she miscalculated, stopping her spin when she was still a few meters away. Samus saw her panicked look as her fingers grasped thin air, but Voldemort leaned over the battlement and roughly cast a charm that flung her up and over the battlement. She landed with a crash as Voldemort sneered, "I have enough respect to ensure you won't die by accident, little Mudblood. When you die, it will either be by my hand or by my Death Eaters'."

Samus couldn't keep her lip from curling, but forced herself to focus elsewhere. "Fine. Whatever. While Ravenclaw's still disoriented, someone else needs to go and get in position on a tower."

"I'll do it this time," Harry said quickly. He broke into a run and launched himself off their tower. Seconds later, Ravenclaw shot up in front of them, sending out concussive bombs from its wings and missiles from its back. Once again, none of them got through her onslaught unscathed; nearly half of Samus's energy was gone, and she dreaded Ron and Hermione had it far worse. They all countered as best they could, aiming for Ravenclaw's smoking, sparking joints. But suddenly, Ravenclaw broke off and swooped toward the tower Harry jumped to.

"Oh no no no...HARRY!" Samus cried, realizing that's who Ravenclaw was after now.

xxxxxx

_I've used the space jump before. Should be able to get there and back with no trouble,_ Harry thought to himself as he spun and bounded for one of the peripheral towers. He caught glimpses of jagged metal sheets jutting from the sides, and realized this was the tower where he fought Tesla. _She said I was no better than Voldemort if I'm aiming to keep Asara from transforming all the Muggles. Hate to think about it, but...what if, in a way, she's right?_

Dwelling on that, even for a moment, cost Harry, for as he heard Ravenclaw's eagle swoop behind him, he reacted a fraction of a second too late. The eagle butted him with an upward jerk of its head, sending him crashing into the bridge side of the tower. He slid down the wall until his feet touched one of the jagged, twisted bronze platings. Harry quickly turned around; the eagle was hovering there, and let out a sonic scream that nearly brought Harry to his knees.

He fought to maintain his composure, desperately trying to think of some way to keep it at bay long enough. _Need to hit it with something big, something that'll knock it silly long enough.... _he thought. As he racked his brains, his thoughts suddenly went back to his fight with his aunt, and how she escaped....

Harry flicked off the wave beam effect and charged his ice beam. As the eagle was about to emit another sonic blast, Harry aimed at its face and screamed, "_Bombarda Maxima!_"

Just as he hoped, the same explosive blast of icy wind shot out of his wand, but Harry noted it consumed five power bombs. The eagle was blasted back, but immediately reared back as if to ram him. His eyes widened before they darted around, spotting another bit of jagged plating off to his left. He jumped to it just as the eagle's head crash into the spot he jumped from. While the eagle still looked dazed, Harry braved space jumping again, and eventually reached the trident post's hoop.

Harry wasted no time grabbing the handles and starting the spin. Within moments, electricity was flowing throughout the entire tower. But the eagle rose just above the row of spires facing the bridge side, still flying freely. Harry almost panicked after catching glimpses of this, fearing Ravenclaw had found a way to resist the magnetic field. But suddenly, he glimpsed the eagle lurching forward, its lower left wing becoming impaled on a spire. Breathing a huge sigh of relief, Harry leaped out of the hoop, firing missiles and curses at the cockpit as he fell. Upon touching down, he deployed a power bomb and wasted no time jumping off and space jumping back.

xxxxxx

"Yes! Harry got out of there with time to spare!" Ron cried encouragingly as he pointed to the spinning figure in front of the combusting, crumbling tower.

"I daresay Potter handled that one nicely. Direct hits upon the cockpit, crippling a wing...now it shouldn't be much longer before Ravenclaw's weapon piece is ours," said Voldemort coolly.

Samus simply nodded. It looked like things were finally going their way. Ravenclaw's oversized toy had taken some serious damage, and once Harry returned, they would be ready for any offensive. With that wing impaled on a spire, Harry would have plenty of time to make it back.

Or so she thought, until from the spinning flames and columns of smoke rising from the tower's remains, Ravenclaw's eagle shot out with a shriek they could hear from across the sanctum. Harry was only about a hundred meters away from the main tower, but Ravenclaw bridged that gap in seconds, snatching Harry up in its talons. Then it veered upward, to where Samus was leaning over the battlement, desperately firing at it. It shot up the side of the tower, grasping Samus with its other foot as well.

Refusing to give in to fear, Samus blasted the leg joints at point-blank range, and Harry quickly followed her example. But Ravenclaw's eagle didn't flinch or squawk in the slightest as it hovered above the tower. Then, it swiftly plummeted, smashing the two of them into the stone roof, leaving them embedded in deep craters before it flew up again.

Ron and Hermione immediately rushed to them, while Voldemort sent out curses nonstop to cover for them as they helped Harry and Samus up. She grunted as Ron pried her out of the crater, half-conscious, dimly aware that she only had three full tanks left.

"Samus, Harry...let's move!" Hermione suddenly pleaded with a shriek. Samus slowly looked up, seeing that the eagle was diving straight down at them. With great effort, she leaped away and dragged Ron with her. Hermione soared away with Harry clutched close. Ravenclaw's eagle landed with a tremulous crash, its back flattened against the roof, its wings and tail feathers outstretched. Even with all the sparks and smoke coming from it, it still looked dangerous, those feathers fiendishly sharp....

Then, while it was flat on the roof, the eagle began to rapidly spin. Guessing what was coming, Samus grabbed hold of Ron again and dashed away, and hoped Hermione had enough sense to do the same. The eagle glided forward at frightening speed, forcing Samus to jump up with Ron. It then collided with the battlement and ricocheted back toward Harry and Hermione. They jumped away in opposite directions, but the eagle then ricocheted toward Voldemort. He had been darting around using wind to propel himself, looking for an opening. Instead, the eagle began spurting out incendiary bombs from its wings, which rose high and fell against the roof, dissuading use of the space jump.

On and on it went, the spinning eagle ricocheting everywhere as they desperately tried to run and jump around its razor-sharp feathers and its bombs. Samus knew the longer she allowed this to go on, the greater the chances one of them would be sliced apart by its feathers. As some bombs came down far too close for comfort around her, the answer suddenly became clear. She ran right for the eagle as it ricocheted toward her, ignoring the screams of protests from her friends. Going into morph ball mode, she dropped four bombs and then a power bomb before bouncing forward and up at the last second. Samus sailed right over the eagle, while it passed right over her denonating bombs.

Ravenclaw's eagle let out a terrible squawk as it collided out of control with the battlement. Samus unrolled to look at her handiwork; its mechanical limbs were twitching and creaking, and its head jerked erratically. Obviously her bombs had wreaked havoc on its computers, but there was no telling how soon its systems would stabilize. The others realized this, and immediately unloaded on its crippled, smoking body. But the top of its head was pressed against the battlement, concealing the cockpit....

Deciding on a different approach, Samus ran up to its head, pulled it back, and fired her wisp whip directly into the cockpit. Just as with Slytherin, she felt it had securely snared Ravenclaw, and with one hefty tug she pulled the android out. Ravenclaw skidded along the roof, and then everyone turned their wands on her. But before a single curse could be flung, Ravenclaw sprang up while spreading her arms wide, knocking them all back with a burst of electromagnetic force. Then she began to rapidly spin, electricity arcing all around her.

"Watch out everyone. She might be trying what Myrtle did back on the other tower," Harry warned. But it turned out Ravenclaw had a different trick in mind. She spun forward at blinding speed along the roof like a top, narrowly missing Hermione and Ron as she sped past. Then she soared up at an angle, to where Voldemort was trying to glide on winds to attack from above. Voldemort dashed aside just in time too, but Ravenclaw kept zipping around the rooftop while spinning, stopping only for a split second before dashing somewhere else, making it impossible to land a shot.

Unable to strike back, the five of them settled for keeping out of Ravenclaw's way. But as the android kept spinning about, Samus noticed something odd: she left a translucent silhouette of herself in each spot she stopped for a split second. As Samus realized this, Ravenclaw finally stopped, her body building up another charge.

Suddenly it clicked. "Everyone, move to the edges of the tower. Don't get in between her silhouettes!" she shouted, jumping onto a merlon she was sure wouldn't be in the line of fire. Ravenclaw finally made her move. Each one of Ravenclaw's silhouettes shot out a blast of electricity at all the others, creating an electrified web over the tower for a brief instant. Samus had avoided it altogether, but the other four weren't so lucky. Voldemort crumpled instantly, while the electricity hammered Harry, Ron and Hermione to their knees, taxing their suits to the absolute limit.

Then the situation worsened. The eagle no longer sounded like its systems were scrambled. Samus looked to it, and saw it was back on its feet, its smoking, sputtering head and limbs moving fluidly despite all the abuse heaped on it. Ravenclaw dashed for it, but Samus shot a missile at the roof which tripped her up. Then she moved in. Once Ravenclaw was back on her feet, Samus delivered a roundhouse kick to her face, a straight hook to her jaw, then blasted her at point-blank range with her charged ice beam. Though disoriented, Ravenclaw stood her ground and didn't fly back. She wasn't even encased in ice, and immediately struck back with a backhand carrying a charge that floored Samus.

Once she got back up, Samus saw Ravenclaw was already sinking back into her cockpit. The bird then turned around. Samus knew Ravenclaw would take off and loop back for another bombing run while everyone else was helpless. Determined to keep that from happening, she charged toward the eagle and jumped at it right before it took off. Landing between its shoulders, Samus extended her fins and sunk them into its armored plating. An instant later, the eagle launched them off the tower, then swirled and span around trying to shake her off. Thankfully, her fins anchored her securely.

But still, she had to keep Ravenclaw from making another strafing run. And to do that, Samus knew she had to get it near the last tower. She saw it coming up on their right. Arming her wisp whip, Samus propped herself up on her knees and flung it at the eagle's neck. Her flaming whip easily ensnared it, and Samus gave it a yank to the right. Just as she hoped, she steered it toward the final tower, and it crashed onto the roof. Samus retracted her fins and jumped off its back just before it crashed. Her forward momentum carried her toward the trident pole, and Samus grabbed hold of the hoop just as she would have sailed past. Glancing down, she saw the eagle was getting back up. She had to do it now. Samus latched onto one handle with the hook from her arm cannon, grabbed the other with her left hand, and began space jumping while charging her wave beam.

Almost at once, the eagle was floored again. Satisfied, Samus stopping spinning, let go, and dropped down. Going into morph ball mode as she fell, she deployed a power bomb once she hit the roof, then unrolled and ran for the bridge side. She reached the edge just as she heard the thermonuclear wave expand, and at once, the chain reaction began. The eagle let out one last shriek as Samus felt the heat from the explosions through her suit. But she was successful in space jumping away and avoiding most of the blast. Relieved beyond measure, she focused on flying back to the main tower.

She bounded one last time as she neared it and landed just beyond the battlement. A quick glance showed Voldemort was still trying to heal himself with magic, while her friends were groggy from the electric assault, huddled together and mumbling something. Hermione's head poked up when she heard Samus land. "Hermione, how are all of you? What's the status of your suits?"

"None of us have more than two tanks that're full," Ron said shakily. "If Ravenclaw pulls a stunt like that again, I don't think we can weather it."

It was then that Samus noticed the blackened clouds suddenly looked to be only greyish, and their color was lightening further, back into a fluffy white. "Ron, I don't think you'll have to worry about that. I just detonated the final tower with Ravenclaw still on it. I think she's finished."

Looking more encouraged than ever, Ron ran to the edge's battlement, leaning to peer over it. His friends followed suit, and soon Voldemort had silently hobbled over as well. "Nothing's coming out from the flames...I think you finally got her," said Hermione at length.

"What of the weapon piece? Must we go over there and dig Ravenclaw's drone out from that wreckage?" Voldemort asked impatiently.

As if to answer the Dark wizard's query, a booming, yet calm and mellifluous, voice resounded all around them, coming from the tower Samus just blew. "Congratulations, in successfully overcoming both Salazar Slytherin's trials and mine, you have shown you have sharp minds and quick wits to match Kor-Zor's otherworldly knowledge and skills. But the remaining two Founders...their trials will be of a different sort, to see if your battle savvy is great enough to allow the wielding of our weapon's other half. But in the meantime, my piece will now rest safely with one of you. Take it, and undo the horrors unleashed by the one who's shamed my House."

For several moments, silence was left in the wake of Ravenclaw's admission of defeat. They all sifted about apprehensively, wondering if anyone should fly over to the tower. Ron leaned over a bit more, hoping for a better look, when a blue orb of light suddenly shot from the tower, heading straight for them.

Samus, Hermione and Harry ducked back, but Ron didn't notice it until it was almost upon them. It struck him dead-center and made him topple backwards onto the roof. Samus rushed toward him, but stopped and stepped back when his suit glowed with fluorescent, blue light. It soon faded away, and when Ron looked down at himself, he gasped to see three reliefs of blue eagles on his armor. One was on his right shoulder unit, another on his left thigh, and the last one had its wings spread out over his T-shaped frontal plate. Not only that, the metal now had a faint navy blue tinge, just as Hermione's gained a lime-green tint after picking up the varia suit.

"Hmph, the boy who was perhaps the most mediocre at academics in his year is now entrusted with the weapon piece of the Founder that treasured intellect?" Voldemort asked scythingly.

"Funny, Snape always said that was me," Harry fired back offhandedly, noticing how Ron looked ready to unload on Voldemort.

"Enough. We've got the weapon piece and most of the gear hidden here," Hermione said quickly. "We'd better just leave before anyone from Inferno finally smashes through all the enchantments."

"But how do we get back down to Earth? The same platform that got us up here in the first place?" asked Harry.

"Or maybe that platform can do it," said Samus, pointing at the elevator platform that raised them to the roof. A strange, sparkling blue glow was rising from the center, as if beckoning them to step on.

"You're probably right. Let's just hope it doesn't drop us at the same speed we came up," Harry said uneasily as the five of them walked toward the platform.

Once they all stood on it, a web of metal fibers formed a dome around them, trapping them like before. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then Voldemort pointed up at something. Samus saw a flock of bronze eagles dive toward them. Before anyone could fire at them, they zoomed past, latching onto the wiry dome with their talons as they did. Soon they were carried off the tower and away from Ravenclaw's sanctuary, steadily being lowered underneath thick layers of clouds, back down to Madagascar.

"Well, this is certainly a smoother ride," Ron remarked. Indeed, after Ravenclaw's strenuous trials, this journey was definitely relaxing by comparison. Seeing that they were out of danger, Samus looked down, admiring their breathtaking view of the African continent.

_I really do have a beautiful homeworld,_ Samus thought. _But Valkyrie, what does she think? She hates both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds so much, she withdrew and founded her own nation. Yet at the same time, she feels she's doing what's necessary to preserve Earth, to save humanity from itself. But how much destruction and chaos does she feel she needs to unleash? How much blood and destruction will satisfy...._

The sound of rapid machine gun fire snapped Samus back to the present. She looked up, seeing gunfire rush past their flying cage, taking out one of the bronze eagles. At once, their cage lurched down, but the other eagles compensated a few seconds later. Still, whatever enchantments they were 'programmed' with, they didn't include adapting to an attack, and stayed on course. Samus looked behind them, and her blood froze when she saw the Razor Knight closely tailing them, no less than a hundred meters away. Even at that distance, Samus clearly saw Wildflower and Faction seated at the controls, their expressions murderous.

"Fire back, you slow-witted fools! Fire back!" Voldemort hissed as he stuck his wand between the wiring. He sent out black lightning, and his ranting goaded Harry and his friends to send out curses as well.

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough space between the wiring for Samus to stick her arm cannon through, further fueling a crushing sense of helplessness. But what threatened to overwhelm her was anxiety. All their spells feebly ricocheted off the Razor Knight's hull, and Wildflower kept firing its machine guns. More and more of their statue escorts were taken out, and soon so few remained that they could not keep their cage aloft. It went into freefall, knocking the five of them all around the cage. But as the cage tumbled and they were tossed about, Samus could still see the Razor Knight moving in, no doubt to latch onto their cage and haul them to an Inferno base.

Their cage lurched one final time as it was suddenly yanked upward. By what, Samus had no idea, but she saw the Razor Knight soar below them. She then looked up, and saw that her ship had rushed past and fired a harpoon cable at their cage, towing them out of the line of fire. She heard the cable retract, and soon the top of the cage was nestled up against the ship's underbelly.

Samus sighed with relief again when she saw herself, the cage and her teammates fade away as her ship's stealth field extended over them all. Looking around, she saw no sign of the Razor Knight. J.B., Adam and George had completely blindsided Wildflower and Faction this time, but Samus knew it would the time to confront them on better terms was coming soon.

xxxxxx

As it turned out, after the five of them were launched up into the sanctum, Inferno activity in the area was getting too intense, forcing J.B. to take off and circle around the sanctum. He, Adam and George simply waited for them to emerge this whole time, keeping one step ahead of the circling Inferno forces, ready to recover them before Inferno could once they did. After landing just long enough for Harry to use Ferrusoello with a charged wave shot to pry open the wire cage, they quickly boarded the ship and departed for Hogwarts.

Her three comrades were utterly exhausted, collapsing as soon as they boarded. J.B. was also mentally fatigued after many long hours at the helm. But he still felt he had work to do, and helped Adam repair and recharge her friends' suits, as well as tend to any injuries. Voldemort, predictably, refused any treatment Adam had to offer, and instead stood near the cockpit, watching the continent of Africa speed by below, while George took over as pilot.

Samus herself felt as if a Crocomire had trampled over her, but also knew there was work to do while en route to Hogwarts. She removed her helmet, seated herself at her ship's science station. Her left hand deftly flew over the console, activating it. "Adam, has Madam Pomfrey collected any blood and tissue samples from Petunia Dursley recently?" she asked impatiently.

"Less than half an hour ago," Adam replied evenly. "I'll have her load the samples into my terminal at Hogwarts for immediate analysis."

Samus leaned back in the chair, anxiously waiting for the readings. Minutes ticked by, with the only sounds being that of J.B. dutifully tending to his niece's suit, and snoring sounds from Harry and Ron, already half-asleep. Eventually, though, she heard Voldemort's cool voice address her. "Still probing Potter's aunt, I take it?"

Samus looked up in annoyance to see Voldemort slowly walking toward her. "What choice have we? Dursley's the only prisoner we've got we know for sure underwent whatever process Valkyrie has planned for Earth's non-magic population. And she was the first to have it done, according to Harry. If anyone can yield the secret to us, it's her."

"Or perhaps, since she volunteered for Asara's experiment so long ago, all traces of evidence may be gone by now," Voldemort suggested smoothly. "Perhaps it's time we try other means of wresting her secrets from her."

Samus shook her head. Voldemort brought up a point she hadn't considered, but also knew what he was hinting at. She was thankful Harry was half-asleep. After hours of fighting in Ravenclaw's sanctum, she didn't need a war erupting inside her ship. Still, according to Tesla, they were running out of time, and now had to get that vital information by any means necessary.

Thankfully, Samus was spared having to admit that by a beep from the console. "Perhaps not just yet, Riddle. Let's see what the latest tissue analyses have to say," Samus said quickly as she spun back around, her eyes quickly going over electrolyte levels, leukocyte counts, plasma proteins...anything that could be a clue. So far, McGonagall, Slughorn and Pomfrey had all failed to find anything abnormal about Petunia Dursley magically, so it was up to her to find some sort of scientific explanation.

"What is the point of analyzing new blood samples?" demanded Voldemort. "Your computer friend has poured over numerous samples already and found nothing."

"But I'm betting the longer it gets since Dursley got Asara's designer version of gillyweed out of her system, the more her physiology will return to normal. And then we'll spot something we...missed...before...." Samus's voice trailed as she stared at the readout. She noticed an abundance of an odd protein structure in Petunia's blood sample. Judging from their structure, Samus already had an inkling of what she was seeing. But her hands quickly punched in new commands. She had to be doubly sure.

"What is it? What did you find?" demanded Voldemort coldly.

Samus leaned back and stared at the results for a moment, trying to make sense of this new finding. "There's an elevated level of hepatic enzymes in Dursley's bloodstream, far greater than the last time we took a sample."

"You mean her liver? You mean her body's trying to detoxify something?" asked J.B., turning from Hermione to look at the science station's screen.

"Could it be a result of that mutated weed Dursley always uses?" Voldemort suggested idly.

"Of course not! It's been over a day since its effects wore off!" spat Hermione. "Even if there was something toxic in those weeds, by now we'd see less liver activity, not more!"

"Well, this is still the only lead we've got so far," said Samus. "Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until we reach Hogwarts to do a physical examination on her, but at least now we have some idea of what to look at."

Voldemort snorted, but otherwise sounded placated and even encouraged, and returned to his spot by the cockpit. J.B. went back to work with Adam, patching up Hermione's suit, leaving Samus to pour over the tissue analyses some more.

Unfortunately, nothing else looked odd, and after a while, Samus was just staring blankly at the terminal screen, only paying half-attention to the readouts, feelings almost hypnotized. Eventually having enough, she flicked a switch and the screen dimmed. For a moment, she noted her dull reflection in the screen, how exhausted and confused she looked. It was no surprise, she reasoned, after all the fighting she'd been through, and forced to side with Harry's sworn enemies because of how she let herself be duped.

As those thoughts swirled in her head, something chilling happened: her reflection in the terminal screen...the eyes suddenly glowed yellow-green. Fearing what that meant, Samus tried to turn away quickly. But suddenly, a blinding wave of yellow-green light washed over her, and a sickening sensation of vertigo overwhelmed her.

It felt like it took an eternity for her eyes to clear and the light to fade, but when it finally did, Samus felt it was still too bright for her ship's interior. However, a warm, stiff breeze let her know that she was now outside somewhere, at ground level. But it felt like she was no longer in her fusion suit, and instead wearing something...odd. And the sounds around her...jovial, casual chitter-chatter, wholly unconcerned with the war Valkyrie was waging against humanity. Her breathing rapidly picking up, she glanced around. Where she stood...it seemed familiar. After racking her brains for a moment, she realized it was exactly how Fleur Delacour described an outdoor wedding, complete with men and women in elaborate dress. And off in the distance, she saw Hogwarts rise into the afternoon sky.

_Elders, how in the universe did I get back here? What's going on? _she thought to herself angrily, the cheery atmosphere getting to her. And as if to answer her silent questions, Samus was answered by a voice behind her: her own.

"I'm sure this is quite disorienting for you. Such unabashed happiness, such a closely-packed social gathering...something as alien to you as you are to most of your birth species," came her voice.

Her heart thumping, Samus whirled around, and sure enough, the SA-X was standing right behind her, her yellow-green eyes glowing. But instead of her stolen Chozo power suit, she wore something else...something that, despite the weirdness of their confrontation, almost made Samus explode with laughter. The SA-X was clad in an elaborate, neon-pink evening gown covered with floral patterns and bows, and left her shoulders and the tops of her breasts exposed. To complete the ridiculously feminine ensemble, she wore a necklace with glistening, blood-red stones and earrings to match. Still, as always, her hair was wild, long, and dirty-looking.

The SA-X raised a curious eyebrow. "You find my appearance amusing? Why not take a look at yourself?" she suggested innocently.

Frowning, Samus looked down, and, to her horror, found she was wearing the exact same dress her doppleganger was, only it was a light, sky-blue shade. Samus suddenly became aware of a weight tugging at her own earlobes, and a strange, uncomfortable sensation coming from her feet, and realized she was wearing heels.

Furious at being thrown into such outlandish garb, Samus let out an indignant scream, but amazingly, none of the people around them turned to stare at her. Only the SA-X reacted, smirking and letting out a smug chuckle. Enraged and mortified beyond measure, Samus grabbed SA-X's neck with one hand. "WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS!?" Samus roared. "What kind of sick mind games are you playing now!? What's the point of all this!? Where are we!?"

The SA-X calmly pried Samus's fingers off her neck. "Calm yourself, Samus Aran," she said innocently. "I simply found our little conversations through your reflection to be quite...boring. And I wanted a visual aid to get my point across. So, the veela-girl's offer of attending her wedding...I simply ran with that theme."

"What in...this is supposed to be Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding!?" demanded Samus. "What's the point of this little head-game of yours? Why show their wedding?"

"It's not exactly their wedding I wished to show you, but what else it could be," said the SA-X, slowly circling Samus, moving with enviable grace in that frilly dress. "I know you and your friends are deeply conflicted about the choices you've made, and don't try to deny it. You've sided with a megalomaniac even I found repugnant and turned on, for one thing. Doesn't speak well of your character, does it? More than that, deep down, you wonder if Dr. Valencia Asara is right to tamper with history and correct the wrongs of the past. This is all to show you Valkyrie's case has merit."

"A wedding is supposed to prove Valkyrie has the right idea, using the results of dark experiments that once threatened a good chunk of our galaxy?" was Samus's venomous rebuke.

"But think what it could mean for you and your friends if Valencia Asara does succeed, and you know with her intellect and resolve, she can," said the SA-X. "The sort of world your friends truly want, where Muggles and their ways are accepted by the Wizarding world and vice versa, would be a reality. And you could forsake the lonely, thankless life of our time and build a new future here. But this wedding ceremony is to show you how much better things could be if Valkyrie went even further, doing something you'd consider even more unthinkable."

"What do you mean by that? What other lines is there left for her to cross?" asked Samus hotly.

"Think for a moment, what if Valkyrie could theoretically travel back in time, and give the knowledge and technology she has now to her past self. In effect, bring about the Day of Reckoning sixteen years ago?" asked SA-X airily. "This may very well be the result. Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour wouldn't be the only joyful ones at this gathering. Look over there," she finished, pointing behind Samus.

Samus was fuming, still indignant at being dropped in such a ludicrous dream-vision, but sighed and simply turned around. She immediately gasped. Standing not too far away was a couple that could only be James Potter and Lily Evans, alive and well. And standing close with them was Harry, only now, the lightning-bolt scar was gone. Samus knew what the SA-X was suggesting. If Valkyrie had bent the bow further, changed her own past as well as Samus's, Voldemort would already be dead and Harry's family would be whole.

"But wait, it gets even better," the SA-X whispered smugly. Samus forced herself to remain calm, but that got much harder when she noticed who was standing near the Potters. It was Petunia Dursley, talking with her younger sister, as if all the bad blood between them was a thing of the past. Vernon and Dudley were nearby as well, and Samus could instinctively that all three of them had undergone whatever was to be unleashed on the Day of Reckoning, not just Petunia.

But what truly threatened to make Samus explode was who walked up to them. It was Valkyrie and Snape, the former in an elegant white dress that looked even more uncharacteristically feminine as Samus's dress and her doppleganger's. Her hair was unbraided, but still nearly touched the floor, and in her arms were two infant girls that looked like twins...and her left arm was still flesh and blood. A boy that looked to be around Harry's age stood beside Valkyrie, while Snape had a male child of roughly six or seven years in his own arms. All four of these children had thick, silky black hair and coal-black eyes. Eyes that matched their mother's, devoid of an indigo glow.

"So, in this little simulation of yours, she could start a family," Samus noted dully. "And she never became Valkyrie."

"And look at her, Samus. All traces of the implacable fury you associate with Dr. Valencia Asara are no more. And look at Severus Snape. Still the yang counterpart to James Potter's yin as Valencia is to Lily, but not quite the cold, bitter, reclusive man you know now," said the SA-X. Samus forced herself to steady her breathing. Indeed, the way Snape and James stared at each other...they weren't friendly at all, but at least reserved and civil. "This is what could have been had Voldemort, Scrimgeour and Umbridge not conspired to ruin their lives. Dark does not automatically translate to evil, and just like now, this couple would be a great boon for humanity, but only happy and whole."

Samus said nothing and merely watched the gathering, which got even more complicated when she saw the rest of the Reformers walk up. Wildflower wore the same dress, only with a wide-brimmed witches' hat to block out the sun. Tesla wore a dress crisscrossed with clearly visible pipes, wirings and cooling units, while Faction wore a tuxedo. He began speaking to Dudley and soon was punching the air, as if coaching him about boxing.

But further behind them, Samus saw the thing that finally made her lose her composure completely. Albus Dumbledore stood in his most dazzling set of sweeping, purple robes, not only alive, but as full of vigor as she remembered. Forgetting this was all an illusion, Samus broke into a run, but forgot about those ridiculous heels and nearly tripped. The SA-X roughly grabbed her and pulled her back. "But enough about what this would mean for your friends, and even your enemies. Think about what siding with Valkyrie now could mean for you. There are possibilities you have yet to even consider."

Samus turned to glare into the SA-X's glowing eyes. "Exactly what does that mean?" she demanded. As if to answer her question for the SA-X, another voice called out to her just as some music began to play.

"My dear Ms. Aran, may I have this dance?" asked a voice Samus recognized instantly. It was George Weasley. Samus's eyes widened as she turned to see George in a white tuxedo, offering a hand to him.

For a moment, Samus just stared at George, as nonplussed as when they encountered each other in his joke shop. Then, sounding impatient, the SA-X said, "Go for it, girlfriend," and slapped Samus across the back, making her topple over into George's arms.

George somehow found the strength to prop Samus back on her feet. "Oh yeah, first time wearing heels, I forgot. Don't worry, I'll make this a snap for you," George said encouragingly as he set one of her hands around waist, and likewise grasped her own.

"Hey, what are you...." Samus began, but stopped short of heartily protesting when George clutched her free hand. Securely held against one another, George began to slowly twirl them around, moving in time to the melodies. As Samus feared, those damnable heels made her usual athletic grace stilted and clumsy, but as George promised, he helped her and led. Still flabbergasted, Samus looked down into George's eyes, seeing nothing but joy and warmth. Thanks to those heels, she towered even further over him, and the only reason George could dance around with her was because she was too nonplussed to resist with her inhuman strength. But despite the size difference and her being so much stronger, George radiated an air confidence, power and ability that Samus found strangely...uplifting.

As George led them around among the other dancing couples, Samus caught sight of the SA-X once more, smirking as smugly as ever. Then, her eyes bean to glow more brightly, and soon she was enveloped by yellow-green light again.

As suddenly as the SA-X illusion overtook her, it had ended. She was seated back at her science station of her ship, as if nothing had happened. As she tried to come to terms with the SA-X's intrusion into her mind, George called to her from across the ship. "Samus...SAMUS? You OK? Looked like you spaced out for a second. Anything wrong?"

Samus turned to the cockpit, and felt her heart thump louder as they stared at each other. She noticed Voldemort leering at her as well, but paid him no mind. What the SA-X hinted at, what could be within her grasp...perhaps more than anything else, it made her realize her enemies might have a point.

She knew, though, that she should finally tell everyone that the SA-X wasn't quite dead, that she was still ticking somewhere deep in her psyche. Dozens of ways to gently break this news went through her head, but in the end, all she said was, "No, there isn't anything wrong...."

xxxxxx

Sorry this chapter took well over a month to write, but I do have a life outside of slaving over fanfics. I'll try to ensure I get one more chapter out this month, though it'll obviously be filler material in between 'levels'.

So long,

Grey-X


	30. Mind Games

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 30: Mind Games

11-30-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

**June 29, 1997 A.D., 12:02 P.M. Western European Time**

**Hogwarts**

There was still plenty of hours of daylight left when their ship finally entered Hogwarts's airspace. As they approached the castle itself, Harry could see all the people busily running about along the castle grounds, throughout the courtyards, and even the towers and the connecting hallways. Even from their high vantage point, Harry realized a good number of them were Muggles (though most were clearly soldiers), and their palpable sense of urgency was a grim reminder that they were all gearing for war.

Still horribly exhausted, Harry turned from the window and squatted, leaning against the wall and sighing. It was still hard to take in how drastically everything had changed. Weeks ago, the thought of Muggle soldiers pouring into Hogwarts, the school founded as a refuge from Muggle paranoia, seeking refuge themselves...Harry would have laughed off such irony. There was no laughing about this, for that was the least outrageous thing right now. A weapon worked on by aliens and left behind by his school's founders, bizarre manipulations involving toying with the very fabric of time, a way to alter human evolution itself?

Harry shook his head, still trying to wrap his head around the enormity of what Valkyrie was planning to do, and what she had unleashed to do it. But as he looked up, seeing Voldemort idly standing there with an air of aloofness, Harry realized the most unbelievable thing by far was how he sided with Voldemort over his mother's best friend, who was his antithesis in every way. Who could give Harry and his friends everything they ever desired. And as much as he distrusted Valkyrie, the decision to join with Voldemort was weighing more and more on him.

_If you're willing to keep on letting them wallow in ignorance, only to be picked off by wankers like Tommy here...you're no better when it comes to Muggles than he is!_ Myrtle's venomous words kept repeating in his head, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't deny she had a point. That was the hell of it...it seemed Valkyrie and all her lieutenants had good reasons for believing what they did, even his aunt.

Adam's synthesized voice snapped Harry back to reality. "We will be landing in our designated courtyard in less than two minutes," he informed them. Telltale changes in the sounds of the thrusters let Harry know George was making the final preparations. Ron and Hermione begrudgingly sat up, groaning. But they had their helmets off. Harry frowned with envy. Being this close to Voldemort constantly, he didn't dare remove his helmet for long. As the ship descended, Adam spoke up again, "In addition, several members of the Order are here to greet us, and hopefully debrief us on any new developments. And unfortunately, so is the Minister."

At last, something made Harry smirk. Hearing how this gruff ex-Marine couldn't stand Scrimgeour either was somehow uplifting. It was enough to coax him into moving his tired, aching body as they all shuffled out of the ship.

Harry was the last to exit the ship. By the time he did, Samus, George and J.B. were already listening to hurried explanations from McGonagall and Moody. Voldemort, meanwhile, said nothing and stood back, his cold, unwavering gaze a statement in itself. Harry noticed Scrimgeour was silent as well, clearly unnerved by Voldemort's presence and silence, and he couldn't help but smirk again.

"So, is the Muggle Minister really here? We saw plenty of Muggle fighters around the castle on our way in," said George.

"No. At our recommendation, he and most of his staff were whisked away to another location, once Asara's presence in London was getting too...worrisome," Scrimgeour said, finally speaking up. "However, a good deal of Britain's fighting force was diverted here, once we convinced the Minister of the importance of holding onto the castle."

"Indeed. Asara will consider the school a prize to win by conquest, I promise you that," said Voldemort coolly.

"And hopefully, we will be ready. We've been taking Captain Granger's advice, outfitting the castle with Muggle armaments with the Muggles' help, and having the house-elves construct catapults and brew potions to load them with," explained McGonagall, no doubt purposefully ignoring the stern look of disapproval from Hermione.

"Y'know, I'd better try to talk to the brass in charge, try to smooth things over," J.B. offered. "No doubt they're all still trying to get a grip on how their world's been turned upside-down and inside-out. I have quite a few friends in the Royal Air Force and Navy, guess I could be a bit of a liaison for them too...."

"No need for that. Plenty of the Hogwarts staff have been more than willing to accomodate all the Muggles and help them adjust," said Moody. "Amazingly, it's been Slughorn who's been the most helpful in that department. The soldiers love him for some reason. Even named one of those tanky things they shipped here after him...the 'Metal Slughorn'...."

Harry smiled to himself. _That sure sounds like Slughorn, never failing to jump at an opportunity to built a new network of contacts...._ He then caught Voldemort's scowl, as if it dawned on him how different Slughorn was from him for the first time, and Harry grinned even more broadly.

"Well, in any case, let's wrap up all the important bits so I can relay a report back to the Pentagon," said J.B. quickly. "I'm sure the White House is still up in arms, after that submarine was sunk."

"Hold it, _what_ submarine?" Samus asked brusquely. "You never briefed us on any attack on your nation's naval forces."

J.B. hung his head. "Er, well, after spending hours in that flying castle, and after we had to rescue you all from the Razor Knight, I figured you didn't need any bad news just then," he said apologetically. "As it turned out, President Clinton ordered an all-out offensive once we learned of Inferno's precise location, with the help of wizards from our country. A full-scale nuclear assault...only it didn't work, and one of our subs was torpedoed in retaliation."

Hermione shut her eyes and shook her head, muttering words she otherwise would never utter under her breath. Ron, likewise, looked horrified, feelings matching Harry's own. Why did it have to be so hard to choose sides? Was it really a choice between Voldemort and power-hungry, selfish people like Scrimgeour and Umbridge, or a well-intentioned extremist like Valkyrie who would shoot down a submarine that was no threat?

"So this world's most powerful weapons are useless against Inferno," Samus gravely said at length. "And even when we fully assemble the founders' weapon, it might only be useful in destroying the power source for Valkyrie's plan. Even with Kor-Zor gone for good, we'd still have the problem of beating Valkyrie and containing Inferno itself."

"If you have any suggestions, I'm all for hearing them," Scrimgeour blurted out gruffly. "As it stands, you haven't been much use resisting their attacks on our world so far, running around with these children!" Scrimgeour spared a quick glance at Ron and Hermione, noting the designs their power suits now sported. "So, I take it you are at least halfway toward your goal...but after two days of learning of this weapon!? What is taking so long!? Obviously you don't understand the urgency of...."

The feeling of detached amusement Harry allowed himself to entertain faded the instant Scrimgeour began ranting. In one swift motion, Harry rushed the Minister, clamped his armored hand around his throat, and slammed him against a landing strut. No one made any motion to stop him. "If you think ducking crushing gears and poison water, and jumping around a floating castle is our idea of a good time, then by all means, take one of our suits and go try it yourself!" he sneered contemptuously. "At any rate, we're all dead tired from fighting all morning, and in absolutely _**NO MOOD **_to hear you whine and bitch about not doing enough when you've been sitting pretty in this castle the whole time!"

"Unhand me, y-you l-little thug!" Scrimgeour croaked out. "I-I swear, i-if you d-d-dare keep this up...."

"You'll WHAT!?" Harry demanded. "Our world's falling apart, the Ministry's been overrun, and we're all scrambling to survive. Even Voldemort's seen the writing on the wall and sided with us unconditionally. You better learn from his example, because we haven't forgotten how you turned Valencia Asara into Valkyrie in the first place! So one more...."

"Harry! HARRY!" came loud calls from the courtyard entrance. Harry turned to see Neville and Luna running up to him, with bright, expectant looks on their faces.

With one last look at Scrimgeour, Harry flung him aside, now embarrassed at how he lost his temper in front of everyone. Scrimgeour shot him one last scything, indignant look before he slunk away. By then, Luna and Neville had reached him. "Neville, Luna, why...what are you two doing here?" he asked, genuinely confused. "We all thought it was mostly Muggle things getting attacked here in Britain. What are...."

"All the witches and wizards here in Britain are getting scared and confused, Potter, and after that raid on the Ministry, it's not hard to see why," growled Moody. "Now's no time for all our kind to be scattered about the country anyway. We need to make a stand now, and bringing everyone willing to pick up a wand and fight here is a good way to start."

Harry turned back to Neville and Luna, realizing what Moody meant. These two, along with Ginny, had helped in that battle here weeks ago, and it was only a matter of time before Valkyrie came in full-force. Still, he resented how they were being dragged into this. It wasn't the same as how Ron and Hermione had vowed to stay by his side....

"So Harry, just what the bloody fuck is going on here, huh?" asked Neville nervously. "I was just sticking home with Gran, then a couple days ago, we hear rumors about how something completely trampled the Ministry. Then we hear about all this Muggle stuff around the world is getting blown away, a gang of wizards exposing everything about us...and mate, what's with that armored suit?" he suddenly asked, as if seeing Harry's suit for the first time. Neville glanced around, finally seeing Samus standing there in full-armor as well. "Whoa, it's true...she's back from the future! Don't tell me all this has to do with aliens and time travel AGAIN."

"Aliens? Time travel? This wouldn't have anything to do with those Chronohorned Hydro-Dragons that came from one of Saturn's moons, would it?" Luna repeated brightly.

Harry remembered that during the X crisis, Luna had yet to join their circle of friends, so she had no clue what had come before. He also knew her imagination would collapse upon itself if he revealed everything at once. To spare her sanity, Harry decided to take it slowly. Taking a deep breath, he then said, "OK you two, I think I can spare a few minutes to explain...." Harry broke off when he noticed Neville was staring nervously over at Voldemort, who simply stared back in equal silence, casting a chill over the whole area.

"Never mind him," Ron said quickly. "Like it or not, him and his lot are on our side now."

"His lot?" Neville repeated. "You mean...all the Death Eaters are here too!?" His eyes seemed to widen a bit more.

"All the ones not in Azkaban," said Voldemort coldly. "For the moment, the Minister has refused to free the rest."

"It won't do any good even if Scrimgeour agrees now. Inferno forces took Azkaban shortly after you all left," McGonagall informed them gravely. "The only incarcerated Death Eater that we have now is Rodolphus Lestrange; turned out he was being held at the Ministry for questioning when Voldemort engineered that getaway."

Voldemort snorted with annoyance and rage, while Neville looked thunderstruck all over again. "You really mean it, you ARE working with...HIM!?"

Harry was shamefaced again, but thankfully, Hermione spoke up. "Yeah. Valencia Asara, the one behind all this, hates them all with a passion. It's their arses on the line along with everyone else's," explained Hermione bitterly.

"Valencia Asara, the Avenging Angel!?" squealed Luna. "Oh, I remember hearing stories about her taking down Dark wizards bare-handed! Daddy thought she had to be part-"

"Look, Luna, whatever your father told you about Asara, there's no way it can be more outrageous than the real truth," said Harry quickly. "Hell, you might as well print it as the cover story for the next _Quibbler_, since there's little hope of keeping the future unchanged now...."

So while McGonagall brought Samus, J.B. and Voldemort further up to speed, Harry gave Luna an abridged version of what happened the first time Samus's fate and his were thrust together, and what happened upon her return. The whole time, Luna wore an enraptured, energized look, which didn't surprise Harry in the least. When he finished talking to her, he turned and said, "So, Neville, you get all that...." But he stopped upon noticing Neville was gone.

"Huh, where'd Neville go?" asked Ron nervously, noticing this as well.

"Uh-oh, did anyone notice how he reacted when he heard the Death Eaters were here, too?" asked Hermione softly. "You don't think...."

Hermione's unspoken question was answered by a window shattering overhead, accompanied by the sound of two people screaming. Everyone looked up to see that Neville had tackled Bellatrix, smashing them both through a window. They fell and tumbled to the ground, landing behind a thick row of trees. No one could see them, but the noisy, blinding explosions of light, and the strained, pissy sound of Bellatrix's voice gave them all a good idea of what was going on.

"Should we...try and stop them?" Hermione asked timidly.

"No need. Let them blow off a little steam," suggested Voldemort nonchalantly. "In light of our partnership, Bella knows better than to harm one of your little friends...too much."

Harry and his friends sighed with reluctance as Bellatrix and Neville's spat went on. Harry tried to listen to more of what McGonagall was saying, but it was hard to tune out the sounds of the duel. For the most part, it was annoyed sounds from Bellatrix that were the loudest. "Ow, hey, quit it, back off you blood-trait...oh that's just not natural!!"

"Anyway, according to the reports from America that Captain Granger has relayed back to us, it seems Asara's efforts in his country are escalating dangerously," said McGonagall gravely. "The number of wizards and witches over there are greater than England's, sure, and they're doing all they can, but...."

McGonagall was cut off by a shout of "_Crucio!_" from Bellatrix. Neville was shot out from behind the trees, rolling along the ground, until he crashed into the trunk of another tree. Aside from some cuts on his face, though, he looked mostly unharmed. He wasted no time pointing his wand at the trees obscuring Bellatrix, and once again the air was rent with her ranting. "What the...all of a sudden they're Whomping Willows now!? How in...OWWW, oh come on, not THERE!!"

Everyone just watched nervously as Neville ran back behind the trees. Eventually, McGonagall took a deep breath and continued. "As I was saying, the wizards in America are doing their best to work with President Clinton and protect everything of strategic value. But Asara's forces keep finding ways to smash all their defenses. One aircraft carrier after another, one power plant after another." As Harry listened, an icy sense of hopelessness began to well up in his gut. Was there any way to stop these people, even with the Founders' ultimate weapon? "Honestly, I don't know how much longer...."

But by then, everyone was distracted again by the sound of revving gas motors. Everyone turned to see Bellatrix running out from behind the trees, screaming, chased by a gaggle of levitating chainsaws, all on and whirring maliciously. "Oh, by Merlin's beard...how the _BLOODY HELL _did that boy get only an 'Acceptable' in Transfiguration!?" huffed McGonagall.

xxxxxx

**June 29, 1997 A.D., 0145 hours Inferno time**

**Biosphere 11C, Medical Lab 4**

Draco fidgeted nervously with his helmet as he risked a quick glimpse of Tesla floating in the suspension chamber, little more than a glass cylinder filled with water. Her eyes were closed, a breathing mask fastened to her face, and a host of other harnesses and wires attached all over her body. After stealing a quick glance, his face flushed and turned away; aside from the stuff attached to her, Tesla was completely naked.

"There's no need to feel ashamed, stealing a quick glance at her," came Faction's baritone voice. Draco looked up at Valkyrie's mammoth foster son, standing right by him. "Tesla would not mind one bit. Actually, she'd probably be flattered. Let's just say that Tesla's always been the...uninhibited type when it comes to her cloned bodies."

"But she'll have no more cloned bodies if I do not find a way to undo this concoction of the Dark Lord's," growled Snape in frustration. "Until then, all we can do is re-engergize her spirit form while it's trapped in this one, and tend to her injuries."

Circling the suspension chamber was a railing, on which Snape's fists were clenched so tightly, his knuckles were white. Beside him stood Wildflower and his wife, Valkyrie, both staring at Tesla with masklike faces.

Suddenly, Draco became aware of a hand placed on his armored shoulder. He looked behind his shoulder to see his mother looking at him, as if she didn't know what to think or believe anymore either. His father was the same way.

Draco looked around the 'medical lab', as Valkyrie called it. It was horribly dark and gloomy, hardly the place one would expect to promote healing. All the goblins scurrying around, with a sense of urgency that was more fitting of the keepers of Gringotts, not Healers, surely didn't help any. There were plenty of humans, too, but Draco noticed most must have hailed from places like the African continent, the Middle East, parts of the former Soviet Union, India....

And no doubt almost all of them were Muggles that Valkyrie mutated. Draco still wasn't sure of what to think about that. Her idea of magic flooding the world was something no one ever dared think of, but it had merit. No more secrecy, no more wasting time and energy to stay hidden in the shadows. But if everyone had their power...what would make him and his family, those born with magic naturally, so special?

_Because we three will be among those shaping the future,_ Draco consoled himself. Still, even to himself, his words sounded hollow. As did his reasons for saying Valkyrie made for a better master, after she gave the order to sink that submarine....

As they all watched Tesla battered body float, Wildflower's composure finally broke. She quickly and vehemently spouted of a long string of sentences in French, far too fast for Draco to follow. He caught bits and pieces, such as words like 'ungrateful' and 'narrow-minded' and the French translation of 'Razor Knight', and vows to storm Hogwarts single-handedly and beat down anyone in her way.

Once Wildflower finished, Valkyrie spoke up in a far calmer, slower voice, also speaking in French. This time, Draco could follow almost all of it. The fact that he learned so many foreign languages before attending Hogwarts was one of the few things Draco never boasted about. It made it so much easier to listen in on foreigners' conversations when they thought you couldn't understand. Worked wonders during the Triwizard Tournament....

It was basically a friendly plea from Valkyrie to calm down in the vampiress's native language, urging patience, and reminding Wildflower that only half of the weapon pieces were in enemy hands. Also, she said before the attack on Hogwarts was organized, she needed to borrow the Razor Knight, and it was something about an 'asteroid belt'.

Draco forgot himself and spoke up. "An asteroid belt?"

When Valkyrie slowly turned to him, her indigo and pink eyes glistening mischievously, only then did Draco realize his error. She smiled brightly as she always did, but the more Draco saw that these days, the more he thought her friendly aura was a carefully-crafted facade to cover up an inhuman rage. "Yes, Draco, an asteroid belt. _Our_ asteroid belt, in particular. Y'know that big ring of rocks floating between Mars and Jupiter?" she asked coyly.

"I-I know what the asteroid belt is, My La...I mean, Doctor," said Draco, catching his mistake in time. In his haste to not sound stupid, he nearly forgot his boss's distaste for royal titles. "But, I was just wondering...what point is there, going that far away from Earth? What good will it do?"

Valkyrie smiled even more broadly. "All will be revealed in good time, Draco. Just know that it all has to do with our plans for a world that will soon be no more," she said slyly. "We're already in the process of cutting out the heart of the Muggle world. At the same time, we must cut out its soul, and that's why I'll need to make a pit stop at the asteroid belt."

"In the meantime, we must put greater focus on the former," said Wildflower, speaking in English again. "Our operations in the United States are reaching a critical stage, and once the infrastructure of the mightiest Muggle nation crumbles, every other will fall that much quicker."

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Isobel," said Wildflower. "That's why I want you to take command of all our American operations once you go topside again." She then turned to Draco. "And that will be your new assignment. Soon, I will be too preoccupied with other matters to take much of a direct role in our campaigns. Therefore, I want you to stick close to Wildflower. She will she to it that appropriate assignments are found for you."

"But-but...." Draco began, glancing back at the unconscious Tesla. "Y-You really think I'm any use to you after this? This is my fault. I-I didn't get back to Tesla in time, before Harry took her apart, and I fled instead of finishing the job...."

"You brought back a Reformer in desperate need of aid, alive and whole...well, as alive as one like Tesla can be," said Valkyrie reassuringly. This was so unlike Voldemort, who would surely have tortured him for such failure, but Draco still got the feeling that Valkyrie was covering up bitter disappointment. "And as I told Isobel, Samus and Harry still must claim weapon pieces of their own. There is time to plan, keep that from happening...."

"Dr. Asara, I must express my lingering doubts, sending my son into such dangerous scenarios," said Lucius suddenly.

Draco tensed, thinking his boss's friendly veneer was about to fall away. To his relief, Valkyrie kept on smiling, and said, "Perhaps you were right the first time, my old friend. Sending him out onto hostile territory like Chozo ground, even with Tesla as backup, was a tad hasty. That's why I'm not sending him after Samus and her young hunters again. At this point, they've recovered too much of Samus's old powers." She breathed deeply, then continued. "And as I've explained to you, Lucius, it was nothing I would not have sent my own son to do."

With that, she turned to Faction. "Speaking of which, it's time we discussed that. With Wildflower and Draco about to be busy in America, Tesla incapacitated, and being unable to free Ped until she recovers, you're the only Reformer left to put a stop to Samus Aran," Valkyrie told her son. "I want you to put together an assault team, and go after her ship once we've tracked their next destination."

Faction smirked evilly. "I think I can do better than that. Severus and I have been discussing an indirect way of getting at them once they find the third sanctum."

Valkyrie turned to Snape with an amused look on her face, her smile saying it all. Snape merely shrugged. "We'll need a particular Infernian soldier if our plan is to work. If she gets here in time, perhaps we can have a plan together before Aran and Potter move out."

Valkyrie raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? And which soldier would this be?"

"That would be me," came a voice Draco recognized instantly. He whirled around to see Susan Bones strutting into the medical lab, now decked out in full armored uniform. She also had some sort of large Muggle gun slung over her shoulder, attached to a strap. She wore a bandana and her hair was done up in a tight bun. Her face was stern and stony, utterly without mercy. She spared Draco one quick, disdainful glance before walking past Valkyrie and up to Snape. "So, why did you have Faction issue an order recalling me from our base near the Korean peninsula? We're gearing up to raze all of Kim Jong-Il's palaces to the ground!" Draco noted how Susan sounded eager to attack that country, as if it would prove her loyalty, striking at the country Valkyrie's birth parents fled from.

"I'll be blunt: it involves Harry Potter," said Snape sinisterly to his old student. "We have reason to believe Samus Aran has found a way to counter Kor-Zor's power, and if she has, everything will be ruined. They're back at Hogwarts, but soon enough, they'll find where they need to go next. Kago and I have an idea of how to thwart them once we catch up, but we'll need you."

Susan looked back over at Faction and smirked. "A little father-son bonding, I take it?" she quipped before turning back to Snape. "I must say, Professor, you're adapting to this whole marriage thing quite nicely."

Draco thought he saw Snape's frown become more pronounced. "See it as you will, but we will get nowhere without your help," he said at length. "This will mean, of course, you'll have to go against Harry Potter and his friends. They trained you to fight before Val did, accepted you into their little group...are you up for it?"

Susan took one quick look around the medical lab, her gaze focusing on Draco and his family a bit longer than anyone else, before turning back to Snape. "Screw Dumbledore's Army..._THIS_ is the army I'm part of now, the one that's truly loyal to Dumbledore's memory!" Susan declared proudly. "I never had a problem with you when you taught Potions, Professor. I trust you. But Harry Potter...the second he sided with Lord Voldemort, he was dead to me."

Snape shut his eyes and exhaled deeply. He seemed put off by Susan's eagerness, but at length said, "Very well, Ms. Bones. Come with Kago and I, and we will discuss our plan."

With that, Susan, Faction and Snape exited the medical lab, leaving Draco to wonder what was in store fir him next. Also, in the back of his mind, was the nagging dread of what Harry Potter would be up against. Like Valkyrie, he hoped that idealistic do-gooder would see things their way. But it seemed like everyone had lost hope that Potter would see reason. And it disturbed him how Valkyrie seemd to think that even he, her best friend's son and Dumbledore's pet, would have to be taken down.

xxxxxx

**June 29, 1997 A.D., 2:15 P.M. Western European Time**

**Hogwarts**

Samus and Harry walked down the corridors on the far side of Hogwarts. Samus had donned her robe disguise, but Harry was still in full armor. Even with the sunlight filtering through the windows glistening on his visor, partially obscuring his face, Samus could tell Harry was not looking forward to his. His body language as he walked gave away his hesitancy and apprehension. They had to put this off for a while since returning to the castle, to maintain secrecy, but now it was finally time.

At last, they were at the spot between a four-armed armored suit and a portrait of a nose-picking, two-headed troll. Samus took one last look around, to be double sure no one had followed, then tapped her foot against the stone floor. At once, part of the floor magically melted away, revealing a ladder to climb down.

Harry and Samus hastily climbed down it, meeting up with Madam Pomfrey at the bottom. She looked exhausted and anxious. "She's inside," was her short, simple greeting, and thrust the wooden door there open. Samus walked inside, finding that all the computer systems that had littered the place two years ago were gone. All there was in that big, dreary room was a single woman with a metal muzzle over her face, tied to a chair with her hands bound behind it, facing away from them.

"Has there been any noticeable changes in her condition?" Samus whispered to Pomfrey, remembering the abnormal results from Petunia Dursley's last blood sample.

Pomfrey shook her head. "Nothing out of the ordinary, as far as I can tell," the Healer whispered back. "Do you still wish to examine her yourself?"

"After we're done with our interrogation," Samus replied, stepping into the room.

Harry followed her in, his helmet coming off with a loud click. Samus saw him flinch as his proximity to Voldemort took its toll, but also caught Petunia glance over her shoulder. Once she saw who was there, Petunia immediately turned away. "I have nothing to say to either of you," said the Reformer frostily.

"Oh come now, Dursley," said Samus glibly, hoping flippantness would catch her off-guard. "Harry always told me you were quite the gossiper, unable to keep her mouth shut and her nose out of other people's business. My hunch is that you've been dying to brag about your boss's master plan, especially since it started with you."

"Perhaps that was true about me, once," said Petunia aloofly. "People do change."

Finding his nerve at last, Harry went forward, grabbed the chair, and twirled Petunia around. Petunia's cold gaze came right back at him, but Harry met it with equal stoniness. "In some ways, maybe you have. But back there in that swamp, you seemed as eager to put me down as ever," he sneered.

"Only after I begged and pleaded with you to see reason!" snarled Petunia. "I could've picked off all five of you back there, one at a time, but I felt you deserved one last chance, and someone offering it face-to-face!"

"A chance for what? To join up with someone who'll sink subs that pose no threat to her life's work!?" Harry fired back.

"Indeed. The U.S. launched a failed nuclear attack on Inferno, and sank one of the submarines launched out of pure spite," Samus added.

Petunia regarded both of them carefully for a moment, but when she spoke up, she was more defiant than ever. "No, not out of spite. Sounds more like Dr. Asara had to send a clear message. That anyone who dared threaten Inferno's citizens like that wouldn't go unpunished," she hissed through clenched teeth. "And please, like you're one to talk right now, Harry. Siding with the one who killed Lily...."

Samus could see Harry's resolve waver, so she picked up the slack. "Don't pretend that you ever cared for your her," she said hotly, deftly changing the subject. "Everything I ever heard from the members of the Order...."

"Was either a distortion or a lie," Petunia cut in snidely. "Look you, I already admitted to Harry that I've been a fool all these years. And in the end, the whole reason I took Harry in in the first place was because I felt I owed Lily that much." She looked from Samus to Harry, then back. "What is it you want from me? Why bother coming here? Attempts with Veritaserum and Legilimancy have already failed. What else can you hope to accomplish?"

Samus leaned a little closer, pleased to see Petunia recoil a little. "Keep hoarding intel, and you'll find out," she said softly, but dangerously. "So tell us, how is Valkyrie planning to mutate Earth's non-magical population? Is it with Kor-Zor's dark power alone, or are there any biologic agents involved? Does that coronal ejection heading for Earth have any part in this?" She walked around to behind's Petunia's chair, and with one swipe of her extended fins, cut her bindings. Petunia immediately rose, making Harry tense up, clearly itching to restrain her again. But Samus grabbed Petunia's hair and turned her around, staring coldly back at her.

For a moment, Petunia looked more frightened than ever, but it wasn't long before she regained her composure and leered back contemptuously. "Dr. Hinada always said you prided yourself a scientist as well as a mercenary. Figure it out yourself."

"Oh, I'm getting closer, I promise you that," Samus exaggerated. "But in the meantime, you might like to know that whatever Valkyrie did to you, it wasn't free of risk. Whether it's that weed you constantly eat or whatever made you a witch, it's causing a cascading physiological reaction now. That latest blood sample showed elevated liver enzymes, as if your body's fighting off the toxic effects of something."

Petunia eyes widened a bit, but quickly shot back, "You're lying. There's no way that it's picked up again...." She stopped suddenly, obviously afraid she had revealed too much.

"What's picked up again?" demanded Harry. "Come on, Aunt Petunia, whatever's going on, it's endangering your life now!"

"Sorry, Harry, but I don't scare that easily," said Petunia, but Samus knew she was exaggerating as well. "If something's truly wrong with me, Dr. Asara can fix it. That's the greatest thing about her...while everyone else sits around and prays for miracles to happen, Dr. Asara _MAKES_ them happen on a daily basis. You have no idea what's she's done for our family alone. Not only did she make me a witch, but she indirectly saved _YOUR_ life as well!"

It was now Harry's turn to widen his eyes in shock. "What in...how'd she do that!?"

"That article your Healer used, brewing the potion that bound Metroid DNA to your own...Dr. Asara had that published under a ghostwriter!" Petunia boasted. "She always disseminated her ideas and research topside, seeing if any other inquiring minds will come up with any ideas she missed. She said she was impressed by that Healer's ingenuity, but at the end of the day, it wasn't useful for...."

Samus knew it was time to act. If Petunia was spilling little tidbits here and there so thoughtlessly, there was no better time to spring their trap. Moving with lightning speed, Samus got behind Petunia's and slung her arm cannon across her waist, pinning her up against her armored body. With her left hand, she held Petunia's head firmly in place. Petunia didn't have the strength to resist as she was forced to face the middle of the room...where a figure was dispelling a Disillusionment Charm.

"NO!" Petunia screamed with horror, realizing what was going on when Voldemort appeared in the room. Everything had been a ploy to get her to relax her guard. Then, at the right moment, have the most talent Legilimens at their disposal penetrate her mind, before she could regather her wits.

Voldemort smiled coldly as he raised his wand. "_Legilimens!_"

The very air around them seemed to ripple and undulate as the spell found its mark, making Petunia jerk back despite Samus's hold. Petunia's scream of fury and frustration was enough to let Samus know their scheme was working.

But as she feared, Harry was clutching his head. The whole reason he removed his helmet was to make Petunia think Voldemort was nowhere around, and since he couldn't get it back on in time, he was delving into his aunt's mind, too....

xxxxxx

Harry expected this to happen, knew there was risk when taking his helmet off, but never imagined it would be this painful or disorienting. Every other time Voldemort inadvetently dragged Harry's mind along for the ride...they were nothing compared to this. It felt like his head was ramming into an endless row of brick walls, crashing through each one, while spinning uncontrollably, further and further, into an expanse of darkness. Darkness that seemed alive with every negative emotion imaginable.

_Is this the mental shield Valkyrie helped Aunt Petunia make? _Harry wondered, just as he thought he could endure no more. Then, as suddenly as it began, the suffocating darkness faded and light flooded everything. Harry's eyes soon adjusted, or were they Voldemort's eyes?

Or were they his aunt's?

"Oh come on, Lily! What's the point of us coming all the way to Hawaii if you won't let me teach you to swim!?" came a barking, childish voice...that felt like it came from a mouth not under his control. Harry also noticed everything felt wet and cold, as if he was submersed in water from the neck down. His forward vision now clear, he saw a little girl in a bathing suit, standing on a rocky shore. Harry felt a rush of excitement when he recognized the girl: this was his mother, from that one photograph Moody had found.

"Oh please, Tuney, you've tried already...I'll always swim like a rock and you know it," said his mother defiantly, stooping over to pick something up. Her expression brightened. "Hey Tuney, look what I caught!" she boasted, holding up a toad with noxious, sallow skin, covered in brown, bumpy spots.

"Ewww, Lily, gross!" cried Petunia. "Don't you know those things are poisonous!?"

"Not unless you eat them, and there's no way I could...." Lily began, but the toad gave one loud croak and leaped from her hands. "Oh no, I wanted to show that to Mum, it looked so cool," said Lily, looking downtrodden.

Harry felt surprised when he heard Petunia sigh and say, "Oh fine, if you're going to be that way, I'll go get it for you." Before Harry knew it, Petunia dove underwater, and from her vantage point, saw everything pass at dizzying speed as she looked for the toad.

_I don't believe it...even back then, she was that good a swimmer!?_ Harry thought with disbelief. But he received an even greater shock when Petunia caught up with the toad, floating by an underwater sheaf of rocks. To Harry's amazement, Petunia sped forward even faster, effortlessly snatching up the toad and swimming back up to Lily.

"Here, take the slimy thing!" Petunia demanded, holding up the toad as she climbed out.

But Lily wasn't put off by her sister's brusqueness. "Tuney, t-thank you," she said, looking gratefully at her sister as she held onto the toad. "Wow, I don't believe it...you can swim even better than a froggy!"

Harry felt Petunia's face screw up in confusion, as if she didn't know what else to say. Now intrigued, Harry wanted to see more, but Voldemort obviously had seen enough, for everything dissolved and lurched. When everything cleared, Harry felt a rush of panic. Now he was looking down at the Great Hall back in Hogwarts, as if standing upside-down on the enchanted ceiling! After forcing himself to calm down, Harry realized exactly when this was: during Apparition lessons last year.

After a while, he realized Petunia's gaze was focused on one particular student...himself! Harry felt Petunia's breathing come as steady and measured, having watched him practice Apparition for who knew how long, no doubt Disillusioned. Eventually, a voice made her turn to her right. "Thought you'd use your off day to come here," came Tesla's flat, toneless voice. "I swear, you're getting so worked up over the kid." Harry could barely make out a distorted outline of a young girl, idly levitating. From Petunia's vantage point on the ceiling, Tesla was upside-down.

"Hold it, how are you flying and Disillusioning yourself at the same time?" Petunia asked in a whsiper.

"I'm not," said Tesla. "Got the gizmo the doc reverse-engineered from the specs on Aran's ship."

"But I thought it couldn't hold a charge longer...than...." Petunia broke off, no doubt feeling foolish. "Never mind," she finished quickly.

"So...what's with the constant obsession over your nephew?" Tesla prodded.

"I...just can't stand the waiting," said Petunia softly. "When the time comes, I just know Dr. Asara will be counting on me to pitch everything to him. She's counting on him joining her and I-I can't stand the thought of letting her down."

Harry swore he saw Tesla raise an eyebrow. "Is that all?" she asked innocently. "C'mon, Tunes, by now you should know you can trust me."

Petunia looked back down at the Harry far below. "Tesla, that whole week I had to stay back home, make sure Dumbledore never suspected...Harry kept himself shut away. I knew I couldn't blow our cover, but still, I felt I should have worked up the courage. But I couldn't bring myself to do it, t-to tell him...." Petunia's voice trailed off, as if choking on her words. Again, Harry wanted to see and hear more, but was rudely yanked away by Voldemort's will, and everything faded.

The next scene that formed looked like what they were hoping for. The long hallway of what was no doubt a hospital, devoid of any staff, and the dark ambience gave away that it was nighttime. Harry suddenly was aware of a terrible chill on his, or rather Petunia's, left shoulder, and instinctively knew it was Valkyrie's bionic hand.

_This is it! This picks up where that memory in Dumbledore's Pensieve left off!_ Harry thought excitedly, hoping for some answers at last. Finally, Petunia and Valkyrie came to the double-doors of some examination room. Thye stopped in front of them, but they swung open as if of their own accord. Inside it was even darker and gloomier, but Harry could still make out its occupants: Wildflower, Faction and Tesla, along with a stout, red-haired woman Harry recognized to be Dr. Kasumi Hinada. They all crowded around a single chair, one not unlike those for dental patients.

Petunia's future teammates all looked up, nodding and smiling, while Dr. Hinada kept scribbling something on a clipboard. Harry felt Petunia shudder. "So, this is Petunia Dursley," said Faction evenly, eyeing her up and down. "She doesn't look very...durable. Are you sure you'd want her with us?"

Harry could sense his aunt's indignation brewing, but Valkyrie calmly diffused the situation. "That will be her decision, should our experiment today prove successful. As I've told you, son, I have my reasons for believing Petunia could be an asset."

Petunia looked up at Faction, no doubt surprised. "Son?" she repeated.

"Oh yes, my most charming foster son," said Valkyrie proudly as she led Petunia over to the chair. "Another reason why I felt obligated to offer you my help. I too am a mother. Perhaps, if things go well, our sons can get better acquainted. I'm sure Duddits would love to learn some of Kago's killer knockout punches, for one thing...."

Harry could tell Petunia was only half-listening as she was herded to the chair. Her trembling hands clutched the armrests tightly as she forced herself to sit down. But suddenly, it seemed Petunia worked up enough courage to ask, "B-But...surely, you must not think of me as much of a mother. No doubt you hate me because of Harry...."

Valkyrie had walked over to a counter to prepare something with Dr. Hinada's help, but looked back with an intense stare. "As I told your husband, I know firsthand there are worse Muggles to be stuck with. But if you're feeling guilty about Harry now, perhaps soon I can help you patch things up with him, and then do so much more...."

"W-W-What d'you mean by that?" asked Petunia, her voice quivering.

Valkyrie walked up beside her chair, just as Wildflower, Faction and Tesla bean slapping electrodes onto Petunia, which made her yelp. "See these three? I'm thinking of forming a special team, people with special abilities, to help me with my ultimate goal. And I'm hoping, if my little creation here works today, you'll become the fourth member."

Petunia stared back at her. "B-B-But even if I do become, er, one of you, what would be so special about me? I don't know anything about fighting, or, or...."

Valkyrie smiled more broadly, which seemed to silence Petunia. "Tell me, Petunia, do you remember back when you and Lily were children, on vacation in Hawaii?" she asked innocently. "You caught that toad for Lily, and she said you swam far better than it did?"

Harry felt Petunia's eyes widen. "S-She even told you about that?"

Valkyrie nodded. "She treasured that memory, more than you realize, even after all those years. And that got me thinking about...other things I could do for you. Tell me, how would like to become a human toad as well? Swim faster and jump higher than any mortal man, use a tongue like a weapon, be completely amphibious, cling to walls, have deadly poison on hand? Become just like the toad so precious to Lily? More than enough to make you...unique?"

Harry expected Petunia to shudder with revulsion, but amazingly, she stared back in total, still silence. "You're...dead serious about me joining you, aren't you?"

"Again, the choice is yours," Valkyrie reminded her. "But if you're serious about proving to Harry that you can change, which we all suspect you are, this is your chance. Our ultimate goal is to fulfill your sister's vision, and make a better future for everyone, especially her son. And here's something else to consider: without your nephew, this experiment wouldn't even be possible."

"Wha...How's that?" Petunia asked, sounding eager. To Harry, Valkyrie sounded as subtlely insane as ever, and expected Petunia to react the same way. Instead, she still sounded intrigued.

"As outrageous as this will sound...a few months ago, your nephew was infused with DNA from an alien species from the future to fight off a parastic infection," Valkyrie said offhandedly. "I'll give you the whole story another time, but long story short, extracting samples of that Metroid DNA finally gave me what I needed. Earlier methods with my standard gene therapy techniques took months, sometimes even years, and were far too elaborate and prone to errors. Not efficient at all. But with those miraculous new pieces of DNA...I now have an easier, quicker, more reliable way."

Petunia stared back at her for a long while, until she eventually said, "You've...given me a lot to think about. But...let's get this over with." Harry knew full well, however, that his aunt would take Valkyrie up on her every offer.

Wildflower, Faction and Tesla all stood back, while Dr. Hinada stepped forward, holding a syringe with a large needle. "Ugh, blasted primitive medical technology," grumbled Hinada. She pulled back the sleeve of Petunia's dress until her shoulder was exposed.

Suddenly nervous, Petunia stared at the needle. "W-What now? What's in that?" she demanded.

"A simple benzodiazepine combination, to make the first stage of the transfection go a little smoother," replied Valkyrie simply. "Don't worry, after the injection, the sedative will take effect almost immediately."

Petunia winced as Dr. Hinada plunged the needle into her shoulder, but as Valkyrie promised, her head seemed to relax and fall back at once. For some reason, Harry felt a little calmer as well, despite still seeing the self-satisfied, chilling face his most powerful enemy constantly, and his mind still being linked to his arch-nemesis's. Petunia's breathing slowed a little, and her grip on the armrests slackened.

"We're nearly there," came Valkyrie's voice. "Kas, make sure every bit of data gets recorded. I want to know everything that happens over the next few minutes physiologically, right down to the last beta-2 receptor! Isobel, Kago, Tesla...wands out! Once I give her the first load, you know what to do!"

As Harry tried to figure out just what Valkyrie was talking about, he saw her duck for a moment, only to rise again, holding a breathing mask in her good hand. Something was clutched close to her with her bionic arm, but with the way Petunia's eyes were shifting in and out of focus, Harry couldn't make it out. Suddenly, he felt the mask close around Petunia's nose and mouth. Despite the depressants coursing through her, Petunia breathed in deeply, as if she knew that was the first step to achieving her life's dream.

Whatever it was, it had a fairly sweet aroma to it, but otherwise, it felt as if Petunia was just breathing in thick, foggy London air. As he thought over everything he heard, Harry dwelled on how it was _HIS_ Metroid DNA that was making this possible. That made his aunt just like his mother. He knew he wasn't a brilliant scientist like Samus, but still, he racked his brains trying to figure out an answer. But nothing came to him. He and Voldemort would have to let the memory play out, hope Valkyrie or someone else would spill a vital clue....

But as quickly as his intrusion into Voldemort's mind, and thus his aunt's, began, it was over. Harry found himself thrust back into his own body, his head touching the cold, stone floor. He fought off the lingering feelings of vertigo, propping himself up on his hands and knees. "Whu...W-What did...V-V-Voldemort, why'd you s-stop?" he managed to get out. Craning his neck up, he saw Voldemort staring blankly at Petunia. He actually looked confused and a little worried. Then Harry looked at Petunia, who had slumped back in that chair, and his heart sank when he saw it was as if she was going through a seizure.

xxxxxx

"What's going on now!?" demanded Samus acidly. "Voldemort, what did you do!? You assured us that your Legilimency would cause no lasting harm!!"

"This is not my doing!" protested Voldemort. "Powerful intrusions with Legilimency are bound to produce unsavory side-effects, but nothing of this sort!"

Samus looked back to Petunia, who was still convulsing. "Riddle, go get Pomfrey back in here, she's waiting right outside," she ordered. In desperation, she planted a hand on Petunia's shoulder, as if to force her to stop shaking. Of course, it didn't work. But it was then that Samus noticed something odd. She grabbed Petunia's face by the chin, closely inspecting it. "What in the name of the weak nuclear force...all the lymph nodes in her head are swollen!"

"That, too, it most certainly NOT an aftereffect of Legilimancy!" Voldemort barked as he returned with Pomfrey.

"He's telling the truth! I-I-I don't know what could be causing all this!" screamed Pomfrey.

As Samus kept a firm grip on Petunia's face, she felt her trembling was subsiding, "Well, whatever is going on, it's just about over," she said, staring into Petunia's glassy, unfocused eyes. "Come on, Dursley, what's going on!? You were obviously afraid something was going to happen to you. Just what are you hiding, you...."

Samus stopped cold when it looked like Petunia was about to be sick. Before Samus could drop Petunia, or even turn her head away, she spewed up a sickening amount of blood through the muzzle, which gushed all over Samus's torso and face...and some even got in her mouth.

"ACK!!!" spluttered Samus as she dropped Petunia, who crumpled like a sack of sand. She tried to spit out Petunia's blood, but some had reached the back of her throat. Once she forced herself to calm down, she said, "Pomfrey, get her out of here, somewhere where she can get treatment! I don't care where, just get moving with her!"

Pomfrey stared blankly at her for a moment, then nodded. Whipping out her wand, she began levitating Petunia out of the room, and up the ladder beyond.

"Samus, you OK?" came Harry's concerned voice. Samus looked down as she kept trying to brush off the blood from her face. Harry was finally back on his feet, every bit of his features betraying worry, no doubt for both her and his aunt.

"I'll...be fine," said Samus tonelessly. "But I'm more worried about what made your aunt react like that. If Voldemort's telepathy didn't cause that, what did?"

"In any case, in what little time I had, I may have stumbled upon vital clues," said Voldemort dismissively. "But I'm sure Potter would be more than happy to fill you in," he finished with a sneer.

"Yeah. Yeah, sure I would," retorted Harry as he put his helmet back on, looking ready to faint. Samus let him lean on her as they walked out, worried for her young friend, but her thoughts still kept going back to Petunia. Something was affecting her physiology drastically, and Samus couldn't help but wonder if the same would happen to everyone else in Inferno who received Valkyrie's poisonous gift....

xxxxxx

Sorry we can't get to the third sanctum today, folks. Truthfully, I have yet to map that sucker out in my head. Slytherin's was the only one I had fully formed in my head before starting this fic. Believe it or not, I kinda made up Ravenclaw's as I went along.

Anyway, the brazen video game reference in this one...all of you who squealed at the Halo 2 quote, but didn't get the blatant Castlevania one, listen up. Fail to pick out this one, and expect a goddamn Howler. :P

So long,

Grey-X


	31. Level Three

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 31: Level Three

12-20-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

**June 29, 1997 A.D., 3:03 P.M. Western European Time**

**Hogwarts**

Exhausted and traumatized as Harry was, it was a minor miracle that Samus got him back to her ship before he passed out completely. As soon as the pair was levitated into the interior, Samus forcibly removed Harry's helmet, and Adam got to work with the rest of his suit, sending out mechanical arms to pry it off.

"Tonight, it's best you sleep in here, rather than retiring in Gryffindor Tower while wearing your suit again," said Adam as he dismantled Harry's armor. "With the shields fully active, you need not worry about Voldemort intruding into your mind."

"Good. Don't want him learning that once Valkyrie and Inferno's dealt with, I'm coming for him," said Harry weakly. "And boy, will it be a relief to finally get out of this. It'll be a miracle if I don't get lifelong claustrophobia from this thing."

"Hey, at least the water-recycling systems didn't fail on you," Samus said with a grin, thinking Harry would find that funny.

Unfortunately, Harry seemed too tired to care about humor. Once the armor was off completely, he stepped into some clothes left in the ship, then sat down on the biobed. "Samus, before I sleep all this off, I'd better tell you what I saw."

"Forget it, Harry. I'll get Voldemort to spill what he dug out of your aunt's thick skull," Samus protested.

"No no no, let him earn his keep and go do something else useful," Harry said bitterly. Before Samus could protest again, Harry launched into an explanation of what he saw via Voldemort's Legilimancy. Samus's eyes widened as Harry explained what happened right after what they saw in Vernon Dursley's memory, but then felt as if she'd suffered dysrhythmias upon hearing Valkyrie somehow used his Metroid DNA.

"I don't believe it..._THAT'S_ why she broke into Hogwarts that night to steal a blood sample from you! Splicing the DNA into herself and cloning Metroids must've come later," Samus said breathlessly. "She must've known that Metroid DNA could somehow be used for a new gene therapy technique...but how!?"

Harry lazily shrugged his shoulders. "Don't look at me, I'm no biologist," he said, almost sounding guilty, as if he was somehow responsible for what Valkyrie planned to do with his DNA. "But in Aunt Petunia's memory, Valkyrie said something about 'transfection'. Didn't Captain Granger overhear something like that, too? This giving you any ideas yet?"

"Knowing our Lady, she's got a theory or two in the works already," said Adam proudly. Another reminder of how well Adam knew her, for her mind was starting to fit all the puzzle pieces together. Indeed, these two details, along with Petunia's strange symptoms, gave Samus an idea of what to look for, and what to expect to find....

"Right on, both of you," said Samus quickly. "But first things first. I've got to get to work, deciphering the location of the third sanctum. I'll leave it to Adam and Pomfrey to assess and analyze you and your aunt. Plus there's a lot of other things McGonagall and Moody wanted to discuss with me. Ugh, so much is happening so fast." Indeed, the pressure was beyond overwhelming. Never before had Samus faced such a complicated, daunting mission. Time paradoxes, an ancient pariah of her people let loose, her dark half still ticking somewhere in her head...and a sinister mastermind who tempted her as much as she repulsed her.

Samus turned to leave, but Harry grasped her wrist, pulling her back. "Hold on, Samus. There's...something I need to ask you," Harry said uneasily, sounding guilty all over again.

Samus bit her lip, fearing whatever Harry had to ask. "Well, go ahead," she said at length.

Harry took a deep breath, and said, "It's just, I thought I'd made the right decision back in the Department of Mysteries. It seemed so simple. Side with the bad guys to stop the _REALLY_ bad guys. I keep telling myself that Voldemort's the lesser of two evils. But the more we find out, the more empty that all sounds."

Recollections of Valkyrie's offers to help her reshape the next few centuries of galactic history came rushing back. Not only that, the SA-X's recent intrusion, not-so-subtlely hinting at what she could have by staying in this era, was fresh in her mind. Despite herself, she simply couldn't banish the idea. Something she'd never given much thought before, but now intrigued and tantalized her.

Samus simply sighed and said, "I think I know how you feel. That's the scariest thing about Valkyrie: you know she's a temptress on an intellectual level, but emotionally, and even intellectually still...."

"It's not just her. Both Petunia and Myrtle...when they talk about this Day of Reckoning, it's hard to argue against them," Harry went on. "I know from your perspective, it'd be mucking up history, but still, it doesn't seem right to deny Muggles what Valkyrie's offering. In a way, Myrtle's right. If we hoard our power when Valkyrie has a way of giving it away, what makes us any better than Voldemort and his lot?"

"Harry, we just saw that Valkyrie's gift may not be without consequences," Samus reminded him, relieved at the opportunity to separate things into black and white. Things were always easier that way, with her and the Galactic Federation on one side, and scourges like the Space Pirates and the Ing on the other. But even in her time, this comfortable illusion was being eroded....

"Maybe it's just withdrawal symptoms from not having that weed?" Harry suggested weakly, every syllable betraying a conflict that raged within.

Samus shook her head. "Not from the symptoms I've been seeing. It's something else entirely, and I've got a bad feeling I know what it is."

Harry hung his head, a sign of surrender. "Yeah, you're probably right," he said softly. "Still, I can't get over how complicating and confusing everything's gotten. And I've never been more afraid, that at the end of the day, I'll make the wrong choice. I know Valkyrie can't be trusted, but still, everything she's offered us...."

Harry picked his head back up, and their eyes met again. Samus knew Harry could see the same turmoil in her eyes, and was at a total loss for words. How could she reassure him when she was having an internal crisis of her own? When she herself feared, for the first time in her life, her own conviction and sense of duty might eventually cave? That she'd give in to selfish desire instead of fulfilling her vow to the Chozo?

Luckily, someone much wiser spoke up. "If I may, Harry Potter, let me put myself out and say I have no fears of you choosing the wrong side whatsoever," said Adam confidently.

Harry looked past Samus, toward the cockpit controls. "What makes you say that?" he asked.

A moment of silence, no doubt a thoughtful pause on Adam's part. "How do I put this? Hmm, how about this? Since we've focused so much attention on the United States as of late, let me quote one of its presidents: Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

It was Samus and Harry's turn to pause and think. "Don't follow," Harry finally said.

"What I mean is that, like Dr. Valencia Asara, you have faced much adversity in your world. And both of you command considerable power," explained Adam. "But in the end, the latter sets you apart. The way you and Valkyrie choose to use your power are radically different."

"Oh please, when it comes to power, compared to Valkyrie, I've got nothing without my Metroid form," spat Harry. "And everything I've been through...I haven't lost quite as much as Valkyrie has...."

"Quantity and scale are irrelevant," Adam cut in tersely. "What you've displayed both academically and in combat shows you command power and wisdom that's well above average for wizards your age. Not to mention your fame and leadership skills give you influence in a fashion similar to Valkyrie's, and like her, you have indeed endured much hardship. But how you use your gifts is where your similarities end. Never in your life have you sought to use your power to impose your will on others, nor have you ever used your hardships and suffering as excuses to lash out and harm innocents, the way Valkyrie does. I am certain this is why Albus Dumbledore believed you capable of turning the tide against Voldemort one day, and why I am confident that, in the end, you will make the right choices."

An awkward, yet thoughtful, silence lingered in the ship for a few moments. Finally, Harry broke the tension. "Adam, never thought you could cheer me up," he said softly.

"When one has to mentor a specimen such as our dear Lady, one learns a thing or two about psychology," said Adam haughtily. Suddenly, a small vial filled with liquid was lowered via a mechanical arm, toward Harry. "This is a mild sedative-hypnotic. Perhaps not as potent as some of your potions, but it will ensure you have a restful sleep nonetheless.

Harry glanced uneasily at Samus, but she smiled and nodded reassuringly. "Just get some sleep, Harry. Hopefully, by the time you wake up, we'll be all set to head for the next sanctum," she said kindly.

"If you say so," Harry said. He downed the medicine in one gulp, grimaced a little, then spread out on the biobed. Samus pulled a blanket over him just as he began to softly snore. Samus stared at his sleeping form for a while, once again filled with anxiety about what was to come. Being a leader was something she hated, even at times feared. So far, her track record of leading Harry and his friends had been less than stellar. How was she supposed to keep leading them, set an example, when she wasn't even certain of herself anymore?

"Adam, what about me?" Samus suddenly asked. "You sound confident Harry will pull through this, but what about me?"

Samus could almost hear the old Adam Malkovich smirking. "Everything you've done since I stated I was in error for sacrificing myself for you...has proven that statement itself was an error," Adam said confidently. "I foresee you continuing to prove me wrong from here on out, and I look forward to every second you make me sound like a fool."

xxxxxx

**June 30, 1997 A.D., 5:45 A.M. Central Standard Time**

**approximately 50 miles off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula**

Thanks to Adam's concoction, Harry slept peacefully for half a day, feeling strangely invigorated and itching to get back to work. Unfortunately, upon awakening in the early hours of the morning, Samus was still trying to crack the Chozo relic's secrets. Like Ravenclaw's trial, this test forced Samus to work for hours on end. It was no surprise, then, to learn that Helga Hufflepuff's sanctum was next.

Even after getting the location at last, Samus looked far too tired to venture out right away. McGonagall insisted she get a few hours of sleep herself. Samus eventually relented, leaving Harry with the uneasiness of waiting until she awoke. It was a most unwelcome feeling, with so many buzzing around the castle, yet having nothing useful to do, lending it an unnerving air of urgency.

But what surprised Harry was how all the Muggle soldiers assigned to Hogwarts seemed to recognize him, even in full armor, as he strode around the castle looking for something to do. They looked encouraged, even hopeful, when they saw him. Harry soon realized he should have expected that. These soldiers' lives, their very world, was torn asunder by what they had learned these last few days. While trying to cope with the enormity of their world and the Wizarding world clashing, they must have heard the stories about him, and how he was working to fend off this new evil in his own way.

Now, even among Muggles in the United Kingdom, his legend was spreading and instilling hope. But instead of taking heart from that, Harry felt more pressured than ever, undeserving of such trust....

He eventually found Ron and Hermione alone in the library, possibly the only place not being used for their counterresistance. Ron was experimenting with all his Chozo gear, practicing the space jump in particular, while Hermione was looking through historical records for something. They talked amongst themselves for many hours. Harry explained what he saw in his aunt's mind, and that Samus finally had some idea of what was going on, though she had yet to tell him.

The conversation eventually turned to how disturbingly powerful the lure of Valkyrie's offers still were. Hermione insisted she could never side with someone with such violent methods, but Harry could sense a cold, dark satisfaction lingering behind her words. For years, she had stood up for magical non-humans, and though she tried to deny it, seeing house-elves, goblins and centaurs strike back like this must have thrilled her on some level. Ron was adamant that Valkyrie was just as bad as Voldemort, but Harry could tell he admired how Valkyrie shared a lot in common with his family.

And as he suspected, they were torn about Valkyrie's ultimate goal of mutating every single Muggle on Earth.

Thankfully, the time for sitting around and debating was eventually over. Samus awoke around noon, at once eager to head out. More Muggles, along with Neville and Luna, gave him looks of encouragement as he headed for the courtyard. Unfortunately, he also passed Scrimgeour and Umbridge, who shouted accusations of sitting around while others were busily working.

Harry's only response was an ice beam shot aimed at their feet, rooting them to the spot while they shouted profanities after him.

Soon, the three of them were back on board with Samus, Voldemort, J.B. and George. J.B. wasted no time taking off, prepping the ship for another flight across the Atlantic Ocean. This time, their destination wasn't America, but somewhere in Guatemala. For the most part, Harry kept silent, anxious about what trials Hufflepuff had left for them. Ravenclaw had mentioned that Hufflepuff and Gryffindor's tests would be radically different from hers and Slytherin's. What were they in for now?

Harry looked over to Samus, who had been slaving at the science station the whole time, finally having time to analyze all the new data about Aunt Petunia. However, he caught her stealing quick glances over at George, who stood by the cockpit, an unreadable expression on her face. Voldemort, meanwhile, had paced most of the trip, but occassionally glanced over Samus's shoulder to view her work. _Not that he could make any sense of it_, Harry had thought acidly. Eventually, Harry saw him conjure a quill and some parchment, and he seated himself at the rear of the ship, where Harry had accidently blasted a conduit, scribbling something.

Paying Voldemort no mind, Harry walked over to Samus. "Make any sense of this yet?" he asked timidly. Despite all the bad blood that still lingered, Petunia was still family, and dreaded bad news about her condition.

"Adam will have to run more tests while we're doing our thing, but so far, it's pretty much exactly what I thought it'd be," said Samus heavily. Harry expected Samus to launch into another explanation with scientific jargon he couldn't hope to understand, but surprised him with what she admitted next. "But one thing I still can't figure out is why we're only seeing this reaction in Petunia Dursley. Other Inferno soldiers have been captured around the world, but so far, no reports of symptoms like hers. It can't be that she was Valkyrie's first transfectee. As soon as Dursley started slinging curses, Valkyrie must've started gassing and enchanting all her citizens with that stuff you and Voldemort saw."

"If I may, Samus Aran, Potter probably saw only half of what I did," said Voldemort suddenly. "He was privy to the memories that I found which his aunt dwelled on the most, but I saw a bit more. Bits and pieces of things she saw while Asara discussed her plans." He held out the pieces of parchment he was writing on. "What stood out the most were several formulas Asara allowed her to see. From her buried emotions, I know these have some significance."

Samus quickly snatched up the parchment and skimmed over them. "I've seen these before, in my time working at Hogwarts. Some of the library's more modern books have conversion formulas, for translating ancient methods of measuring magical force into more scientific values like joules and kilowatts. But the scale of these values Dursley saw...." Samus finished, her eyes full of awe and thinly-veiled terror.

"Let me have a look," said Hermione, walking past Harry to scan the parchment. "Oh yeah, I've seen these conversion tables in the books I was looking at earlier. And those numbers...oh bloody hell."

"Care to elaborate, little Mudblood?" snorted Voldemort.

"If you must know, I was checking historical records to see how the coronal ejection back in 1859 affected the Wizarding world," retorted Hermione coldly. "Have you all forgotten that an even bigger CME is only a couple days away?"

"So either these formulas have to do with this CME, or Kor-Zor's dark energy...or maybe both," remarked Ron. Samus looked over at Ron, then back down at the parchment. Her eyes seemed to widen with terror a bit more, but there was also a look of dawning in them. But whatever her suspicions were, they would have to wait, for Adam spoke up.

"We have entered Guatemalan airspace, people, and are currently right over the Yucatan Peninsula," Adam droned. "We will arrive at Samus's coordinates in less than five minutes."

Harry got up to look out the cockpit window, examining the landscape. A sudden recollection then came to him. "Hey Adam, isn't this where that asteroid hit? The one that...."

"Caused the extinction of the dinosaurs?" Adam finished for him. "You would be correct." Harry shook his head. This was the site of an event that changed the course of all life on this planet, and if they didn't assemble this weapon fast enough, something else affecting their evolution would be unleashed.

But did he want to stop it?

The ship flew on over plains and forests. When Adam announced they had arrived at the precise coordinates, Harry gasped upon seeing what awaited them below. Their ship was hovering over the ruins of an abandoned Mayan city. A large steeped pyramid stretched out underneath them, surrounded by plazas and towers. "Adam, you sure this is the right spot?" Hermione asked dubiously. "I mean, are you saying that Hufflepuff built her sanctuary right underneath the remains of a Mayan city?"

"That would appear to be an affirmative, Hermione," said Adam, though he clearly sounded surprised.

"The Mayans...aren't they the ones who said the world would end in 2012?" asked. J.B..

"Yeah. Most accurate calendar in the ancient world, my arse! They were off by fifteen bloody years!" replied Hermione.

"The world's not ending on our watch, little lady," said George confidently.

Hermione snorted. "Yeah, if you say so. Anyway, what's funny is that the Mayan cities in this southern part of the region were already in decline around the time of Kor-Zor's reign. But the root cause of their disappearance always mystified archaeologists...."

"Well, I got a nasty feeling we're going to solve that mystery today," remarked Ron darkly.

A heavy silence that even Voldemort wasn't quite brazen enough to break settled over the ship. "Enough talk. Time to move out," Samus eventually cut in loudly. "J.B., take us in a little lower so we can safely drop down, then get out of here until we signal you. We've got to assume Inferno will eventually track the ship down, so go fly over other Mayan ruins, keep them guessing about the sanctum's entrance. In the meantime, we've got to find it ourselves."

The exit in the floor slid open, and Voldemort wordlessly jumped out first, using his summoned winds to glide down safely. Ron jumped out next, and with one last worried look at her uncle, Hermione followed him. Samus was about to jump out, but she cast one last look over at George. "George, if Inferno tracks you down, they'll probably bring much, much more than just the Razor Knight. You sure you can handle all the troops Valkyrie will throw at you and J.B.?"

"Hey, defying the odds is something my brother and I are infamous for, my dear Lady," replied George with a wry, arrogant smirk. "Just keep you pretty big self alive down there and don't worry about us."

Harry was sure Samus would rearrange George's face for brazenly flirting like that, but Samus just stared back with another unreadable look. At last, she jumped out, going into a spin, and Harry followed her out. He landed with a deafening crunch, kneeling in the center of an impact crater he made on a brick path in a plaza. As soon as he stepped away, Voldemort waved his wand, and the cracks vanished. "Come Potter, can't leave any obvious signs for Valkyrie's lapdogs," he sneered.

_Yeah, but magic'll leave traces...that's how Dumbledore found where you hid some of your Horcruxes,_ Harry thought vehemently. Thoughts about his previous mission kept intruding more and more now. Harry couldn't believe he wasn't trying to use this shaky truce to his advantage somehow, playing on Voldemort the way he was certain he'd eventually play them. Sure, he couldn't risk giving too much away, but he hadn't even put any effort toward finding Nagini these last few days.

Shaking his head, Harry looked around. Sunlight was just starting to peek over the treetops surrounding the ancient city, casting an eerie glow everywhere. Everywhere he looked, an aura of cold silence and loneliness seemed to permeate the air...almost as if the place was haunted. Could Ron be right? Was Kor-Zor responsible for the desertion of this place?

The five of them wandered aimlessly for a while through the plazas and courtyards, peeking into abandoned buildings, drawing closer to the central pyramid as the sun kept rising. Soon, it had banished the cover of night altogether, around which time Ron whined, "Where's the entrance? What the bloody hell are we looking for!?"

Ron took a few more steps forward, and Harry noticed that his T-shaped chest plate was giving off a pale-blue glow. Everyone else noticed this too, including Ron, who stopped dead in his tracks. Suddenly, the eagle relief came to life and launched itself off Ron's armor, hovered for a moment, then flew off in the direction of the pyramid.

"After it!" commanded Voldemort, who kicked up winds to glide toward the pyramid. Harry ran after him along with everyone else, and after building up enough speed, Samus launched into a space jump. Harry took the hint, and quick glimpses let him know Ron and Hermione weren't far behind, finally mastering the technique.

They reached the top of the pyramid a few seconds after Voldemort did, landing near him. As Samus stepped forward, Voldemort raised a hand, signaling for her to stop. He then pointed at the walls of another small structure nestled at the top of the pyramid, where the eagle had latched onto the side, jabbing at the weathered stones like a woodpecker. It seemed to glisten in the morning light peering over the forest, but as its veneer dazzled Harry, he caught something happening out the corner of his eye.

"There!" he cried, pointing back down the pyramid. Everyone turned to where Harry was indicating, where what looked like an ancient well was slowly rising out of the grassy ground. And even from that height, Harry could make out a faint, sparkling glow coming out of it.

The eagle flew back to Ron and reattached itself to his chest plate, eliciting a bemused look from him. They all paused for a few seconds, but after glancing at each other, they all jumped off the pyramid. Hardly anything else was said as they all flew back down. Once they reached the well and Harry looked inside, his heart leapt when he saw an elevator platform there, waiting for the team to step on. A mixture of apprehension and excitement churned within him. "Well, no sense waiting out here. Whatever's waiting for us is at the bottom of this elevator shaft," said Samus, echoing Harry's sentiments perfectly.

One by one, they all stepped inside the well. Harry was the last, and soon after planting his feet, the elevator platform lurched and dropped down at breakneck speed. A sudden twinge of panic overtook Harry as blackness swallowed them up. How far down did this go? Would they descend as deep into the Earth as they had flown upward into Ravenclaw's towers?

Harry had no idea how long they descended, but when light did return, the suddenness blinded him. He blindly hobbled off the platform, waiting for his eyes to adjust. It didn't take long, for he soon realized the light was supplied by fires all along the wall. Much like in Slytherin's domain, wall sconches modeled after the head of Hufflepuff's favorite animal, a badger, lined the walls of this circular, domed chamber. Unlike the snakes, which were made of silvery metal, these were carved from black stone. The walls themselves were covered with reliefs carved into yellowish rock, which eerily resembled artwork seen in the city above.

"Obviously, we're exactly where we want to be. Now let's do what we came here to do," said Voldemort eagerly, staring at the flaming badger heads. With that, Voldemort blasted open a bubble door on the far side of the room. Voldemort ran for it, but Samus pushed past him, determined to take point. She ran through the hatch, arm cannon raised with missiles armed, and Harry quickly followed her out. Right away, a fork greeted them. Wherever they were, it was interconnected by a network of long, rocky tunnels; the entrance to one sloped upwards, while another curved down to their right.

Ron, Hermione and Voldemort walked up behind them, surveying the scene. After a while, Hermione broke the silence. "Something tells me we shouldn't split up like in Slytherin's," she said. "I get the feeling this one is probably much bigger, and a lot more dangerous. Can't risk getting separated for too long."

"Perhaps the Mudblood is right. Until we better know what we're facing, there is strength in numbers," Voldemort conceded, but Harry caught the resentment in his voice.

"Then it's decided," said Samus. Eventually, she looked up and said, "We go this way first." Without another word, the five of them ran up the sloping tunnel.

xxxxxx

It turned out there was plenty of ground to cover up that first path. The tunnel was lined with many bubble doors, many of which led to other tunnels lined with bubble doors! Many rooms the doors led to had others rooms and accesible areas; walls that crumbled from a power bomb, high ledges they could space jump to....

But others had things like walls that could only be destroyed with the speed booster or screw attack, which they had yet to find...if they were even left for them by the Founders. Many long tunnels, in particular, were barred by blocks that would only melt away if someone with the speed booster ran down them.

The rooms themeselves were hardly just niches carved out from the rock. Most were lined with arrays of steel pillars and water pipes. Others had heavy machinery embedded within; everywhere they looked, there were massive gears constantly turning, their plangent ruckus echoing off the cave walls nonstop. It was as if they were inside some elaborate, automated mine.

Some gears were completely motionless, however, and most often such gears were near huge metal doors, probably a meter thick. None of them could be forced open, not even when combining the wave beam with Valkyrie's magnetic charms.

Here and there, they also encountered large statues, around three meters tall, carved from the same black stone as the wall sconches. Their bodies were in the shape of heavily-built human males, with garb reminiscent of the dead civilization of the city above. But their heads...they were badger heads, their snouts protruding outward as their bodies hunched, as if leering at passerby.

One chambers was a vast chasm, with platforms that moved either horizontally or vertically by way of steel cables, pulleys and gears, along with ladders lining the walls and ceilings. They were forced to use them, because powerful bursts of steam coming from huge pipes crisscrossing everywhere dissuaded flying too much. To Samus's dismay, the pipes couldn't be sealed with magic; even Voldemort eventually gave up. But even after careful exploration, there were still areas they couldn't reach. Some places were permanently inaccesible due to steam bursts, while obvious gaps in the roof either couldn't be reached with the space jump, or their spinning bodies wouln't fit through, and Voldemort didn't dare transform into black mist and try to pass.

Complicating matters was the resistance they kept running into. Samus's ubiquitous friend, the Zoomer, was all over the place, only this time the scavenging creatures actively pursued them and shot out poison barbs. To Ron's horror, young Acromantulas scurried everywhere, spewing venom, and he constantly voiced his fear that a fully-grown one could be anywhere. Side-Hoppers were back too, but these were the oversized variety she encountered on her final trip to Zebes. They usually attacked in tandem with Erumpents, who once again shot out explosive horns. In the wide-open areas, though, they were most often attacked by battle drones exactly like the ones she constantly ran into on SR388, only these had their functionality preserved.

It had been an hour since they first infiltrated the sanctum, and now, Samus was in morph ball mode, navigating yet another maze of narrow tunnels made up of empty pipes. There seemed to be more of these mazes than the other two sanctums combined, and what was worse, she kept running into areas where the path angled straight up at 90 degrees. The spring ball didn't get her anywhere, and oftentimes, she couldn't find any other paths with bombs.

Swearing to herself, Samus rolled back after running into yet another such dead end, heading back into the last room they decided to check out. At least she wouldn't leave empty-handed; she had stumbled upon a power bomb expansion back there. In fact, scouring this part of the sanctum had yielded many rewards. No energy tanks yet, but plenty of missile expansions and quite a few power bombs. She had 30 power bombs at her disposal now, and so would her friends as soon as she emerged. And by her last count, her friends had at least 140 missiles from expansions, while she had 200.

Slowly but surely, they were building their power and arming themselves for war, but the crucial gear hidden in these rocky caverns still eluded them.

Samus shot out of an opening in a pipe nestled into a wall covered with carvings and reliefs. She quickly unrolled, seeing her friends and Voldemort patiently waiting near a row of those strange statues. Samus saw the relief on Harry's face, but as she looked over to him, she spotted something they were completely oblivious to, Several wisps of ghostly, opaque mist seemed to sublimate from the walls, shoot right behind the four of them, and merge with the statues.

"Everyone, get away from those statues!" Samus cried out. Her warning came just in time. The nearest one suddenly sprang to life, raising a massive fist to bring down on Hermione. She jumped clear, but when the statue struck the cavern floor, it created a shockwave that blasted Voldemort, Ron and Harry off their feet. They all flew off in different directions; Voldemort's back collided with the room's bubble door. He quickly regathered his wits to face another statue coming right for him, smashing its body apart with a few well-placed powerful curses.

However, its head was still intact, and was now hovering a few feet from him. It suddenly shot forward, clamping down on his shoulder with its poweful jaws. Waves of crackling, white energy shot all over Voldemort's body, who howled in pain and dropped his wand.

Meanwhile, Samus had opened fire on the others statues, which were going after her friends, swiping at them with powerful fists and smashing the ground. These didn't use water, wind and electricity like the enchanted statues they ran into before; these creatures relied solely on astonishing speed and brute strength. And judging from all the missiles they were using up, they could take an incredible amount of abuse.

Harry finally shattered the bodies of two more statues with the Bombard Maxima/ice beam combo he'd used on Ravenclaw's robot eagle. But again, their heads remained, and both dived at Harry. Quick thinking on Ron's part kept them from putting the bite on Harry as well. "_Torrentus!_" he cried out, kicking up a gust that slammed the heads into the wall near Samus. She went back into morph ball mode, dropped a power bomb, and rolled away. Looking back after unrolling. she saw the badger heads float toward her, white-hot and ablaze. Quick ice beam shots shattered them completely.

A sharp shriek made Samus turn around. She saw Voldemort had blasted the badger off his shoulder, but Hermione had destroyed the last statue, and now _its_ head chomped down on her right hand. Thankfully, she retracted her wand in time, but now she was repeatedly slamming the head onto the ground, desperately trying to get it off as it sent paralyzing energy through her.

"Hermione! Hermione, hold on, we're coming!" Ron cried fearfully as he and Harry raced across the cavern, wands at the ready. Forced down to one knee and gritting her teeth, Hermione raised her right hand. Harry and Ron pelted the badger head with Reductor Curses; it held fast, but Samus could see cracks forming. Sighing, Voldemort cast one along with Harry and Ron, and at last it shattered.

Gasping for breath, Hermione slowly rose, flexing the fingers on her right hand. "Ugh, remind me not to say 'Bite me' when these statues are around," she growled.

"Indeed, Helga Hufflepuff has left quite devious obstacles for us. I can even sense enchantments lingering. I'll bet in a half-hour or so, these statues will reconstruct themselves," said Voldemort. "But why did these statues suddenly spring to life? We have encountered plenty of others that gave no sign of being enchanted."

"Something moved in behind you and took control of those statues," said Samus warily. "Streams of white mist...they almost seemed ghost-like."

Voldemort glowered at Samus, no doubt resenting the reminder of how she possessed a level of magic herself. It didn't unnerve her in the slightest, and said, "At any rate, we better be careful around these things from now on. Come on, we still haven't explored the entire length of that first tunnel."

Before leaving, Harry, Ron and Hermione took the time to harness some of the leechable energy left behind by the statues. Thankfully, there was quite a lot, and the three of them reaffirmed that they had plenty of full tanks.

After Samus transferred the power bomb expansion to them, they ventured back out into the tunnel, going up the sloping path again. As they ran on, Samus noticed that the bare stone walls were gradually giving way to walls covered with thick vegetation. Vegetation almost identical to that seen back in Brinstar, giving off an eerie, luminous glow. Once, it was a welcoming sight, but now it only added to the aura of death that permeated the place. The vestiges of happy times, of a life and another civilization long gone....

Samus was so wrapped of in the morbidness of it all, that she failed to hear the telltale rumblings behind them, until about a millisecond before Harry and Voldemort shouted out warnings. Whirling around, Samus saw more Erumpents charging up the path, heads bowed down to either ram them or shoot their horns. They did the latter, but Voldemort conjured a barrier. However, some of the explosive force still seeped through, and the five of them struggled to stand their ground.

Samus counterattacked before their horns could regrow, jumping towards the herd and cutting loose with beam shots and missiles. This injured some of them and forced a few back, but others had regrown their horns and were ready to charge. She heard Harry shout incantations, blowing the horns off their faces before they could ram her. Since Harry bought her some time, Samus glanced back over to the others while unleashing more charged shots and missiles. Her heart sank when she saw more of the big Side-Hoppers had moved in from the front, boxing them in. Side-Hoppers came crashing down everywhere, forcing the four wizards to duck and dodge everywhere.

Voldemort lashed out with cold fury, sweeping around and usually taking down an Erumpent or a Side-Hopper with a single curse. Still, too many were attacking at once, forcing the rest of them to pick up the slack. Soon, Ron resorted to the 'Glacius Beam' to stop two Erumpents cold, while Hermione once again combined Ferusuello with the wave beam, causing some gears mounted in the cave walls to fly out, tearing apart Side-Hoppers like shuriken.

Eventually, their combined efforts felled all the ambushers. Samus noticed that her three friends were all panting heavily as they divvied up their attackers' relinquished energy, and even Voldemort looked winded. It worried Samus to no end. Not only were they all being taxed to the limit, they were forced to resort to the beam/spell combinations more and more often. What else would be thrown at them? And if Hufflepuff's lair was this dangerous, what awaited them in Gryffindor's, which would surely test their resolve even more? Samus shook her head, refusing to entertain such doubts, let alone voice them. They were all counting on her, even Voldemort, and couldn't show any doubt.

"This portion of the sanctum is well-guarded indeed," hissed Voldemort, sounding winded as well. "Let us see just what it is they're supposed to keep us from."

"Yes, let's," said Ron simply as he took point, and the rest followed, going further up the path. By now, the ground itself was thick with the flora Samus was surrounded by as a child; it was impossible to avoid planting their feet on thick, pulsating, luminescent roots. Thankfully, they encountered no hostile plant life in the tunnel, and finally reached the bubble door at the very end.

Harry opened it, but Samus ran through first, charged blast at the ready, hoping to be ready for anything. But nothing could have prepared her for what awaited them now. On the other side, it looked like the interior of a large, deep crater, The early morning sky loomed high overhead. Within the crater were two more towering Mayan pyramids resting over lush, hilly terrain, along with smaller houses scattered about everywhere. Only these looked pristine compared to the ruins topside, a proud testament to the long-vanished culture.

"Wh-What's this? We're back outside? But it felt like elevator took us half a mile underground!" cried Harry.

"Not quite," said Voldemort, who aimed his wand upward and sent out a Blasting Curse. It shot up hundreds of feet, only to collide with what looked like a solid rock ceiling. The deep, sky-blue color there vanishing for an instant, as if paint was blasted to ghastly vapor, revealing tan stone. But a second later, the sky-blue veneer reasserted itself as if by magic, which of course was the case. "Another broad enchantment, much like the ceiling in the Great Hall back at Hogwarts," said Voldemort haughtily.

"OK, fine, it's like the roof back at Hogwarts," said Ron, sounding annoyed. "But what's the point? Why put all the effort into that?"

"Well, we certainly won't get any answers standing around here," said Hermione. "There's two pyramids, and I think I see a ledge up there we can fly to," she went on, pointing up at the crater wall. Can't believe I'm saying this, but it's great to get out of those close quarters and make use of the space jump again."

So, we got three spots to comb over," said Harry. "I guess you and Ron can jump up to that ledge, and me and Voldemort can tackle one of those pyramids. Don't think we'll need to worry about any perverted electric ghosts playing us against each other this time." He turned to Samus. "That sound OK? You OK with checking out the other pyramid by yourself?"

At first, Samus felt mild resentment about Harry taking over such leadership decisions, until she reminded herself she hated being a leader anyway. After that, she was more worried about leaving Harry alone with Voldemort again. She comforted herself with the fact that Voldemort still wouldn't try anything underhanded against Harry yet, needing them all alive. Besides, Harry was right: in this one area, it would be a good idea to split up to cover it quicker. So Samus nodded and said, "As good a plan as any."

"Unfortunately, it might be a while before we can implement it. We have incoming!" shouted Voldemort. Samus's head snapped up to see a whole gaggle of the Shirk and Gunzoo battle drones from SR388 closing in on them, and following them on the ground were the hopping Autoad and Ramulken droids. It was unusual seeing them in daylight conditions, rather than aimlessly skulking around dark, dreary tunnels, but the sight of them unnerved Samus all the same.

The others regathered their wits first, opening fire with a hail of deadly spells. Gale-force winds, Reductor Curses, and blasts of icy mist tore through the drones' lines, but more kept coming. Some of the Ramulken closed in, trying to pounce on them. Thankfully, Samus's friends proved to be too quick once again, swerving and ducking under them while firing up at their legs, their only vulnerability. Meanwhile, some Shirks moved in and tried to ram her and Voldemort. More winds conjured by Voldemort shredded most of the incoming drones, while Samus's charged blasts easily disposed of the rest.

Soon enough, the first wave of drones was wiped out, but Samus's instincts told her more would come. Not only that, with the way Voldemort was staring at the downed machines, she guessed he could sense they would rebuilt themselves, like the ones in Kor-Zor's prison would have. With a wave of his wand, Voldemort conjured a whirlwind, scattering the mangled parts, so that wouldn't happen anytime soon. Then he turned and said, "These won't stay destroyed forever, and no doubt more will be on the way. Let us split up now and regroup back here before either happens."

Samus nodded dully, and then Voldemort turned and ran for the pyramid farther away, Harry following close behind. Ron and Hermione ran toward the outcropping high up on the crater wall, eventually leaping and going into space jumps. Samus watched them go, then headed for the pyramid near her. She briskly darted up the stairway built into the front, wanting to check the roof first. But as she ran up, she noticed that on her right side on one level, the surrounding wall looked a little cracked and flimsy. Samus fired a missile, and the wall crumbled away, revealing an opening. She jumped to it and ran inside.

At first, she was almost engulfed in total darkness, the magically-simulated daylight hardly making it inside. But more light came from the end of the tunnel, and soon she stepped out onto a ledge which was part of a long, vertical chamber, complete with stone platforms suspended by steel wires. Badger-head sconches were everywhere, casting their pale glow, but all along the walls, Samus also saw the wall-mounted Wallfire turrets that caused her so many hassles on SR388. Not only that, Zoomers were crawling everywhere along the walls and platforms.

They noticed her presence and attacked before Samus was ready. Incendiary blasts pelted her armor from all directions, and poison spikes from the Zoomers soon followed. Samus cried out in pain and surprise, a whole tank being drained in less than a second, but soon regathered her wits and jumped down to the nearest platform. She fired in all directions as she fell, taking out a majority of the wall turrets. More quick shots killed the Zoomers on the platform she landed on.

Deciding to keep heading down, Samus dropped from platform to platform, easily taking out turrets and Zoomers as she did so. The simplicity of surviving this pyramid, in comparison with the Erumpent and Side-Hopper hordes from before, should have put her mind at ease. Instead, it made Samus all the more melancholy. This place, having wide-open areas with huge structures...it was almost exactly like her Metroid-hunting mission on SR388, complete the same drones left behind by the Chozo.

Eventually, she reached the bottom, finding a bubble door with a red blast shield awaiting her. After quickly pumping five missiles into it, it shattered and Samus thoughtlessly ran inside. A long hallway stretched out before her, one not unlike those that typically led to long-buried Chozo technology back on Zebes. This one was darker and narrower than most, and the walls were thick with some diseased-looking, writhing vegetation. But Samus hardly gave it a thought, running for the bridge like platform at the other end.

As she jumped up to it, Samus felt something whip out and latch onto her, dragging her back down. And whatever just did that, there was more of it, ensnaring her and steadily increasing its crushing pressure, and also trying to pull her apart.

Samus's eyes went wide as she peered into the gloomy darkness, watching the dark, slimy vines snaking all around her. Suddenly it clicked: this was Devil's Snare. She remembered Hermione's story about the Sorceror's Stone, saying she had fended it off with fire and light. But without the plasma beam, and her wand tucked away inside her helmet....

In desperation, Samus blindly fired her arm cannon at the walls and floor, hoping extreme cold would do a number on Devil's Snare, too. It looked like some of the wretched vines were retracting and breaking off, but plenty were still slowly crushing Samus's suit, draining vital energy. Then, feeling incredibly foolish, Samus remembered she still had one thing perfect for Devil's Snare. With a flick of her right shoulder, her wisp whip shot out from her arm cannon. It flicked around, causing the deadly plant to writhe and wither. Still, some tendrils held fast, so Samus used her other close-range weapon. Her fins extended to sword-length, and she quickly slashed the vines binding her. On and on she went, slashing away with her whip and fins. Once free, Samus quickly went into morph ball mode and laid a power bomb before the vines could lash back out.

The thermonuclear wave completely vaporized all the Devil's Snare along the ground, as well as most still writhing on the walls. But Samus had a nasty feeling it could regrow in record time. Wanting to get out before that happened, she jumped up to the bridge platform and blasted open the bubble door. Running inside, she found a familiar sight that never brought her down: a seated Chozo statue, holding a metal sphere. Samus shot at it, and the sphere melted away to reveal a metal cylinder topped with a glass cone, within which were glowing rings aligned on a pole.

_Ah, the x-ray visor!_ _Maybe this'll help uncover more or what Hufflepuff's hidden!_ thought Samus happily, reaching for it. Her suit quickly absorbed it, and her visor flashed the confirmation message. At first Samus felt encouraged, having found something useful, but then she realized that this would mean combing over every area they had previously been to these last two hours. It would clearly take many more hours to uncover everything and find the third weapon piece...hours they might not have. _Ugh, Hufflepuff's insane work ethic certainly shows in this house of horrors she dreamed up,_ Samus thought morosely.

Knowing there was no choice but to charge forward, Samus was about to run back and regroup with the others. But in her haste, she almost missed the shimmering stone mural with Chozo runes right behind the statue. She quickly scanned and recorded it as she read it aloud:

_Our war against the otherworldly scourge called Kor-Zor not only took us all over Europe, but soon to distant lands our countrymen had never dreamed existed. Indeed, through our Chozo friends, the four of us discovered even we, who pride ourselves as educators, have much to learn about this universe of ours. Their betrayer, Kor-Zor, has been to these distant shores, spreading his corruption, but with the Chozo's help, we slowly but surely wiped out all his footholds. Eventually we came here to his final base of operations, south of this peninsula, only to discover once again we were too late. Kor-Zor's ruinous influence was wreaking havoc on the civilization that thrived here for centuries, and by the time we arrived, hundreds had succumb to a fate worse than death._

Samus stared at the mural for a moment as it slowly lost its glossy veneer. "So, Ron was right. Kor-Zor did have a hand in the Mayans' disappearance," she mused, shaking her head. Seeing all these reminders of the Chozo civilization that raised her...it only served to make Valkyrie's offers more and more tempting: to change history so that the Chozo's presence would never wane, would never disappear. But could any good come from a dark force that caused the near-eradication of other proud people?

Samus had no idea how long she stood there, reading over the runes again and again. Eventually, she ran back the way she came. The Devil's Snare was still there, but the wisp whip was enough to take care of what little had regrown. She quickly ascended the vertical shaft, taking out the respawned Zoomers and reconstructed turrets with ease. When she reached the tunnel she entered from, she kept jumping up instead, eventually reaching the topmost platform, her instincts telling her something. Switching her x-ray visor on, she looked all around the top of the shaft, eventually spotting something: a lone missile expansion hidden behind the wall.

It was then a simple matter to blast the wall apart, space jump over and collect it. But while standing on the narrow foothold in the niche, the entire pyramid suddenly shook, causing her to lose her footing. With a yell, she fell backwards, falling several dozen feet until her backside crashed onto a platform.

"Ow," muttered Samus as she stood back up. But a sudden flash of panic made her forget about any pain. _Wait a minute, what could have made the pyramid shake like that? Did the others find something, or are they...._

Her thoughts were interrupted by the pyramid shaking even more violently. Samus's instincts told her that whatever was going on, it wasn't good. She jumped down to the tunnel she entered from and ran back out.

Looking down from the pyramid, Samus gasped, cold dread flooding through her. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Voldemort had all regrouped in the middle of the crater-like area. But they were now under attack, unleashing their most devastating spells while using the Mayan buildings for cover. But it wasn't drones attacking them this time.

It was house-elves and goblins. House-elves and goblins wearing the armored uniforms of Inferno soldiers. And in addition to wands, most had some sort of portable rocket launcher slung over their left shoulders (no doubt what caused the pyramid to shake) while others toted machine guns. Another thing that was shocking was how her allies' backs were _TO_ the door they entered the crater from. These Infernians had found some other way in!

As Samus jumped down, firing missiles into the enemy army, she noticed there were still a few human soldiers among them. And Samus got a good look at one of them. A young girl with red hair pulled back, firing curses and bullets with wild abandon as she howled....

It was Susan Bones.

xxxxxx

Wouldn't you know it? Just as I got Hufflepuff's lair together in my head, I had these things called 'finals' to deal with. Oh well, that shit's over for now, and I then I got to see _Avatar_. Lemme tell ya, that has to be the most imaginative portrayal of any alien world in a movie...EVER. If only it didn't get so predictable, it woulda truly stood among James Cameron's best: _Aliens_ and _Terminator 2_.

Speaking of those, I recently watched _Terminator Salvation_ again. Damn fine movie, once you get over seeing Batman, Gwen Stacy, Pavel Chekov, Bellatrix Lestrange and _Avatar_'s star ALL IN THE SAME FILM. And while watching it, I also saw an actress who could perfectly portray Valkyrie: Korinna Moon Bloodgood. She's American with some Korean blood, around the right age, super-hot, had an air of kickassery in _T4_...perfect!

So long,

Grey-X


	32. Badger In The Grass

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 32: Badger In The Grass

12-29-2009

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

Once those drones were out of the way, Harry thought they could finally breathe a little easier. Even the specter of going off alone with Voldemort again, strangely, didn't make Harry any more anxious than usual.

Nothing inside the pyramid was a cause for concern, either. It housed vertical chambers and underground tunnels filled with more security drones, sure, but not in any numbers to give the two of them any trouble.

Careful searching yielded some more missiles and another power bomb expansion in bombable tunnels, reachable only in his morph ball mode. But after many more minutes of careful searching, Harry and Voldemort concluded there wasn't anything else to find. They carefully made their way back outside the pyramid, but once they jumped down to the lush, hilly ground again, all hell broke loose, finding themselves ambushed by at least two dozen goblins and house-elves.

The attack came so suddenly, so swiftly, their attackers had ample opportunity to pelt Voldemort with a plethora of debilitating charms before he could start fending them off. For a brief moment, it seemed they could beat them back, but then the Infernians added guns and rockets into the mix, forcing them to take cover.

Even worse, Ron and Hermione were caught by surprise while flying back down. Oblivious to the danger, several house-elves had locked on with their surface-to-air rockets, blasting them out of the crater's 'sky'. With some skillful maneuvering, Harry and Voldemort were able to get around to them before the Infernians could, and the four of them stood their ground in the Mayan buildings, using them for cover. But Valkyrie's soldiers were as relentless as ever, taking their best shots and giving as good as they got. Voldemort struck down a few here and there, but more house-elves and goblins always seemed to rise and take their places.

Part of Harry's mind wondered how these Infernians found them so quickly, let alone infiltrate the sanctum when he knew Voldemort must've set up defensive charms around the elevator. But for the most part, he was focused on staying alive. "_Incarcerous!_" he shouted, ensnaring an elf and a goblin together with steel bands, while he blasted more goblins off a stone house's roof with missiles. _Ugh, it's like this battle will never end!_ Harry thought acidly as he tried to stay on the offensive. _Oh, if only Samus would get out here!_

Almost as if she heard his thoughts, ice missiles suddenly rained down on the Infernian ambushers, eliciting pained squawks and fearful grunts. At last, Harry saw Samus land on the roof of a tall building, pelting the enemy forces with charged shots, looking very much like the avenging angel the Infernians' leader was once hailed as.

Seeing an opening, Voldemort rushed out from behind cover. Thrashing his wand this way and that, dozens of stone slabs from the Mayan roads and buildings rose and twirled, quickly turning to slags of molten rock. Not hesitating for an instant, he hurled the chunks of magma at their attackers while kicking up fierce winds. At last, the Infernians were falling back, unable to counter all of Voldemort's magic.

But the Infernians weren't done yet. Harry caught glimpses of soldiers who got past Voldemort's onslaught, leaping from roof to roof, raining curses down on them. A human Infernian was among them, and Harry gasped, seeing it was Susan Bones. She wore the same uniform as the rest, but her lower legs...they were encased in some sort of mechanical harness, no doubt what let her jump around like a house-elf.

Harry couldn't bring himself to fire up at her, but Ron had no reservations. A fully-charged beam blast from him caught Susan in midair, and she fell behind a building. Harry briefly wondered if she was alright, but soon his attention returned to driving back the Infernians. Now that Samus had entered the fray, and Voldemort had openings, that didn't take long. Soon, the Infernians kicked up dirt clouds while firing a final volley of curses and rockets, no doubt to cover their retreat. When the dusty winds cleared, they were gone.

He took a moment to catch his breath and calm down, but a sudden thump right behind him sent Harry's heartrate skyrocketing all over again. Whirling around and fearing the worst, Harry breathed a sigh of relief to see it was Samus. "Harry, you OK? What happened out here? It didn't look like those troops came in the way we did," she inquired quickly.

"We're good, thanks to you," Harry said quickly. "As for where those wankers came from...no clue. Maybe they drilled in like at the Ministry, but wouldn't we have felt the whole place shake if that was the case?"

As they talked, Ron, Hermione and Voldemort made their way back into the plaza-turned-warzone, littered with debris and bodies. Hermione stopped and nudged a fallen, badly-burned house-elf with her boot. Harry saw tears well up behind Hermione's visor when she couldn't elicit any movement. He knew what was going through her head. But instead of making Harry doubt himself again, he better understood what Adam had been saying. True, Valkyrie had extended equality to house-elves that emigrated to Inferno, but in turn convinced most of them to serve in her army and wage these bloody campaigns. It was sad that they had to fight Dobby's kind like this, but Valkyrie, in her blind ambition, made it necessary....

"Samus, please tell us you found an energy tank somewhere," Ron muttered, once it became clear there was no hope of figuring out where how the ambushers got in. "I'm down to four tanks."

"Three over here," grumbled Hermione in a hushed voice. "And we only found one missile expansion up in that cavern."

"Sorry mates, just power bombs and missiles in my pyramid," said Harry apologetically.

"No energy tanks in the other one, either," said Samus. "But hopefully what I _did_ find will let us score one soon enough: the x-ray visor was in there." Nodding to each other, the four of them clasped hands, copying and transferring all their gear to each other. At once, Harry put the x-ray visor to the test, and knew it was working when his friends' skeletons were plainly visible against a noxious, purple backdrop and pearly-white terrain.

Meanwhile, Harry noticed Voldemort was staring strangely at one of the buildings, as if he sensed something odd. Samus noticed this, too, and asked, "Alright, Voldemort, what do we got this time?"

"Well, since you asked so nicely," came a familiar voice from behind the building. Harry tensed up when Susan Bones stepped out into view. He footsteps made rattling, clanging sounds, and Harry could now see why. Her lower legs were indeed bonded with some sort of exoskeletal armor. The feet, in particular, looked odd indeed. Out from the front protruded two large things that resembled the clawed toes of some animal, while another arose from the heel, offering secure foot placement. An array of gears could be seen within the ankle area, while hydraulic pistons could be seen all along the outside and heard within.

While Harry took in Susan's footgear, everyone else was staring her down. Susan had her drawn wand and her submachine gun at her sides, and only stared back blankly at the five of them. At last, Voldemort spoke up. "Are you daft, girl? Approaching all of us without your army of skulking critters to back you!? The blood-traitor boy may have gone soft of you, but I promise you, I will not!"

"Well, I'll admit I was counting on Harry or one of his friends taking me down instead of you," said Susan idly. "Had to purposely make it look like I was taken down, but I kinda needed to be alive afterwards."

"Hold on a minute...you rushed us _HOPING_ one of us would blast you out of the sky!?" Hermione demanded incredulously. "What are you playing at now, Susan!?"

At once, Susan neutral and stoic veneer melted away and she hung her head. "Because that was their plan all along," she said softly. "Valkyrie wanted me to take advantage of how we used to be friends, get your trust, and then lead you all into an even bigger ambush."

"But now you've changed your mind?" Samus asked delicately, every syllable betraying how dubious she was. Her arm cannon was aimed right for Susan's head, and Harry had no doubt she would shoot her face off if she deemed it necessary. "Sorry, I don't believe you. I saw how enthralled you were when you got your Inferno uniform."

"That was then. Look all around now," said Susan, waving her wand arm. Harry sensed Ron and Hermione tensing, but his gaze fell on the destruction their battle caused, and the bodies of unconscious, or dead, goblins and house-elves. "I-I thought I w-was doing the right thing. I-I thought that Dr. Asara could really fix everything that's gone wrong with the world. But being part of her army and seeing what we're causing to ready her Day of Reckoning...I-I-I just can't take it anymore. I made a show of still supporting her, though, hoping for a chance to get back in touch with you all...and this is it."

Harry thought that if Susan was trying to lead them on, she was a damn fine actor. Her hesitation and stuttering, her sorrowful facial expressions...it couldn't all be faked. Harry was starting to believe her. He had taught her in the D.A., so she really couldn't have turned out so bad, right? However, Samus didn't sound convinced at all. "Nice try, but we'll need a little more than weepy drama before we can trust you," she shot back hotly.

Susan scowled. "Fine then. What will it take to convince you?"

"Information would be a start," hissed Voldemort. "For instance, since the bounty hunter hasn't figured out how Asara plans to mutate all the Muggles, perhaps you can enlighten us?"

Susan glared daggers at Voldemort, obviously not scared of him in the least. At length, she shook her head. "Sorry, that's Dr. Asara's most closely-guarded secret. Only the Reformers and a few other people she trusts implicitly know about that. I never spent much time in Inferno until now, working as a spy in Hogwarts and all. But I've seen loads of Muggles who emigrated there shunted into special medical chambers, seated, and fitted with breathing masks. Whatever they were forcefed, I don't know."

Harry suddenly recalled the procedure he'd seen through his aunt's eyes. Now they knew for sure the same thing was forced upon every Muggle who ever fled to Inferno. But how was Valkyrie going to do it on a planetary scale? And where did Kor-Zor fit into it?

"So you were going to fight to bring about her Day of Reckoning, without knowing just how?" quipped Samus dubiously. "Fine. Let's go with something smaller. What about some tactical information? Troop movements, Inferno's prime targets, vulnerable supply depots...something, ANYTHING?"

"You think I'd know all that after only a week of serving in Asara's army!?" Susan snapped exasperatedly. "But if it's tactical information you're after, I've got what you'd want the most right now: Severus Snape and Kago Asara are here in this sanctuary, calling all the shots!"

Harry's eyes widened in shock. Faction was worrisome enough; Valkyrie raised the hulking wizard as her own, and was probably just as dangerous. But if Snape was here, the one who fooled and betrayed everyone to be with Valkyrie again....

At that point, Harry was certain of only one thing: if Susan Bones had intel that would let them get the drop on Snape, he wanted it.

"They called me back from a campaign in North Korea in hopes of me duping you and leading you into another ambush!" Susan went on. "Faction's got this way of moving himself through solid rock with his two wands, and house-elves can follow him by Apparating, dragging goblins along. _THAT'S_ how our forces got in in the first place. Even worse, goblins and house-elves are at home underground, and that's why Snape and him have them lying in wait everywhere! But let me tag along, and I can give you their positions before they attack!"

Tense silence followed for a few moments while Susan impatiently stared the five of them down. At length, Samus turned to the others, keeping her arm cannon trained on Susan. "Well everyone, what do you think? Think we can risk trusting her?"

"Like it or not, Inferno's soldiers are here, and they'll be fighting us every step of the way," said Hermione. "I don't think we have much to lose by giving Susan a chance. She _DID_ risk getting herself blown away for a chance to get near us."

"Only because that was part of Faction's plan to begin with, according to her," Voldemort reminded her.

"I dunno, it could all be a trick. Get us to lower our guard, so she can rip out my weapon piece and Hermione's," said Ron, nervously fidgeting with the eagle relief on his right shoulder.

"Call me crazy, but I think I believe her," Harry cut in. "And if she's telling the truth, we might get the drop on Faction. We know we can't underestimate the Reformers. Look at what Petunia and Myrtle did alone. We've got an uphill battle against Faction if he's backed up by Snape and an entire army. If she can help us take them all by surprise...."

"There is one way to be sure," said Samus with a hint of regret in her voice. She turned to Voldemort. "You're the Legilimens. Is she lying?"

Voldemort's nostrils flared. "At present, it does not appear so. My instincts tell me she's mixing truths with half-truths, and I suspect she's a skilled enough Occlumens to keep most of her passing thoughts and feelings hidden. To be absolutely sure, I must dig deeper."

Samus looked over at Susan, then back at Voldemort. "Then do it," she said adamantly.

Not since their trip to Knockturn Alley was Harry so aghast with Samus. "SAMUS! You're serious about letting him...."

"You bet I'm serious," said Samus sternly. "If Susan's telling the truth, she has nothing to hide. If she's lying, and this is all part of Snape and Faction's plan, Voldemort can find out exactly what it is. Either way, it's our enemy's loss."

Harry still felt sick to his stomach, but Samus was not deterred by his pitying looks. Voldemort nodded aloofly, then leered at Susan. "Well then, if you have nothing to hide, you will agree to the bounty hunter's demands, no?"

Susan stared back hatefully at her aunt's killer for a moment. But then, in one swift motion, she threw her submachine gun down at Voldemort's feet. Then she retracted her wand, unfastened the gauntlet, and threw that down too. "Go right ahead. But just know this: you were right about me knowing some Occlumency. Snape himself gave me some pointers. I may not be able to keep you out completely, but the ambush locations I can keep a secret. Don't think I'm stupid enough to willingly surrender my one bargaining chip. You'll still need me."

"Very well," said Voldemort evenly, sweeping toward her and raising his wand.

"In the meantime, I think we should recheck the other pyramid and the cavern up there with our x-ray visors," said Samus. "See if we can spot some more gear. By the time we're done, Voldemort should know whether or not Susan's on the level."

Harry just nodded dully, still too sickened by Samus making Voldemort invade Susan's mind. As much as he understood the need for such cold, calculating tactics, it still sickened him to no end, allowing a monster like Voldemort to violate someone in the worst way. And he was willingly _WORKING_ with that monster, in order to fight a despot Susan claimed she couldn't stand anymore.

It made Harry realize Valkyrie was at least right about one thing: the world couldn't be viewed in black-and-white terms.

But if that was the case, how could he say he represented the right side at all?

_Adam said differently. He said he had faith any decision I make will be the 'right' one,_ Harry thought to himself.

He prayed Adam was as wise as Samus always claimed.

xxxxxx

As it turned out, the x-ray spectrum yielded nothing else in that second pyramid, but the cavern high up along the crater wall had another energy tank. The pedestal on which Ron and Hermione found a missile expansion for the taking...Samus's x-ray visor revealed a badly needed tank right underneath it. However, there was no trace of any more enemy troops. No doubt Faction transported them all out, or the house-elves Apparated them all out, now that Susan Bones was in their custody.

But was she sincere about defecting?

Once they regrouped with Voldemort by the first pyramid, Samus frowned upon seeing Susan on her hands and knees, hacking and breathing erratically. No doubt Voldemort took the opportunity to dish out payback for being tortured in that graveyard. Voldemort smugly stood over her, and said, "I'll give the little one credit...she _DID_ keep the information we wanted the most a secret. However, everything else she told us checks out."

As Samus and her trio of friends glared at Voldemort with disgusted looks, Susan slowly got back to her feet. "There. I trust you're all satisfied?"

"For now," said Samus.

"As for you, Voldemort, you say you saw plenty in my head?" Susan went on.

"But of course. I only happen to be the greatest Legilimens of our time," replied Voldemort smugly. "Plenty of your memories were laid bare to me, especially the ones of you whimpering over Amelia Bones," he added sadistically.

"Then this should come as no surprise," said Susan icily. With a quickness that surprised even Samus, Susan lashed out with a kick that sent Voldemort flying into the pyramid wall. Voldemort dropped his wand, and before he could even move, Susan jumped at him, pinning his head to the wall with her feet, his neck caught in between two armored 'toes'. "Get this straight, Tom Marvole Riddle. The reason I joined Dr. Asara in the first place was pretty damn simple: revenge. Revenge against _YOU_. I truly want all the Muggles transformed, just to spite you. Sure, I've decided the price for that is too high, but that doesn't change a goddamn thing between us."

Finished with her ranting, Susan kicked off of Voldemort and let him drop to the grassy ground. While Voldemort picked himself up, Susan walked over to her discarded gear. She refastened her gauntlet and picked up her gun, then walked past the four of them, her face one of ice-cold stoniness. "If we waste anymore time here, Snape and Faction will think something's gone wrong. It's time to go," she called back to them.

Seeing there was no sense lingering in the crater zone, Samus grudgingly followed Susan out. As they retreated back down the main tunnel, Susan kept herself Disillusioned, and she assured them her armor would mask her scent from the goblins and house-elves. Thankfully, Susan's skeleton and armored legs still registered clearly in the x-ray spectrum, so there was no chance of Susan abusing her invisibility should she prove to be deceiving them.

They fought their way back down the tunnel, past more Erumpents, Zoomers and giant Side-Hoppers. All the while, at least one of them kept his or her x-ray visor on, both to keep tabs on Susan and search for anything they overlooked. Unfortunately, they found nothing, and Susan said they couldn't recheck any of the other rooms, insisting they return to the fork right in front of the sanctum's entrance.

Soon enough, they reached the fork, and ran down the path they had passed up before. It led to another chamber filled with steaming pipes, gears, automated platform systems, and huge metal doors. At first, it appeared it led to nothing else. Samus found some bombable holes in the floors and walls, but they led to tunnels that had more sharp, 90 degree turns upward. And after navigating an agonizing maze of automated platforms and steam bursts from the pipes, they reached a large, metal door not unlike some of the ones they ran into elsewhere. The only difference was that this one had what looked like three huge locking mechanisms, fitted right into its surface.

"Well, let's try opening this sucker," Ron suggested after they had all stared blankly at it. All except Samus, who watched over Susan with her x-ray visor. Aiming his wand at the leftmost lock, he yelled, "_Aholamora!_" It clicked and gears twirled, and Ron then charmed the middle one. It turned to its open position as well, but as it did, the left one clicked shut again.

"What the bloody hell?" cried Ron. Just then, the middle lock shut itself again.

"Obviously, these locks cannot be opened one at a time," Voldemort pointed out.

"So let's try popping them all open at once," suggested Hermione, readying her wand. She turned to Harry and Ron, who nodded. At the same time, they all aimed at a lock and cried, "_Alohamora!_" The three locks whirled to their open position, and they all expected the door to rise. Instead, all three locks clicked shut yet again.

"Great. NOW how to we get through!?" asked Harry vehemently. "What's the point of having those locks if nothing will keep them open!?"

Over the next few minutes, they tried just about everything. After Voldemort tried his own brute force tactics, Hermione tried Feruseullo combined with the wave beam. Neither was able to budge the door an inch. All the while, Samus patiently watched, while keeping track of Susan out the corner of her eye. Samus couldn't be sure, but Susan seemed to be staring at their handiwork coldly and patiently...not like the hotheaded girl with a bone to pick with Voldemort at all.

Eventually getting fed up, she turned to Susan and said, "You said you have prior knowledge about this sanctuary's layout. Do you have any idea how this barrier can be breached, or any other ways out of this chamber?"

Susan's skittishness seemed to come back in a flash, judging by her voice. "I-I-I think this is one area Faction said our, er, their troops couldn't get to, due to too much of some metal in the rock in these parts," she said nervously. "I do know there's more tunnels along the south end, and I got the layout memorized. I can still give you the ambush locations, but...I'm not sure how to get to them from here."

Samus sighed in annoyance. "In any case, let's head back. It's all too obvious we're not getting that door open anytime soon." And so, the six of them carefully made their way back across the perilous obstacle course. Samus was the first to make it back through, jumping off a platform pulled along via gears and chain pulleys. When she dropped down to the ground level, however, she had her normal visor on, and an unwelcome sight greeted her. More of that white mist was swirling around. It suddenly reminded her of Wildflower; in fact, she almost wished it _was_ Wildflower. One vampire would be preferable to a legion of those Mayan badger-statues.

But as luck would have it, the mist seeped into a row of those statues, and they sprang to life, charging toward Samus.

"Might need some help over here, people!" cried Samus as she cut loose with a missile barrage, forcing the statues back. She kept them at bay long enough for the rest to join in and open fire. Curses, charged beam shots and missiles rained down on the advancing statues. Samus could tell they were trying to take out their heads first, but they had no such luck. The bodies crumbled soon enough, but again, the heads remained intact, floating idly. However, instead of lurching at them with open jaws, they flew upwards, disappearing through gaps in between pipes in the rocky ceiling which Samus had no hope of fitting through.

"Any idea what that was about?" Ron asked idly, watching the badger heads go.

"None whatsoever," said Samus. "We'll worry about those some other time. Right now, we still need to find a way down into this south end Susan mentioned."

"I think I got it!" exclaimed Hermione, who was by the far wall, where the badger-statues once stood. "Samus, hurry, flip on your x-ray visor!" Samus did so, and at once saw a huge array of thin, lead gears behind the rocky wall. They were arranged so that they were all in a horizontal row, ordered in decreasing size, the smallest facing outwards towards them. Samus also noticed grooves were dug into a tooth of each gear: a Chozo rune. She was getting an idea of what had to be done, but Hermione obviously had the same notion. With waves of her wand and a few incantations, she moved the gears behind the wall so that the teeth with runes all lined up. As soon as they did, there was a loud click, and the metal door slowly rose.

"About damn time we got one of those open," growled Ron as he peered inside. Samus half-expected house-elves to leap out, guns and wands drawn, but nothing emerged from the dark tunnel. Slowly, they all approached the tunnel, and as she watched Susan walk through, Samus found it odd how her body language didn't betray much anxiety for someone who knew they were walking into ambushes. Wanting to not appear weak in front of Voldemort couldn't be the reason, since he was the only one who couldn't see her.

But then again, Voldemort himself had delved into her mind and vouched for her sincerity. Putting her suspicions aside, she took one last look at the gears inside the wall, noticing the runs spelled out a sentence in Chozo.

_The battle to conquer yourself need not be fought alone._

Samus stared at it a moment longer before rushing to follow everyone else. _Could've used that nugget of wisdom sooner. Harry had to teach me that the hard way,_ she thought as she ran to catch up with everyone else. Susan had taken point, running up ahead with weapons drawn. As before, the whole place was lit by wall sconches shaped like badger heads. But the ceiling was much higher, with copious stalactites, though the path at this point was narrower, with plenty of rocks to take cover behind.

Suddenly, Susan reached back with her left hand, holding her submachine gun. At first, Samus feared she was turning on them, but then realized it was a signal to stop. She began to whisper. "Now I remember. In case you lot didn't believe me, house-elves and goblins took up position behind stalactites right there. There's plenty on the ones right behind us, too. Hurry, before they suspect, take out the ones behind us...."

With disciplined grace, Samus saw Susan aim up with her wand and nonverbally fire Blasting Curses, dislodging many house-elves and goblins from their perches. Voldemort had taken Susan's advice, whirling around to do the same to the stalactites behind them. Soon, the bodies of Infernians were raining down; she couldn't be sure with her x-ray visor, but Samus suspected most were dead already. After that, the battle was disturbingly quick. Harry, Ron and Hermione took care to render them unconscious, disarm, and then bind them, rather than kill. Voldemort, however, made no such effort, smiting those who crossed his path.

"T-T-There's no contact b-between ambush groups via radio or anything. All forms of Muggle communication are cut off in these sanctums," stammered Susan, once they stood victorious over the Inferno troops. "T-T-They won't know y-you're on to them. We can just roll right through. So let's hurry up and get you your weapon piece before Snape and Faction do." She turned and kept going down the tunnel. Samus wanted a good look at her face, but the x-ray visor made it impossible. Something still didn't sit right with Samus....

More twisting and turning tunnels followed, some horizontal and some vertical, teeming with plant life right from Zebes...and each with disturbingly perfect spots for an enemy to launch an ambush. However, thanks to Susan's intel, they were able to thwart each and every one. But with each one avoided, Samus could feel the brewing uneasiness of her friends, especially Hermione. In the previous two sanctums, the totality that they were in the middle of a planetwide war had been spared them. There was no escaping that ugly truth now.

Eventually, the tunnels led to one spacious, cylindrical chamber, lined with pipes and gear arrays. In the center, a metallic, clawed hand rose from the tiled floor: a Chozo hand holding an item sphere. Samus gave the room a once-over with her x-ray visor, but found nothing suspicious. Still, she felt uneasy, her instincts telling her something would spring once they took whatever upgrade was waiting.

But there was no point in leaving it behind. "Everyone, brace yourself in case this gets ugly," she warned everyone, aiming for the sphere and firing. It melted away to reveal the spider ball. "Hmmm, the spider ball. Haven't come across that one in a while," said Samus as she stepped forward. As soon as she did, gears flew out of the walls, converging on the magnetic module. Everyone was forced to duck and dodge the deadly, spinning gears that flew past them. Samus chanced a look over at what was forming.

Gears of all shapes and sizes were forming into a shape not unlike the hulking statues from before, only this one was at least five meters tall. Then, things went from bad to worse. The badger heads that had fled before now floated down into the chamber. They attached themselves to the gear statue; a total of eleven badger heads now sprouted out from its chest, back and shoulders. Suddenly, all eleven heads roared at once, their defeaning howls echoing everywhere, right before it charged.

As hard as it was to believe, the gear statue was even _**FASTER**_ than the other ones! They barely had time to scramble before heavy, metal fists crashed down, the teeth of its gears digging into the stone tiles. Voldemort was the first to retaliate, sending out that black lightning. It crackled all over the gears, but the statue itself didn't seem to feel anything, and it charged at Voldemort, fists raised. Summoned winds blew Voldemort clear with time to spare. But suddenly, gears flew out from its body like shuriken, then returned like boomerangs. One knocked Voldemort out of the air, while another struck Hermione in the back on its return, flooring her.

The gear-badger moved in while Hermione was down. Hermione managed to rise to her hands and knees, trying to force the behemoth back with Glacius. However, it kept on charging, forcing Samus to use her grapple beam, yanking Hermione away just in time. More gears flew out; Samus held Hermione close to her and jumped away, firing back with quick beam shots. Unfortunately, none of them seemed to have any effect.

"Wait a minute, where's Susan?" Hermione asked suddenly. Samus looked around, but she had turned her x-ray visor off to see better, and found no trace of her. But suddenly, Samus heard gunfire. Turning in its direction, Samus saw the muzzle flash from Susan's automatic fire. While staying invisible, she bombarded the gear-badger with bullets and Reductor Curses simultaneously. Samus watched as some bullets grazed across the faces of the badger heads on its chests, making them flinch and whine.

A sudden realization hit Samus. "Of course! Everyone, forget about attacking the main body! Aim for the heads!" she shouted over Susan's plangent gunfire.

The gunfire soon stopped; no doubt Susan was reloading. To pick up the slack, Harry rushed in close, a shot charged with only the ice beam active. "_Bombarda Maxima!_" he shouted, firing an explosive burst of icy power. It hardly slowed the gear-badger down, so Harry fired the combo two more times while backing up. Finally, the gear-badger halted, as the heads on its left shoulder and left side of its chest were blown off. The remaining heads howled, right before more gears came flying out. Not only that, the heads' maws opened wide, shooting out beams of pure energy in all directions.

"Samus, I'm fine! Let's move!" Hermione implored, pushing herself off Samus and jumping away. Samus dove to avoid a sweeping beam. Arming her missiles, she found they could lock on to each head. She wasted no time unloading missile after missile while dodging gears and beams, but without her friends' combos, she couldn't deliver enough damage all at once. Luckily, others were picking up the slack. Since Harry was surely running low on power bombs, Ron got behind the gear badger and used that combo himself. A shattering sound let Samus know he destroyed the heads on its back.

By now, Susan had reloaded her gun, and once again attacked while Disillusioned, unloading a hail of curses and lead. The gear-badger suddenly stopped spewing energy beams, looking for its unseen enemy. It then used a new move to flush Susan out. Huge gears attached to chains, one bound to each arm, suddenly swept across the ground like massive maces. Over the din of constantly firing her missiles, Samus could hear the pistons of Susan's boots; no doubt she was jumping around. But those swinging gears were coming dangerously close to hitting Harry, Ron and Hermione, who were jumping around as well, barely avoiding them.

It was then that Voldemort finally stepped back in. He swept in as if from nowhere, made an upward slash with his wand, and suddenly a stalagmite shot up from the tiled floor. When the gear-badger swung its makeshift mace again, the chain wrapped itself around the stalagmite, hopelessly trapping itself. "Now, all of you, strike!" commanded Voldemort, who conjured ice javelins that floated all around the chamber. Each zoomed forward and struck a badger head with pinpoint accuracy and devastating force.

Getting the hint, Harry, Ron and Hermione unloaded missile after missile. Though trapped, the gear-badger kept trying to lash out with beams and its other mace. But the trio evaded all that and kept firing. The constant barrage was finally enough to shatter the remaining badger heads. Once the final one on its right shoulder was blown clean off, its body immediately fell apart. Gears rolled off and crashed down everywhere, causing an insufferable din, but once the gear-badger fell apart completely, the spider ball module was revealed in the middle of the mess.

Samus, Harry, Ron and Hermione slowly approached it, stepping over countless gears. "So, what's this thing do? More magnetic tricks?" asked Ron, sounding worried. "And what'd you call it? Not the _spider_ ball, right?"

"Don't worry, this won't interfere with magic the way Myrtle's power does," Samus reassured him. "And it's only called the spider ball because this'll simply let us cling to magnetic surfaces in morph ball mode."

They all looked around at each other a moment longer, then reached for it at once. All four sets of armor glowed, and a quick confirmation message spread across Samus's HUD.

**SPIDER BALL TECHNOLOGY RESTORED.**

"Well, it's not like I actually lost it this time, but OK," Samus thought aloud.

"I'm OK too, thank you very much," snapped an exasperated voice. Sighing, Samus turned her x-ray visor back on, then whirled around to see Susan standing there, her body language betraying nothing but annoyance. "I swear...do things like that pop up often in these Chozo ruins?"

"Count your blessings, little girl. I've come across plenty worse," Samus shot back.

Susan scowled back at her before turning to the bubble door, no doubt expecting everyone to follow. Even though Voldemort couldn't see her, he did just that, stoically striding away from the battlefield, looking rather pleased with himself. Shaking her head, Samus then motioned for her friends to follow them out. Now it was time for more backtracking, to find exactly what the spider ball was supposed to let them get to next. Samus had already come across places where it would come in handy; she had lost count of how many tunnels with 90-degree upward turns she'd run across. But she was sure there was something in particular they needed to reach with the spider ball, something inaccessible by space jumping.

xxxxxx

Harry knew it was only two or three hours since entering Helga Hufflepuff's sanctuary, but it felt like they had been at this all day. It felt like these winding tunnels, mine shafts, and replicas of Mayan architecture were designed to be as huge and confusing as possible. Of course, knowing what Hufflepuff valued, that was probably the point. They would truly have to earn that showdown with Hufflepuff's A.I. and get that third weapon piece. And so, they backtracked through her sanctum's tunnels, and Harry absentmindedly noted the house-elves and goblins they had captured and left behind were gone. Even the bodies of the ones Voldemort killed were gone. No doubt recovered by Faction or house-elves, but for the moment, there was no sign of any more ambushers, and Susan insisted they wouldn't try again in this part of the sanctum.

As Harry wondered what Hufflepuff would end up throwing at them when that time came, and what Faction would pull once he realized Susan had defected, they finally made it back to that mine chamber with the gear puzzle hidden in the wall. "Hold it," Samus suddenly said as they walked through it. "Here's the first spot we should try out our spider ball. There's too many places where it's just not safe using the space jump, so we have to search every square millimeter by rolling along the walls. There's something hidden here, I know it."

"And what do I do in the meantime?" demanded Voldemort.

"Sorry, but it's best you just hang around and wait. With Inferno troops probably crawling everywhere, it's not safe for even you to go wandering around solo," said Samus seriously.

Voldemort's snakelike face screwed up in annoyance, but he eventually relented. "Very well. But the Bones girl must dispel her Disillusioning Charm. She is not to wander off either." A few moments passed, but Susan had yet to reappear. "Girl, I said I command you to...."

"I heard you the first time!" snapped Susan vehemently, who suddenly reappeared a few feet from Voldemort. "Try to boss me around like that again, though, and just you wait. Give you an invisible kick in the nuts, assuming you ever had any...."

Harry couldn't help but snicker, thinking that that definitely sounded like the Susan Bones he taught in the D.A.. But Samus still seemed suspicious, and even Voldemort still sounded distrustful, despite being the one who vouched for her. Deciding not to give it any further thought, Harry followed Samus's lead and rolled into a ball. He sensed Hermione and Ron rolling behind him as he followed Samus up to a wall.

Following Samus's advice, Harry soon figured out how to switch on the spider ball. Then, after rolling up to a pipe, he felt himself move toward it involuntarily, sticking to it. After a few seconds, he found he could then roll up the pipe, and sensed Ron and Hermione were right behind him. It was strange, new, disorienting experience; unlike the space jump, which somehow never made him dizzy, the spider ball often made it impossible to get his bearings.

But Harry reminded himself that persistence would be the key to getting through Hufflepuff's puzzles, so he put up with it the best he could. After travelling up the cluster of pipes, the four of them spread out in different directions, all the while avoiding the steam bursts which would have blown them clean off. Travelling along a horizontal pipe cluster, they eventually led to a hole in the wall that Harry promptly rolled through. On and on he rolled through the winding tunnel, until it dropped him into a little niche with a bubble door.

Wasting no time, Harry blasted it open and ran inside. All that awaited him was a cramped, dim room...where the only light came from a hologram floating above the outstretched hands of a Helga Hufflepuff statue.

Immediately hopeful, knowing what that meant, Harry switched to his scan visor and downloaded the data. At once, the holographic map of Hufflepuff's sanctuary sprang to life on his HUD. Harry could easily spot the mine chamber he just came from, the other one closer to the top, and the crater-like area with pyramids. But what really stood out was how this sanctuary had a veritable network of long, winding tunnels that completely encircled it, most intersecting with its biggest chambers. They made Harry think of tunnels in an anthill...or those dug by badgers.

And then, at last, hovering over one of those tunnels, he saw a glowing, yellow badger.

Harry studied the tunnel layout a little longer, wondering what their purpose was. Besides Hufflepuff's location, there didn't seem to be anything important in them. Then his attention turned to two glowing dots. One was in a small room that could be reached in the mine chamber he just came from...but it looked like it was the path blocked by that triple-locked door. The other was at the end of a long series of hallways, accessible from the other chamber.

Feeling even more hopeful, Harry backtracked and rolled back out, using the spider ball to mount pipes again. Carelessness, however, led to getting blasted off a pipe by steam. He crashed to the bottom, unrolling as soon as everything stopped spinning, winding up on his back. In a flash, Voldemort was standing over him, leering sardonically. "One would think that wouldn't be a problem, being so full of hot air yourself," he jeered.

"Piss off," Harry muttered as he slowly picked himself up. As he rose, he noticed Susan staring strangely at him. Once she realized he was staring back, though, she quickly turned away. Harry was about to ask what was wrong, but a sudden creaking, scraping sound made them all turn. Another one of the heavy metal doors was opening. A second later, another one, directly across from it on the far side, opened as well.

They all stared at the open passageway, nonplussed, but then Hermione dropped down out of nowhere with a spinning jump. "There was a slot buried above the cavern's roof, I guess it powered that door," she said quickly, staring at it. Before Harry could say anything, they heard that sound again. Looking up to a high ledge, they saw another huge, metal door slowly rise, while another one directly across from it, also on a higher level, opened.

Ron and Samus soon dropped down, examining the now-open doors. "Ron told me he found a power slot that opened some of those doors. I assume you two found some as well?" asked Samus.

Harry nodded. "Well, Hermione did. But I found the map data. There's am even bigger network of tunnels surrounding this place, and I think those doors we opened lead to some of them."

"I thought so. Snape and Faction are waiting in one of them, I can promise you," said Susan.

"Then let's see if they're still waiting," said Voldemort confidently, running toward the nearest doorway. Everyone grudgingly followed, Susan Disillusioning herself again. As per Samus's orders, Harry flipped his x-ray visor back on to keep track of her, but by now he felt it wasn't necessary. They all ran down the tunnel, but soon came across an ugly mass of stone formations blocking their way completely. It made Harry think of arteries clogged by plaques and clots, and soon realized it was another mass of stones that would only give way to the speed booster. Harry explained this, but Voldemort sounded undeterred. "Perhaps, given enough time, I could find a charm combination that would let me plow through...."

"Someone, please, stop him before he makes a jackass out of himself and nearly kills himself, then blames us for it," said Ron.

No doubt wanting to stave off a tense argument, Samus stepped in and suggested they try the rest of the tunnels. Unfortunately, they were blocked off as well, and Samus got Voldemort to agree to wait until they found the speed booster. Harry then explained that it might be back in the other mine chamber, so they all agreed to backtrack there and check out what was at the map's glowing dot.

xxxxxx

It took about half an hour to make it back to that first mine chamber, meaning more grueling bouts with Erumpents and giant Side-Hoppers. Samus was short three tanks and a third of her missiles were used up, and her friends were probably no better off. _Let's get whatever's in here, then hunt for another tank,_ Samus thought to herself, looking up toward the roof. "Let's all try that gap in the roof we couldn't reach before," suggested Samus, pointing up to a narrow opening in the ceiling. It was too small to fit up through while space jumping, but pipes attached to the ceiling went up through it, allowing easy access with the spider ball. The trick was to get up there without being blown off by steam.

Leaving Voldemort and Susan behind again to secure the area, the four of them went into morph ball mode and adhered to the nearest pipe along the walls, rolling up it. Patience and thoughtful planning were needed every step (or rather, roll) of the way, but after several long, agonizing minutes, they all rolled up into the ceiling. Once Samus felt like they were rolling along level ground, she unrolled. Sensing that, her three friends did the same. They seemed no worse off after the trip, but Harry looked horribly dizzy.

"Ugh, I don't get it. Never had trouble space jumping, but the spider ball is murder on the senses," Harry complained.

"I dunno. I liked that spider ball thing. Crawling around everywhere...it's exciting!" replied Ron. "I'll take a broomstick over the space jump any day, but that spider ball's perfect for getting around!"

Hermione stared at him with a dubious look. "The arachnophobiac likes the spider ball the most? This mission's just full of weird surprises, isn't it?"

Ron shot back an ugly look. Getting impatient, Samus quickly said, "Now's not the time, you two. Let's find whatever powers the door that's in the way of our next target." She looked around, noting the dim niche they had rolled into. The only light came from the pale glow of a bubble door right behind them. Going through it, they stepped out into the very bottom of a wide, vertical chamber. Some luminscent, subterrainian plant life from Zebes growing on the walls provided a little light, and Samus could see ledges jutting from the walls and metal platforms suspended with gas would allow them to jump up.

At first, Samus didn't think they would need them...until she saw something else in the luminescent glow: Devil's Snare lined much of the walls as well.

"Oh great. We can't risk space jumping up. Without the screw attack, we're too vulnerable, and there's hardly any spots where we can lay power bombs to obliterate the Devil's Snare on the walls," said Samus, assessing the situation.

"How I kingdom for a plasma beam," said Harry in a poetic tone. "C'mon, let's get this over with." Slowly but surely, they made their way up. Samus's friend fended off the Devil's Snare with Incendiary Charms, while Samus used her ice missiles. The concussive force drove them back, but Devil's Snape proved more tolerant to cold than heat, and it was an uphill battle. As for her friends, often they couldn't react as quickly as her, and Devil's Snare latched onto them. Thanks to her wisp whip and fin slasher, however, Samus hacked apart any tendrils before they dragged her friends away, and eventually they made it all the way to the top.

What awaited them, however, was a ledge right before another wall lined with alien plant life...and nothing else.

"Oh no no no! Don't tell me we fought past all that Devil's Snare for nothing! Or that the switch we're looking for is somehow in the middle of it!" cried Hermione mutinously.

"Relax, Hermione. I don't think that's the case," said Samus confidently, switching to her x-ray visor. She expected to find more tunnels hidden behind the walls. Instead, she saw another gear puzzle, like in the previous mine chamber. "Hermione, more gears in the wall. Let's get that started and get back to Voldemort before he does something stupid...again."

"Do we really care if Voldemort embarrasses himself?" asked Ron delicately.

"Well not really," said Harry airily.

Hermione didn't join in, instead getting right to work, Samus watching all the while. Just as in Ravenclaw's sanctum, she desperately wished she had Hermione's magical talent, or at least had some easy way of using a wand with her armor, like they did. It made Samus recall the message left behind on the last gear puzzle. _How right Hufflepuff was. There's no way to conquer THIS mission without back-up,_ Samus mused. _And constantly having to remind myself that I can't give in to what Valkyrie's offering, take everything I could ever want...it IS a battle to conquer myself._

At long last, Hermione was finished. Once all the gears clicked in place, the whole cavern rumbled for a short time, but then there was dead silence. Taking one last look at the gears, Hermione noted the sentence the runes formed: _The darkest desires are born of the best intentions._

_That's one I knew already, and proven to be all too true,_ Samus thought morosely.

"Suppose that opened up that door?" asked Ron hopefully.

"I hope so. So again, let's get back to Voldemort," said Samus. "Not a good idea to leave him alone with Susan for too long. No telling what she'll try. Like she said, revenge against Voldemort is all she ever wanted."

"Samus, I think we can trust Susan now," Harry protested. "Besides, wasn't that the whole point of letting Voldemort invade her mind? Who could possibly keep the truth from him after he does that?"

As Samus walked to the ledge's edge, staring down at the Devil's Snare lining the walls, Harry seriously considered Harry's question. There was no real reason to suspect Susan Bones....

And then, a terrifying possibility came to her. She remembered her time back on Urtragia, when she supposedly found a stray GF Marine to help her. Only when the two of them got that elevator operational did Samus begin to suspect that he wasn't what he appeared. That it was in fact Gandrayda.

But who could find a way to impersonate Susan Bones AND keep his or her true intent hidden from Voldemort? Samus thought back to what Voldemort said at first, about Susan telling truths mixed with half-truths....

Samus's eyes widened with terror as she realized there was only one answer. In a panic, she turned and shouted, "Everyone, jump straight down! We have to get back to Voldemort NOW!"

The three of them didn't move, staring back with nonplussed looks. "Samus, what's wrong?" asked Harry. "Why's he in trouble? We agreed Susan...."

"THAT WASN'T SUSAN BONES!" shouted Samus, making them all jump. "No time to explain...we need to get back down RIGHT NOW!"

xxxxxx

After hearing the panic and vehemence in Samus's voice, Harry knew there was no room for argument and obeyed with question. The four of them jumped down at once, wildly firing beams to fend off the Devil's Snare just long enough. Back through the bubble door they went, immediately going into morph ball mode, and simply dropping through the hole and unrolling to safely touch down. When they did, they found Voldemort and Susan were nowhere to be seen. However, the door leading to their next upgrade was open.

"Let's go, let's go!" cried Samus urgently, breaking into a run and darting through the doorway. Harry followed, still not sure what Samus was worried about. They had all kept tabs on Susan, and after over an hour, no one saw her drink anything. That ruled out Polyjuice Potion. Plus, Susan wasn't as tall as Valkyrie, so that ruled out that trick Voldemort said she used to impersonate a Death Eater.

Still, Harry followed, down winding tunnels lined with some metal plating. At least that meant Faction couldn't get inside, right? Harry noticed some energy floating around, no doubt left by Zoomers and drones Voldemort blasted away. Samus told them to quickly suck them up, as if she expected the U-No-Poo to hit the fan.

At last, they came to a more wide open area. The four of them dropped down inside. Directly across was a bridge-like platform, giving Harry the impression it led to a Chozo cache...where their next target was. But the bubble door it led to opened up. Voldemort strode out, with Susan Bones close behind. She looked satisfied, but Voldemort didn't seem harmed in the least, so Harry felt relieved. It looked like Samus's suspicions were off for once.

"Here you are!" said Voldemort, holding up a cylinder that looked like a beam module. Three long, fiery, orange lines arranged in a row twirled inside it. Harry knew at once it was the spazer. "Not the speed boots you were hoping for, but certainly this is needed to get that and finally find Hufflepuff. No doubt that's why Inferno has yet to. With metal lining the walls here instead of stone, Faction couldn't get his Inferno vermin inside."

As Voldemort stepped forward to throw the spazer down to them, Harry saw Susan's face suddenly change. To one of smug satisfaction. "Until now," she said silkily, raising her submachine gun.

Voldemort whirled around, but was a fraction of a second too late. Susan opened fire, and dozens of bullets ripped right through Voldemort. Miraculously, Voldemort stayed on his feet, even after most of the clip was emptied. But he was hurt badly, and was too slow raising his wand to strike back. Her quarry being wide open, Susan popped her wand out and screamed, "_EXPELLIARMUS!_" Voldemort was blasted off the bridge, landing dully at the bottom, a bloody, crumpled heap.

Rooted to the spot, numb with shock, Harry looked over at the downed Dark wizard, then back up at Susan. The Disarming Charm brought the spazer right to her, and it was already merging into her gauntlet. "Mine," she said maliciously as Harry watched a shot get charged up.

"Everyone, take her out now! Get that spazer back!" cried Samus. The four of them started firing their beams. But Susan suddenly made a tremendous leap off the bridge, and aimed straight down.

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!_" she bellowed.

Instead of a single jet of green light, her wand sent out three separate streams of deadly green energy, which seemed to home in. Ron, Hermione and Samus had tried jumping up to her, but were instantly floored by the barrage of Dark Magic.

"NO!!" Harry screamed, his mind going blank. Somehow, the spazer multiplied spells!

Susan came down with a stomp, right onto Voldemort's back. This time, he couldn't keep from screaming. Undeterred, Susan lashed out with a kick to his gut, sending him flying into a wall. Harry unleashed a charged blast, but Susan ducked aside and used Torrentus to blow him away. He was smashed into the wall next to Voldemort.

Harry peered hrough the haze of pain, hoping his friends had recovered. Indeed, Hermione was back on her feet, but Susan was upon her. With a flick of Susan's wand, Hermione's helmet popped off. Hermione suddenly stopped, shocked, and that hesitation cost her. Suddenly, Susan gripped her wand as one would a baton, the cable attached to it pulled taut, and her entire hand glowed. With that fist, she punched Hermione square between the eyes. Holding her wand normally again, Susan flicked it, and Hermione was Banished away, crashing into Ron, who had just stood back up. They both went down again. By now, Samus was back up, but Susan was ready. She whirled around and yelled, "_Glacius!_" Three separate streams of icy mist slammed into Samus, knocking her into the wall as well.

Groggily, Harry got back up, seething with terrible rage. Susan Bones slowly strode toward him, her face full of glee and smarminess. "Well now, Potter, no doubt you're wondering how I could have fooled all of you so easily. Give it some time. You fancy yourself as a bit of a detective rather than a savior nowadays, yes? The answer should come to you soon enough."

His mind still reeling, Harry held his wand out stupidly. The urge to lash out filled him, but somehow, he got the impression any curse he used would get tossed aside. Luckily, it seemed he would be backed up again. Voldemort was slowly rising, somehow weathering having dozens of rounds pumped through him. "Oh ho, that does it. I do not care about angering these children anymore, Susan Bones. Former friend of theirs or not, you will...."

Again, with frightening swiftness, Susan raised her gun and emptied the rest of the clip into Voldemort's chest. The Dark wizard sank to his knees, hacking violently. "It is quite rude to butt into other people's conversations, _My Lord_," sneered Susan, putting a nasty emphasis on those last two words.

"'My Lord'?" repeated Harry stupidly, staring back at Susan blankly. "Wait a minute, why would you...." Harry began. But as he stared into her face, he noticed how her eyes now lacked any warmth or human compassion, and her lips curled into an infuriating sneer.

Right then, Harry knew exactly who he was facing. "Severus Snape," he muttered softly.

xxxxxx

I actually hoped by the end of 2009, _Fusion of Destinies II_ would be, y'know, COMPLETE. Getting these four sanctuaries down, and making sure they're more than just novelizations of an imaginary _Metroid_ game, is bloody murder. Ravenclaw's took a chapter longer than I expected, as Hufflepuff's ultimately will. Then there's how starting up nursing school sucks away your time like a Metroid sucks away your life energy.

Oh well, at least I leave you with...another agonizing cliffhanger. See you in 2010.

Also saw _Sherlock Holmes_ and decided that's 2009's second-best movie rather than _Avatar_ (_District 9_, of course, blew away all comers) . I only read one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works, and it was required reading (Hound of the Baskervilles). Still, I can honestly say this film nails everything you'd want from a Holmes story. Plus, after _Iron Man_, it's a no-brainer to have Robert Downey Jr. portray another super-intelligent dick. Also made me feel kinda stupid for shoehorning the happenings of a dozen other nations into FoD2's plot, especially my home country (United States). That film reminded me there's always plenty of fun to be had in England alone.

So long,

Grey-X


	33. Like Father, Like Son

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 33: Like Father, Like Son

1-16-2010

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

Susan Bones's sneer became even more pronounced, leaving no doubt in Harry's mind that it truly was Severus Snape in disguise. "Bravo, Potter," he jeered in Susan's feminine voice. "That didn't take nearly as long as I expected. Aran's detection skills surely must be rubbing off on you." As he spoke, he flicked his submachine gun; the clip had another one taped to it, and the bundle magically flipped around so that the full one was fed in. The gun clicked and clacked, and both it and Snape's wand stayed fixed on Harry, but Snape held back for some reason.

"Yeah, she suspected something was wrong with you before the rest of us," said Harry. His eyes were fixed on the wand and gun aimed at him, but Harry spared a quick glance down at Voldemort, still on his knees and sputtering, but miraculously still breathing. As Harry wondered how he could survive such abuse, something else occurred to him. "But how'd you fool Voldemort? He used Legilimancy and found Susan's memories!"

"Oh, that," said Susan/Snape innocently. "When Kago recalled Bones, it was not just for a hair sample for Polyjuice Potion, but so she could kindly provide a few poignant memories for us. You see, the same magic by which one extracts memories can be used to deposit them in another. Most wizards' brains can't tolerate such a thing, but I got it to work, and made sure the Dark Lord saw exactly what I wanted him to see. Knowing his ego, seeing Bones's most traumatic memories from what he did to her family would convince him he faced the genuine article."

By now, Voldemort was standing again. Out the corner of his eye, Harry saw his snakelike face twist into a snarl. He raised his wand, but Snape's gun arm stiffened threateningly. "Careful now, my_ former _master. Rumor has it that Granger's uncle got you to capitulate with nothing but a gun. Think I can't do far worse with one? Shall we see what a bullet through your brain will do?"

Even with their connection blocked, Harry sensed Voldemort's fury brew, but he held back. But Harry was more concerned with what Snape said about Susan Bones. "Hold it, so you _were_ using Polyjuice Potion after all!?" he exclaimed incredulously. "How!? We all watched you with our x-ray visors! No one saw you drink anything for over an hour!"

Snape chuckled evilly to himself. "Come now, Potter, you really think there's no way to work around that limitation? In our youth, Val and I worked on ways to condense Polyjuice Potion into time-release capsules, which would last half a day. An idea she got from her time among Muggles, and now I perfected it," he said boastfully. "I believe all our early work was recorded in a certain copy of Advanced Potion Making. Too bad you didn't know how to dig for its biggest secrets."

_Actually, I do,_ Harry thought, glad that his helmet kept Snape out along with Voldemort. Harry silently vowed to pour over every word of Valkyrie's buried work once they were out of this sanctum. He stared back at the man disguised as a girl, the one who helped Valkyrie play both sides against the middle. No matter what, it seemed Snape always found a way to dupe them.

Fury welled up inside Harry, but he quickly remembered how unthinking rage spoiled his chances against Snape the last time. A sudden idea came to Harry. Perhaps this time he could reverse those roles? "Interesting, Snape. And seeing you like this gives me other ideas about what you and Asara do in your spare time. I mean, what do we call you now? Susan Snape, the Half-Blood Princess?"

Snape smirked defiantly at Harry. "Nice try, Potter," he said simply, obviously seeing through Harry's plan. "Though I do commend you for being able to focus on what you need. I have your spazer module, and without taking it back, you lot can go no further."

"What makes you think we won't!?" came Ron's angry voice, finally back on his feet. Harry saw Hermione and Samus get up as well, and they all fired missiles. But Snape had a charged shot, and cast three Banishing Charms at once, flinging them all back and forcing them to dodge.

"Five against one? Not sporting at all, is it? And here we are, in the sanctum of the Founder who championed fair play," quipped Snape. He looked back to Harry, who was still trying to figure out what Snape's game was. Why confront them all in this way? Why not just flee with the spazer? Something else was going on, Harry was sure of it.

"Don't you DARE talk about fair play, Snape, not after how you keep tricking everyone!" shouted Hermione vehemently. "I mean, what about all the house-elves and goblins who got killed to keep this ruse up for you!?"

Snape laughed. "Oh please, Granger. You know of Val's Ingemiaceo spell, thanks to your uncle. The bodies blasted off those stalactites were just copied, mindless shells."

"What about the ones who fought us head-on? Any good news for them?" spat Samus.

"They knew the risks. Every house-elf and goblin in this operation volunteered of their own free will," said Snape defiantly. "Of all people, Samus, you should know how eager house-elves are to please. As for the goblins, they know that once the existence of magic is fully exposed after the Day of Reckoning, no longer will they be forced to hide underground from Muggles. Even the haven that's Inferno is wearing on them. The goblins there desire that all their brethren come out into the sunlight, and they'll fight to the death to give all goblins that chance."

Once again, everyone was making it hard to hate Valkyrie when she, in her own twisted way, was trying to help so many. Still, seeing Susan Bones's face sneering like Snape's, and hearing his silky smarminess through her voice...he had no trouble loathing her husband. For a moment, they stared intently at each other. "But I don't need Legilimancy to see that Potter wants a shot at me alone. So why not, Potter? None of us are going anywhere. If you truly want the spazer back, let's have a fair contest for it."

"Harry, NO!" Samus said at once. "This has got to be part of his plan! We still don't even know where Faction is! He could be stalling for time until he gets here!"

"Then all of you stand watch over the exits. Besides, we all tried taking him on together and failed. Maybe a one-on-one fight will be different," said Harry, trying to rationalize how he was giving in to his desire for revenge. There was no question that they needed that spazer...and Harry wanted to be to one to pry it from Snape's mangled corpse. "No one interfere. I want him for myself."

"Excellent. But Potter...don't expect me to hesitate as Draco did. Neither of us wanted it to come to this, or kill Dumbledore for that matter. But he's young, and still in shock over all that's happened, while I've resolved that helping Val's the only way to make up for my sins," said Snape sourly.

Harry just stared back hatefully, realizing that Valkyrie had made Snape as much her creature as her overgrown, musclebound son. It was both contemptible and pitiable. He charged a shot and armed his missiles, but held back, starting to circle Snape. Snape charged a shot of his own and kept his submachine gun at the ready; his armored legs were spread apart and he kept bending his knees, as if ready to spring any moment.

At last, Snape made the first move. He made another tremendous leap; at the apex of his jump, he fired off three Blasting Curses at once, while spraying the ground with bullets. Some of them hit Harry's legs as he jumped aside; not only was some energy ticking away, Harry actually FELT the impacts through his armor. No doubt those bullets were charmed in some way.

Harry fired back with a fully-charged shot, then unleashed a hail of missiles. But Snape effortlessly Banished the missiles away, oftentimes right back at Harry, and merely jumped to avoid his shots. Seeing he was getting nowhere, Harry aimed behind Snape and yelled, "_Torrentus!_" A tremendous wind blew behind him, kicking up loose sand strewn about. He shouted another incantation, one that caused bits of sand to fuse into glass shards, flying at Snape with deadly speed.

But Snape whirled around, conjuring a barrier to deflect the glass while keeping Harry at bay with gunfire. "That helmet makes up for your ineptitude at Occlumency, Potter, but you still must learn to keep your trap shut!" Snape shouted, dispeling the conjured winds. Harry ducked and swerved around Snape's short bursts of gunfire, but when Snape's back was turned for a split-second, Harry fired a charged shot. Snape twirled back around a second too late, and he went flying into the wall, slowly sliding down.

Unfortunately, Snape didn't even look winded, getting right back on his feet. "Non-conductive armor, Potter, and resistant to extreme temperatures. You'll have to do better," he sneered, slowly drawing near again.

Harry said nothing, firing a missile. Snape easily Banished it away, but Harry used that opening to cast Carpe Retractum. The golden band lassoed Snape, and with one yank he was sailing toward Harry. However, Snape dispeled it with a wave of his wand, and tucked into a roll, going right past Harry. Harry whirled around and shouted, "_Lumosolis!_" The focused stream of light blasted Snape to the side, making him scream in agony. Harry could even see smoke rise from Snape's transformed body as he approached.

Snape was soon on his feet again. Too groggy to use a spell, he drew his submachine gun. Harry comtemptuously yelled, "_Protego!_" and conjured a crimson barrier to deflect the bullets. However, the bullets struck with such force, they made Harry wince; some even pierced through, hitting his chest plate with crushing force. Still, Harry pressed on, closing in. Once he was a few feet away from Snape, he looked ready to fire off a spell. Snarling and filled with rage, Harry lashed out with a left that floored Snape again.

For a moment, Harry stood over Snape as he knelt, nursing his jaw. Certain that that blow had knocked him silly enough, Harry reached down to grab the spazer merged into Snape's gauntlet.

"NO, POTTER!" Snape suddenly screamed. With blinding speed, Snape jumped up and backflipped, both of his armored legs smashing into Harry, one right after the other, as he did so. The impact knocked Harry flat on his back. Harry hissed and gritted his teeth, cursing himself for his carelessness. But as soon as he stood back up, Snape was on top of him. He lashed out with a spinning roundhouse kick, his armored, clawed foot smashing into Harry's helmet so hard, he began to see stars.

"I don't believe it...he just rolled with the punch!" came Hermione's voice through ringing ears. "And the way he's fighting... Moody wasn't kidding about Snape knowing martial arts!"

"I learned from the best," said Snape smoothly as he advanced. Miraculously, Harry stayed on his feet, fighting to see through the haze of pain. But this only let him see that Snape was holding his wand like a baton again, and somehow his fist became encased in an icy club.

Snape began bludgeoning Harry with it, striking with such force that the ice eventually shattered. Fighting to regain his bearings, Harry struck back, lashing out with a right hook. Snape merely parried the blow, and with Harry now wide open, Snape sank his knee into his armored midsection.

This made Harry double over, only to be propped up by Snape with one hand...while his other hand was again encased in ice. It smashed into his visor with such force, Harry was shocked it didn't crack. Harry popped his wand back out, ready to do the slashing motion for Sectumsempra. But Snape grasped his right wrist and pointed his wand away, and at the same time planted a kick in his midsection, send him flying back. His backside skidded along the floor for a moment, but with great effort Harry sprang back up...only to see Snape unleash a triple blast of Glacius spells right at him.

The gale-force, icy winds sent Harry flying yet again, back toward where everyone else had taken position. He landed with a painful crash, feeling numb all over, both from the cold and from being mortified about getting trounced so badly by Snape again. He felt the strong hands of his friends lift him back onto his feet, but it took a while to focus his vision. But the outline of Susan Bones's form, standing proudly several yards away, helped bring everything back into sharp focus.

"That all, Potter? I doubt it. More than once you struck to kill, so you can't be getting soft on me. I'm impressed, actually. Makes it all the more sadder, how you were always unwilling to learn anything important from me. Occlumency, nonverbal magic, and now we can add kung fu. With a little more tutelage, perhaps I could've sent you out against the Dark Lord with victory assured...and instead you _sided_ with him!" Snape spat acidly.

"Oh please, everyone's been trying that line against me and it's getting old," Harry replied defiantly. "Right now, Voldemort's not the one hellbent on playing God with the entire planet."

"Forget it, Harry. Let's just hurry and all rush him now. Take back the spazer before Faction shows up," Samus pleaded.

"Hmph, so much for the better part of valor," scoffed Snape. "Very well, do as you must. But Potter, just one question first. Even though you're utterly incapable of Occlumency, somehow you can fight the Imperius Curse and most other mind-control techniques...but tell me, are your friends the same way?"

Harry's eyes widened, wondering what Snape meant by that. He looked over to Ron, who looked just as confused and merely shrugged his. Then he looked over to Hermione...whose eyes now had a glassy, unfocused look, her face zombie-like....

Suddenly, Hermione stumbled forward clumsily, shoving everyone else aside. Snape, however, looked as if he was expecting this....

Then it hit Harry like a Hungarian Horntail's tail. That punch Snape landed on Hermione's exposed face before...somehow he planted a command in her head, and was just waiting until it took hold.

Snape suddenly started backing up as Hermione hobbled forward. "Someone, get the Mudblood back here!" shouted Voldemort, shocking Harry out of his stupor. He looked over to Hermione, ready to use Relashio, but Hermione suddenly went into morph ball mode.

And deployed a power bomb.

"Oh, crap...get back!" Harry cried, as they all nervously backed up up the series of stone steps, away from the expanding thermonuclear wave. It soon cleared, and Hermione unrolled, shaking her head and looking flummoxed and disoriented. But the metal plating under her feet was slowly starting to crack. And then, it was as if a sinkhole formed in the center of the room. The floor began to cave away. Hermione screamed as the ground underneath her crumbled away, and the sinkhole kept expanding, spreading across the room.

"HERMIONE!" Harry and Ron screamed in unison, but Hermione's shriek of surprise echoed even louder. Then Harry heard something else: the mechanical pumping of Snape's armored legs. He glanced back over across the room, gasping when he saw Snape running UP the metal plating on the walls, the clawlike toes digging into them. Soon, he was running across the ceiling, and eventually came to a stop, looking down at them all coldly.

A whirring sound made Harry look back down. Hermione was space jumping out of the widening hole. Suddenly, he heard a charging sound from above, and instinctively knew what Snape was about to do.

"_Glacius!_" Snape bellowed, vehemence lingering behind his cold, sily voice.

Three separate streams of icy wind swirled down into the room, forming a cyclonic vortex focused downward that swept Hermione up in an instant, blowing her back down into the hole. Icy fear welled up within Harry, but soon the chill of Snape's winds became more overwhelming. It took a ridiculous effort to keep his footing, and wondered if Voldemort possibly could without a suit.

However, Voldemort wasn't even trying. Instead, he was trying to fly up to Voldemort, knifing through the snowy winds Snape was generating. But with the spazer tripling Snape's magic power, Voldemort couldn't reach the ceiling no matter how hard he focused. Eventually, Snape drew his submachine gun again, and with flying taking so much effort, Voldemort was left wide open. Bullets ripped through Voldemort yet again, and he too was swept down into the sinkhole.

"What are we just standing here for!? DROP HIM!" Samus roared, aiming her arm cannon up. The three of them who remained fired missiles and charged blasts, but the winds swallowed up the missiles effortlessly, and Snape easily ran around to avoid the shots.

"I wish it hadn't come to this, Potter! But we chose different sides, it couldn't be helped!" Snape called out over the roaring winds that steadily built in strength. At last, the winds' power was too great, and the three of them were blown off their feet, funneled down into the sinkhole Snape bewitched Hermione to make. Harry still blindly fired as the winds tossed him all around, only half-certain he was aiming up. The frigid, biting winds got worse and worse, knocking him this way and that, being slammed into the walls of the freshly-formed sinkhole.

Harry wasn't sure how long it was before the icy chill abated, and he no longer felt like the Whomping Willow had him by the balls. Once he could feel and move his limbs again, he slowly propped himself up off wherever he landed. Having to peer through hazy pain again, Harry saw Snape had forced them down into a much more expansive chamber, one with stone walls instead of metal plating. Stalagmites, boulders and stalactites were all around, and it looked like there were two tunnels leading out, both directly across from each other.

At first, Harry was hopeful they weren't trapped after seeing those two tunnels, but then Samus, back on her feet before the rest of them, ran out from one. "Bad news, people. Both these tunnels are blocked off. No way to break through them without the speed booster."

"Then we'll have to get out by...." Harry began, but stopped when he looked up. A layer of thick ice had formed to plug up the hole. He instinctively knew Snape was still up there, ready to pack more ice on when they tried to blast through. Unless....

"Voldemort, if you got anything that'll melt through all that ice at once, don't hold out on us," said Harry evenly. He looked down to see Voldemort slowly rising, his bullet wounds somehow healing automatically again. A quick glance around let him know Ron and Hermione were getting their bearings as well, though Hermione looked hopelessly confused and shamefaced.

"Oh no, Snape made me do this, didn't he?" croaked Hermione weakly, piecing together what had happened. "Snape somehow knew the layout, knew the floor in that room would give way to a power bomb. It was all a trap to steal the spazer and seal us in here." Hermione shook her head guiltily as Ron held her shoulders, a consoling gesture.

By now, Voldemort was back on his feet, sparing Harry a contemptuous glance for ordering him about. But he then looked up at the ice, snarled hideously, and pointed his wand straight up. Harry could sense a powerful curse was coming, but suddenly, Voldemort's gaze began to wildly sweep across the rocky cavern. "That ploy was meant to do more than merely bottle us up, little girl. Ready yourselves. I sense...."

Voldemort never got to tell them what he sense, for them the whole cavern quaked, knocking the five of them off their feet. They all quickly got back up, but before Harry could ask Voldemort anything, he twirled around and slashed his wand, sending them all flying in different directions, scattering them. Voldemort them glided away, and right where he had stood, a huge cluster of long, needlelike, crystalline rock erupted from the dirt. The whole room shook again as more crystalline clustered popped up, travelling in a line, forcing Samus and Hermione to space jump away. But the quaking caused stalactites to come loose and drop on them, one of them smashing into Samus, pinning her to the ground.

"Oh no, SAMUS!" cried Hermione, quickly dropping down to lift the chunk of rock off the bounty hunter. She hoisted it up just enough for Samus to crawl out. Once she was clear, Hermione let the stalactite drop, then helped Samus to her feet. "Samus, what's going on? What could possibly be doing this?"

"Inferno's forces are behind this, I'm sure of it," Samus said weakly, holding onto Hermione for support. "They must be using what let them drill right into the your Ministry. We'll probably be swarmed by goblins and house-elves before long. How's everyone doing on suit energy and ammunition?"

"I still have seven tanks full, and a good chunk of my missiles left," said Hermione nervously.

"Six tanks, and just over a hundred missiles," said Ron before looking over to Harry. "What about you, mate?"

Harry glanced at his HUD. The battle with Snape left him barely five full tanks, not to mention his missile and power bomb count were starting to run low. "Not too good, Ron. Not too good," he said glumly.

"My injuries have fully healed, thank you for asking," said Voldemort scythingly. "Also, in case anyone cares, I doubt it's an army we'll be besieged by. I don't think it's any craft drilling into Hufflepuff's lair, but rather something...smaller that I'm sensing. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly where it is at any given time, but...."

Another explosion of crystal formations nearby made them all scatter. They soon shattered, and in the sport where they had erupted from, something else shot of the ground...something spinning impossibly fast, little more than a big, dark blur. It rose high into the air, and stopped spinning as it dropped down to ground level.

Kneeling down in the cavern with them was none other than Valkyrie's adopted son, Kago Asara...Faction.

"I'm not much for monologuing, people, so let's get down to business. All I need do is rip one of your suits to shreds, and then there's no way anyone can stop my mother from unleashing Kor-Zor's power," Faction beamed in his deep voice. Then he aimed at a far corner of the cavern with his right wand and yelled, "_Accio!_"

To Harry's utter shock, the spazer module Snape swiped zoomed toward Faction, now merging with his right gauntlet.

"Oh no, Snape threw that down in here for him! Now we're REALLY in for it!" groaned Ron. Harry's insides froze, knowing Ron was right. Bad enough Faction could use two wands at once, casting two different spells, but now one wand had triple the power!?

"Boy, I'm afraid I cannot allow that," said Voldemort coolly, eyeing Faction dangerously. "Much as it pains me to say it, I'm depending on these four to ultimately stop your craven Muggle mother's sick plans. You must get through me to destroy any of their suits, and if you even think you can face me head-on, you overgrown Mudblood freak, you...."

True to his word, Faction didn't waste any breath sparring with Voldemort. In an eyeblink, Faction aimed his left wand at Voldemort and yelled, "_Crucio!_" For whatever reason, Voldemort couldn't read Faction's movements, or even block the curse in time, and doubled over. At the same time, Faction aimed the spazer-armed wand behind him, levitating three small rocks that suddenly became superheated, giving off the look of magma. He flung them at Voldemort one after another as he stood up, each striking with explosive force. Voldemort stood his ground, but suddenly Faction lurched forward, holding one glowing wand like a baton, then punching Voldemort. The impact sent Voldemort sailing right across the cavern, crashing painfully into the rocky wall so hard, the cavern shook.

"Don't call me 'boy'," said Faction simply, glaring hatefully over at Voldemort as he peeled himself off the wall.

Watching Voldemort get tossed away like that made Harry's insides freeze all over again. _Oh just perfect...Valkyrie really must've taught Faction everything he knows. So he can stomp on Voldemort in a one-on-one fight, too,_ he thought fearfully. Out loud, he said, "Everyone, if we can't pull together as a team, we can kiss all our power suits good-bye!"

"Truer words were never spoken, Harry," said Faction, a hint of regret buried underneath his words. However, Faction didn't let it stop him. With his right wand, he sent out Blasting Curses, three at a time, forcing them all back. One found its mark on Harry's chest plate, nearly draining a third of a tank, but Harry sprang back on his feet, firing back with curses and missiles.

Faction used his free wand to block everyone's counterattacks, but by now Voldemort had recovered and was moving in. He tried using Avada Kevadra, but Faction deftly swerved his body around so it sailed past him, missing Ron by inches. Voldemort then tried his now-predictable tactic of conjuring ice javelins, but after fending off another volley of attacks from Harry and his friends, Faction crossed his wands in front of him.

A sparking sound came from them, along with an eerie, white glow from where the wands crossed. With a howl of fury, Faction lunged forward and slashed the air. A tremendous shockwave rushed across the cavern toward Voldemort, shattering the ice shards and blasting him back yet again. Spinning around, Faction then fired multipe Blasting Curses again, four at a time with both wands, driving the rest of them back.

Harry quickly ducked behind a stalagmite for cover, just as a curse smacked into it, sending up a plume of dirt. He quickly charged a shot, then peered out from behind cover, hoping for an opening. So far, Faction was proving to be as swift and brutal as ever. But unlike his fights with Aunt Petunia and Myrtle, everyone was with him now. If even one of them found an opening, the rest could pile on and subdue Faction....

But Harry had no such luck. Faction was trying something new; dozens of bits of rock were swirling around him and toward him, making it impossible to land a clear shot. Not only that, it looked like a long glowing cord was hanging limply from both of his wands. It made Harry think of whips....

Getting an idea of what Faction was planning, Harry rushed out from behind cover, wildly firing missiles. Suddenly, Faction whirled around, and one of those cords, now giving off dazzling brightness but having rock chunks attached to it, swept the cavern and blasted away his missiles. Faction then slashed his wand down vertically, and the rocky, magnetized, magical cord came crashing down, obliterating the stalagmite Harry used for cover. Harry himself would have been smashed into the dirt if not for a desperate leap backwards at the last possible second.

Thankfully, the others were closing in. Ron and Hermione had their ice beams active and charged. Ron used the Glacius Beam, which Faction backflipped to avoid. But Hermione caught him in the air with the Bombarda Maxima combo, and the Reformer was blasted up into the rocky ceiling, then dropped down unceremoniously. Miraculously, Faction's concentration did not break, his magnetic rock-whips still out and crackling. Even worse, the mountain of muscle was getting right back up, and with his usual swiftness, he swept the cavern with his whips before Ron and Hermione could react. Both of them went flying, smashing into the wall, their suits sizzling and steaming.

Enraged beyond measure, Harry charged, thinking Faction couldn't block any curses if he had those whips out. Harry tried Sectumsempra, but Faction dashed aside, and he only succeeded in gouged part of his right arm. Faction didn't even seem to notice blood spurting from his arm as he raised it to bring his rock-whip down on him again. Harry rolled backward to avoid it, the whole ground shaking from the impact. But Harry had given Samus an opening, who hit Faction dead-center in his back with a fully-charged shot. Faction hunched over, screaming, but retaliated almost instantly, turning around with arms raised high. He brought both whips smashing down onto Samus, driving her into the ground.

In desperation, Harry tried more missiles and curses, but Faction's whips intercepted the missiles and he merely dodged the spells. But now, Voldemort finally decided to reenter the fray, moving in and using Avada Kedavra again. Predictably, Faction ducked and it sailed over him. "Yes, duck and scurry about, you coward. It's time I put you in your place, you overgrown, stupid brute," Voldemort hissed.

Faction merely smiled and chuckled, turning to the Dark wizard. He began to thrash his rock-whips about, striking the ground so hard it shook relentlessly. Despite himself, Voldemort looked cowed, starting to back up. "I don't take any flak about cowardice from the one too scared to finish Albus Dumbledore himself and left it to a child!" Faction shot back defiantly, his voice echoing strangely over his thrashing whips. "An overgrown, stupid brute, am I? That's too rich. I learned everything I know from the one who decisively crushed you one-on-one. Ah, but only you would be arrogant enough to think you can take someone like that alone."

"Well, whether he likes it or not, he's NOT alone," Harry thought aloud, rushing toward Faction as he advanced on Voldemort. He tried Sectumsempra again, and this time his curse sliced right through Faction's outfit, leaving gashes in his chest and left leg.

Once again acting as if completely numb to the pain, Faction swung one whip at Harry while trying to smash Voldemort with the other. Harry rolled aside, avoiding the rock-whip completely, but the other one clipped Voldemort in the leg as he tried gliding away. Yelping, Voldemort then skidded to a halt a dozen yards away, landing on his feet and sending out a Killing Curse. Faction jumped straight up to evade it, but Samus, Ron and Hermione were all moving in, unloading charged shots.

Two of them found their mark as Faction dropped back down. Saying nothing, not even screaming this time, Faction wildly thrashed his whips around to drive them all back. Then, he made an upward slashing motion with his wands, and suddenly the crackling cords of energy vanished. The rocks he attracted, however, still glowed and crackled, suspended for a brief second in midair. This was right before they suddenly shot out at the five of them with deadly speed, driving them back further.

Harry avoided all the rocks coming for him, but he heard yelps of pain from Samus and Ron. A second later, he heard an agitated hiss from Voldemort; a quick glance showed a rock shard had embedded itself in his knee. Harry looked back to Faction, hoping to draw fire in case he went after Voldemort. But to his amazement, Faction had jumped up, and was diving headfirst toward the ground, his whole body spinning. His wands were aimed straight down, and when they touched the rocky floor, they seemed to drill right into it. Faction burrowed himself into the ground, vanishing altogether.

Curiousity mixing with his anxiety, Harry approached the spot where Faction burrowed into the ground. He peered into the hole, having no idea how far down it went. "Wait a minute, Moody said this was how he got into Hogsmeade," he said, thinking aloud. "This must be how he got that first bunch of house-elves in here, and how he figured out the perfect place to trap us."

"Very astute, boy," said Voldemort acidly as he wildly looked about, no doubt hoping to sense Faction before he emerged. Harry looked to his knee, noting how though it still looked bloody, it was otherwise still working. Voldemort noticed this, and yelled, "Pay attention to what matters, boy! That thug cannot be allowed to get the better of us again."

"You really haven't changed since you're Hogwarts days, have you Riddle?" spat Samus. "Just like with Hagrid, you take one look and think 'big' equals 'slow and stupid'. He's already proven he's as fast as his mother and every bit as clever. We'll have to fight just as smart to bring him down."

"Well said, Samus," said Hermione. "Now everyone, watch out. We know he can attack while underground, so...."

Hermione was given a grim reminder by another trail of explosive crystalline growth headed right for them. They all dived out of the way, but Faction wasn't done yet. Some of the upgrowths immediately crumbled, but the needlelike rock shards of some clusters broke off and levitated, right before hurling forward like javelins.

Voldemort smashed several coming for them into dust with a slash of his wand. "Stay alert, you fools! We must defend ourselves while we think of some way to drive the boy above ground!" he yelled as they all fended off the rock shards descending on them like arrows.

Unfortunately, Faction needed no coaxing to come back out into the open. He burst forth from the ground, right in the middle of where the five of them formed a ring, and grappled Samus from behind. He flipped Samus upside-down, and with another hefty jump, he soared upwards, spinning, only to slam Samus's backside back down a second later.

"NO!" Harry yelled, at once turning with his wand at the ready. "_Sectumsempra!_" he cried, but Faction, standing over a groggy, hunched-over Samus, flicked his curse aside, and it hit Hermione in the back instead, making her hunch over. _At least I drew his attention away from Samus,_ Harry thought hopefully, but that encouragement was short-lived, as Faction jumped again, both wands ready to fire more spells.

Three Blasting Curses fired at once floored Ron, Voldemort and himself, while his left wand deflected a charged shot from Samus. Harry tried to get right back up, but one of the last rock chunks smashed into his chest plate, knocking him flat on his back. His teeth gritted and head spinning, Harry tried to make out his HUD data. Only three tanks were still full.

With great effort, Harry sat back up, and was relieved to see Faction was finally on the defensive. It didn't take long for Hermione to bounce back from his botched Sectumsempra spell, and moved in when Faction landed. Clearly not expecting Hermione to try fighting at close range, this allowed Hermione to land quite a few punches, all of which made Faction wince and recoil. Hermione followed up with a kick, but Faction caught her leg, swung her around, and threw her into a stalagmite with a sickening crash.

"Try tossing this aside!" roared Samus as soon as he did; suddenly, Samus's wisp whip ensnared his torso from behind, its flames digging into his armored vest and exposed wounds. Faction screamed again, struggling to free himself as the flames kept scorching him. Samus kept the whip pulled taut as one would when corralling a wild animal, and extended her fins, ready to move in for the kill. Furthermore, Voldemort was back on his feet, wand raised as he approached. This spurred Harry on, coaxing him to get back on his feet, thinking this was their chance to finally put Faction down.

But his hopes were short-lived. Faction gritted his teeth in agony as he gripped the wisp whip with his bare hands, loosening it. Then, just as Hermione pulled herself off the stalagmite, Faction kept hold of Samus's wisp whip and hurled her into Hermione, knocking the stalagmite over. And just as Harry, Ron and Voldemort were ready to sling curses, Faction popped out his right wand and used Aguavenenumenti, sending out three streams of poison water. The one heading for Voldemort smashed into him, hurling him back, while Ron and Harry barely ducked to avoid the ones coming at them. Harry finally got off another Sectumsempra curse and some missiles, but Faction dived underground again.

"This is ridiculous. Going underground and popping up the way he does, the big bloke'll get the drop on us every time!" cried Ron anxiously.

"Too bad not even Voldemort can sense where he'll pop up," said Hermione as she pried Samus off of her. Even with a brief glimpse through Samus's visor, Harry could see how getting tossed around by Faction rattled her.

"Well, we better figure out how...hold it, maybe we can! The x-ray visors!" exclaimed Ron, tapping his visor.

Relief swept over Harry, realizing Ron was absolutely right. Quickly flipping his x-ray visor on, he anxiously looked down at the ground, hoping to spot something. The ground now looked translucent and chalky. Harry squinted, hoping to see Faction's skeletal form burrowing underneath them before it was too late. At last, he saw just that; Faction was a good ten feet under them, tunneling faster than anyone could run. Small flashes of light went off around the areas he passed through. Harry heard the explosive sound of more rocks erupting upward; looking back up, he saw those rock clusters show up right above where flashes of light went off underground.

"Let me worry about deflecting most of these slabs of rock...at least two of you should keep trying to spot Asara's man-child!" Voldemort hollered over the sounds of whooshing rock shards. Seeing who was undoubtedly Voldemort blast apart half a dozen rock shards coming at him like spears convinced Harry that his nemesis could at least be counted on here. Harry kept track of Faction's burrowing; Harry could tell Samus was watching too, while Ron and Hermione deflected more rocks.

At one point, Faction was coming back toward their group, and his path was steadily sloping upward, no doubt to burst up and take them out. Samus saw it too, and had a plan to deny him that chance. "Harry, he's coming! Quick, let's drop a couple power bombs! The thermonuclear waves should hit him even if he's underground!"

Harry nodded, trusting her completely. He rolled into a ball, and guestimating from the trajectory and speed he last saw Faction coming in at, Harry dropped a power bomb just when he though the feiry wave would clip him while tunneling.

When he unrolled, Harry quickly scanned the area again, but the x-ray spectrum now revealed nothing. Furthermore, Harry didn't hear the others blasting away rock shards anymore, so he assumed Faction stopped trying that for now. But where was Faction? Did the power bombs completely incinerate him? Harry couldn't find any trace of Faction in the tunnels he burrowed. At first, Harry was worried that they might have killed him. Even though he knew this was war, Harry still entertained hope of taking some people alive. There had been enough killing today, house-elves and goblins dying needlessly to keep up the spiel that trapped them in here....

A loud explosion from the far wall made Harry look up and switch off his x-ray visor. Faction had burst forth out of the wall, smoke billowing from his massive body, his face twisted into a snarl. Even from that distance, Harry could see all the wounds he inflicted with Sectumsempra, made worse from Samus's wisp whip. But Faction showed no signs of slowing, waving his wands wildly as he stared them down from across the cavern.

"You've got to be kidding me...he's like a human machine! None of the abuse we've heaped on him even slows him down!" exclaimed Harry incredulously. He just watched Faction, convinced there was no way to stop him before the Reformer made his next move.

Desperate, Harry turned to Samus, praying she had a battle plan, but she was just watching Faction as well. "Everyone, brace yourselves, he's got a new bag of tricks," she said simply, stating the painfully obvious.

All of a sudden, the plethora of rocks Faction blasted loose from the walls started to converge into two massive piles, which then shook the shape of large golems. Harry was reminded of the fight with Thardus that Samus told him about. The two golems charged right for them while Faction dove underground again.

"Great. He'll be too smart to linger too close to the surface before emerging again," grumbled Samus. "Not only that, we'll be too busy to spot him, fending off these...." But her words trailed off when Voldemort glided past them, heading straight for one of the golems. It clumsily swiped at him, but Voldemort swerved to avoid its groping hands, then fired his black, necromantic lightning.

With Voldemort keeping one golem busy, the four of them could focus on the other. "Ron, Hermione, one of you keep using the x-ray visor. Keep track of Faction while the other fends off any more rock attacks," said Samus with a palpable sense of urgency. "Harry and I will take care of that other rock monster." The three of them nodded, and Harry ran toward the golem with Samus, using Reductor Curses, Banishing Charms and Aguamenti to hack away at its monstrous form. Samus backed him up with a constant barrage of charged shots.

They kept the golem at bay for a while, steadily whittling it away, but eventually it closed in, swiping and them and then driving its fist down with such tremendous force, it scattered them. Harry got right back up, running around and continuously pelting it with missiles and curses. He managed to keep avoiding its swiping hands and crushing fists, all the while stealing glances at Voldemort to see how he was faring.

Voldemort kept dazing his golem with that black lightning, never failing to drive it back. As it staggered backward again, Voldemort swooped toward it and landed on its shoulders. Poking his wand in between two large rocks there, Voldemort blew its arm clean off. He jumped down right before the golem swatted its shoulder, doing a series of twirling motions with his wand. Within seconds, the rocks from its severed arm became blobs of molten metal, which converged and took the shape of a gigantic steel scorpion. The huge, metal arachnid skittered forward as the one-armed golem charged, and rammed its tail right into the golem's chest while hammering its legs with its pinchers.

Both golems were getting whittled down, and Ron and Hermione were doing a perfect job of blocking all the flying rock shards. For a moment, Harry thought the golems would be dealt with in time, so that they could nail Faction once he emerged. He fired more Reductor Curses up at its head. It swiped at him again, but Harry noticed it was getting slower. So he dove under its legs, went into morph ball mode, a dropped another power bomb.

As the thermonuclear wave subsided, Harry unrolled saw that its legs were white-hot, slowly melting. "Harry, quick, open fire on its legs! Pour on everything you got!" Samus called out. Seizing the opportunity, Harry and Samus peppered its legs with beam shots, rapidly cooling them until they shattered apart.

Steam and debris rushed past them, collecting over his visor. "Whew, Samus, I think we got this one," Harry said, relieved. "How's Voldemort doing with his?" He wiped the condensation and dirt off his visor, looking over to Voldemort. By now, his scorpion's pinchers and tail had pummeled the golem back into the dirt. More and more, it looked like they would be ready to fight Faction again, but suddenly Ron shouted out to them. "Harry, Samus, watch out! Faction's gonna pop up right around you three!"

Just as Ron finished his warning, Faction shot out of the ground, right behind Voldemort's scorpion. He aimed his wands at its pinchers, and with one incantation, they were severed clean off. Faction severed its tail right before landing on the scorpion's back. Then, with a swinging motion with both arms, Faction levitated the tail and struck Voldemort with it like a cricket bat, smashing him into the wall yet again.

Faction turned to Samus and Harry as the giant, mutilated scorpion skittered about aimlessly, only to be met with a charged blast that hit dead-center. It only slowed him down, and he fired back with triple barrages of Aguavenenumenti. Samus deftly leaped around to avoid the deluge, firing back with missiles and beam shots, but Faction was now ready, blocking her every shot.

Harry rushed forward, ready to help. But with his free wand, Faction slashed the air. Suddenly, the mangled torso of the golem right behind Harry slid forward. Harry looked back to see its rocky, outstretched hand coming for him. There was no time to react, and it closed around Harry, lifting him up as it slowly began to crush him.

"Oh no, HARRY!" Samus cried, running back toward him. But more triple attacks from Faction kept Samus from reaching him, forcing her farther back as the golem kept on trying to crush Harry's suit.

Harry writhed futilely in the golem's grip, helpless. There was no room to pop his wand out or arm his missile launcher. Damage reports kept pouring in on his HUD, unintelligible data about pressure breaches and fluid blockages...all that Harry understood was how his suit's energy was ticking away.

"Why did it have to come to this, Harry!?" Faction cried out, more passionately than Harry ever heard him speak, as he kept fending off Samus singlehandedly. "Inferno, the Day of Reckoning...all of this is being done to fulfill my mother's promise to yours. Millions emigrated to our home, but YOU were the one she was most eager to share Inferno with, and she still mulls over how she didn't bring you to Inferno right away! So do I! You're one of the toughest and most resourceful wizards of our generation, there's much we could've learned from each other! But we still could have been brothers, it didn't have to be like this! You know, deep down, that you belong with us, that it's your destiny to make Lily's dreams a reality! Why keep fighting us!? WHY!?"

Harry only half-heard Faction's ranting as crushing pain dulled his other senses, unable to focus on anything, much less respond. Blackness began to fill his vision, but suddenly, he heard and felt concussive blasts right below him. The crushing pressure was gone, now replaced by the sensation of falling. Harry hit the ground hard, but was hoisted right back up by two pairs of strong hands.

"We'll tell you why...it's because Harry's mum NEVER would've dreamed of starting a world war!" came Hermione's bitter voice right beside him.

"Yeah, this kind of bloody fighting has nothing to do with the Lily Potter I always heard about," Ron chimed in. Harry looked over to him, and their eyes met. "Sorry it took us so long, mate. The place was even thicker with flying rocks this time around. You okay, mate? His pet rocks-for-brains didn't break anything, did it?

Harry glanced at his HUD again. Litanies of damage reports had stopped streaming in, but everything was still flashing red. Harry soon saw why: he had less than a tank remaining. "Not good. Hardly any power left," he wheezed through tortured lungs.

"Then take a breather. We'll help Samus handle Faction," said Hermione quickly. She ran and charged a wave beam shot, then cried "_Fulguritum Militus!_" She aimed the spell combo right on the mangled scorpion that still skittered around, where Faction was still perched. It exploded with a dazzling flash, lightning arcing everywhere, but Faction had leapt off just in time, only minimally shocked. But Voldemort was conscious again, and sent out a Killing Curse. Faction flipped over in midair, letting it sail between spread legs, right before diving straight down and burrowing into the ground again.

"No matter what we do, the brute STILL finds a way to get the better of us!" yelled Voldemort with explosive fury. He turned to face Samus and Harry. "Boy, you deduced Maxwell's one glaring weakness. You claim you and the bounty hunter saw memories Dumbledore left behind, clues about Asara's past. So tell us, did you see ANYTHING we can use here!? Can her son be outwitted!?"

"We hardly saw anything about Faction," said Harry. "Just how Valkyrie first found him, and that weird brain surgery she did. I don't know if that can help...can it?" he finished, looking up at Samus.

To his relief, the look of dawning shone behind her visor. "Actually, I think it can. Valkyrie educated and raised him, turned him into an unstoppable fighting machine, but there's still that one problem with his brain," said Samus brightly. "But...I'm not sure how to exploit it...."

More rock clusters shot up several feet away. At once, Ron and Hermione got to work, covering for Samus as she desperately tried to plan. More sprang up beside them, goading Voldemort into action as well. However, he was still sluggish and groggy from getting batted around; one shard got too close, and the debris from shattering it made him fall backward. As Voldemort hit the ground, something fell out of his robes. What looked like a small vial of amber-colored fluid landed at Harry's feet.

Curious, Harry picked it up, his eyes widening as he read the label. "'Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes: All-Purpose Insanity Glue'? Even YOU use their stuff along with Valkyrie?" Harry asked dubiously, looking up at Voldemort. "I don't know if that kind of product endorsement helps or hurts them."

"Hold on, Harry," Samus said suddenly, snatching up the vial. She looked at it for a moment, her eyes brightening again. "This may be exactly what we need. Here's what we're going to do...."

xxxxxx

Faction had yet to reappear, giving Harry and Voldemort enough time to take their positions, clinging to the rocky wall. Harry was picked to back Voldemort up due to his dangerously low suit energy. On Samus's urging, Voldemort charmed the rocks around them, so that they hopefully wouldn't conduct any movement on their part. Samus theorized that Faction could sense vibrations conducted through the rock, giving away their positions.

That was how Samus planned to draw Faction out. Ron, Hermione and Samus were still in the middle of the cavern, fending of another volley of charmed rock shards. Once they obliterated the last wave, they all nodded to each other right before starting to space jump. By flying, Faction would lose track of them, and be forced to come topside.

"Remember, Samus said to get a blob of this glue on his _right_ eye," Harry sternly reminded Voldemort. "The first clear shot you get, take it!"

"I remember perfectly well, boy!" spat Voldemort. "But why not cover _both_ eyes and blind the beast!?"

"Because that way, he'll go back underground in desperation, just keep flinging rocks at us all day, and Inferno's troops'll beat us to Hufflepuff's piece," hissed Harry. "Just focus on what you need to do. Leave any more rock attacks to me."

Right then, more rock clusters did indeed pop up, forcing Harry to sling curses from across the chamber and cover his friends while they were defenseless in midair. His wand and eyes moved blindingly fast, faster than ever before, as Harry focused with all his might and pushed himself to his limits. There were too many close shaves for comfort, but miraculously, Harry kept them all safe.

Then, at last, Faction's spinning form erupted from the ground and touched down. Harry shot Voldemort one last scything look, but Voldemort was focused only on his quarry. With one flick of his wand, Voldemort charmed a blob of the glue to levitate out of the bottle, and it shot across the cavern, eventually spreading over Faction's face.

It was a direct hit, but even from that distance, Harry could tell Voldemort was slightly off his mark. "Riddle, come off it! You hit his LEFT EYE!"

"Left eye, right eye, so long as one's covered...whatever good that does," retorted Voldemort acidly.

Harry glowered at him. Samus hadn't the time to explain everything fully, but knew every step in her plan must have a purpose. Still, he sighed and said, "Forget it, just get on with phase two."

Without another word, Voldemort looked back over to Faction and twirled his wand. Before Faction even got a glimpse of the other three still space jumping around, gale-force winds kicked up around him, spinning and trapping him in what looked like a cocoon of swirling rocks. Still, Harry could see through the swirling winds at times; Faction was either trying to blast past the rocks, dispel the winds, or both. However, he only used his left wand. His spazer-powered wand hung lay uselessly at his side.

"What the...how come he's only using his regular wand?" Harry thought aloud.

"Whatever the reason, as amazing as it may seem, just that wand is giving me significant...counterresistance," huffed Voldemort in a strained voice. "It's taking much effort to keep him from dispelling my trap."

_Actually, it's not much of a surprise at all, nowadays,_ Harry thought to himself bitterly. Looking back, he saw Ron, Hermione and Samus all land, charging up shots as they surrounded the wind prison.

"Voldemort, drop the winds now!" Harry shouted. Voldemort slashed his arm downward, and the winds faded. The split-second they did, his friends all unloaded on Faction with charged shots, driving him down to his knees. They kept peppering him with beam shots, striking open wounds and eliciting inhuman howls of pain. But at last, Faction struck back, spinning around and driving them back with a shockwave.

_Huh, he still didn't use the spazer to attack the three of them at once._ As Harry pondered this, Faction touched the blotch of hardened glue with the tips of both wands. Harry saw the glue shatter after a few seconds, and Faction dove back underground.

"Looks like we're finally getting to him!" Harry called out to Samus. "So, what's next?"

"We do the exact same thing," said Samus.

"What madness is this!?" demanded Voldemort. "He'll remember this ploy, and simply burrow underground again before you can attack!"

"No, he won't, thanks to having been blind in one eye. Trust me on this!" Samus called back. "But Riddle, I told you to blind his RIGHT EYE first! Now you HAVE to hit his right eye for our plan to work, but next time, he'll be able to use the spazer!"

Harry and Voldemort looked sourly at each other, neither understanding anything Samus was saying. The sound of whirring space jumps snapped Harry back to attention, just as more rock clusters started popping up. Harry got right to work, blasting apart the rocks before any could hit his friends as they flew, while Voldemort watched and waited. It wasn't long before Faction reappeared; he burst through the cavern wall, only about thirty yards away. Thankfully, he seemed oblivious to the two of them being perched on the wall. Voldemort tapped the vial with his wand, and another blob of glue zoomed out, zeroing in on Faction.

Another grunt from Faction told Harry that the glue found its mark, and breathed a sigh of relief upon looking over and seeing it covered his right eye. He turned and saw them on the wall, raising his right wand. But this time, Voldemort was quicker, and trapped him in another swirling cocoon of magical winds saturated with rocks and dirt. "This is utter foolishness! Those three will have no chance to attack before the boy catches on! There's no....ARRGGHH!"

Voldemort faltered, nearly falling off the rocky ledge, but kept his wand raised, his concentration never breaking. Harry looked back over to Faction, and occassionally saw him fighting against the winds using multiplied charms, seemingly with singleminded determination. It was as if it took everything Voldemort had to keep his winds up, but Harry was more amazed by how Faction was falling for the same trick again. Instead of escaping underground, he risked another ambush.

At last, when Harry got the feeling Voldemort could take no more, he dispelled the winds just as Ron, Hermione and Samus were in position. They all unloaded on Faction at once, and the hulking Reformer sank to his knees as the three of them kept firing shot after shot. At last, it looked like Faction would go down....

Suddenly, it became clear why Samus didn't want Faction to have the spazer handy the second time around. With one last, desperate effort, Faction let out a triple stream of poisonous water, flooring his three attackers at all once. He then quickly turned his attention to Harry and Voldemort. Voldemort launched himself off the rocks, gliding toward him while his wand crackled with black lightning.

But the battle had worn him down and made him sluggish; Voldemort didn't get far before three more blasts of putrid water came right at them. One blasted Voldemort out of the air, while Harry barely jumped to avoid two more that drove deep into the rocky wall. He plummeted back down, clumsily rolling along the ground before looking back up, an ice shot charged. But as he raised his wand, a swirl of frigid air descended around him. The last of his suit energy was being eaten away. He managed to roll aside, out of the freezing mist, but he saw less than ten units of energy were left. Worse still, because the shielding was now so weak, so much of the cold seeped in despite the varia suit, making his arms and legs feel like solid rock. Holding onto a charged ice beam blast didn't help either.

Harry heard Faction approach before he saw him, standing over him with his right wand throbbing with stored power. Disgust and disappointment showed through his look of tortured pain. Sweat glistened on his head, making the scar from Valkyrie's impromptu brain surgery stand out in stark relief. "I can tell your suit's almost out of power," Faction said hoarsely. "Doesn't matter what happens to me here. So long as I put even one suit out of commission, it's game over for you." Faction raised his right wand....

Faction abruptly looked back, startled by something. Forgetting about Harry, he leapt up just as Samus barreled past using the screw roll. Her spinning, blazing body clipped the undersides of his legs as he backflipped to let her pass under, eliciting more howls of fury. Finding the will to move again, Harry raised his wand, a shot still charged. "_Bombarda Maxima!_" he yelled, expending his last few power bombs to send out one last, explosive burst of icy air.

The blast caught Faction while in midair, sending him crashing into the cavern wall face-first. Harry sat up just as Samus grabbed him from behind, hoisting him back to his feet. "Harry, your suit!? How bad were you hit!?" she demanded anxiously

Harry shook his head. "Never mind me. Let's get to Faction before...." Harry said as his vision cleared a bit more. But his words trailed off as he looked to Faction. His back faced them, but Harry saw both wands were back out, touching his face. A shattering sound let them know he broke off the hardened Insanity Glue again, but his erratic breathing and shaky limbs told them all he was in no condition to fight any more. At long last, they had brought down the behemoth. Now came the problem of capturing him and getting him back to the ship before any remaining Inferno soldiers came to his rescue.

Ron, Hermione and Voldemort gathered around the two of them just as Faction reared back his arms, ready to plunge his wands into the rock like jackhammers. "Quick, get the spazer off of him!" Hermione cried out desperately.

Not even sparing a second to berate her, Voldemort flicked his wand, sending out a curse that detached the spazer module from Faction's right guantlet. Faction watched it fly off, a pathetic look of smoldering defeat on his face, right before he turned back to the wall, driving his forearms into the rock. Ron and Hermione desperately flung Impediment Jinxes at him, while Voldemort used a Killing Curse, but Faction had enough left in him to speedily burrow away, and their spells smacked against bare stone.

xxxxxx

Ugh, these miniboss and boss battles ALWAYS take up more space than I count on. And this one was hardest yet to put together. Well, here's hoping this has you all pumped for the showdown with Helga Hufflepuff, which will take up pretty much all of the next chapter as well.... -_-

So long,

Grey-X


	34. Run the Gauntlet

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 34: Run the Gauntlet

1-31-2010

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

"No no NO!!" Samus cried as she kept holding onto Harry, watching helplessly as Faction made his getaway. It took a few more seconds before she let go and ran to where Faction burrowed away. She rolled into a ball, laid some bombs, and hopped into the opened hole. But it wasn't long before the freshly-dug tunnel sloped up. It was too rough to roll up, and there wasn't enough ferrous ore in the rock to use the spider ball.

Cursing herself for her carelessness, Samus started to roll back out. But she soon realized why she let her focus slip. Harry had been seriously hurt, his suit nearly destroyed. And that nagging thought kept plaguing Samus, a noxious itch impossible to scratch, as she rolled back.

She was greeted with the anxious, expectant faces of her friends upon unrolling. Samus shamefully shook her head. "He got away clean," she said softly. "There's no way to track him now."

"Well, at least he's in no condition to bother us for quite a while," said Harry reassuringly.

"Yeah, you figured out how to mess with his head just in time. If that fight went on any longer, Harry's suit would've had it," said Ron. "By the way, how'd you know blinding the bloke in one eye would affect him like that?"

"Oh, that. It had to do with Valkyrie slicing apart Faction's corpus callosum when he was a child," said Samus dismissively. "When that happens, the brain's two hemispheres can't communicate with each other. It's almost like having two separate brains in one head. That's how he uses two wands at once, but it can also be a huge handicap."

"Ah, I get it now. The left eye connects to the right half of the brain, and vice versa," said Hermione with a sense of dawning. "The trap Voldemort sprung, which he saw with only one eye...he couldn't recall it when the other eye was covered!"

"And that's what kept Faction from using both wands when glue covered one eye!" added Ron, sounding impressed. "Brilliant move, Samus. Bloody effing brilliant!"

"Yeah, but it was something I should've thought of well before coming in here," Samus said, not reassured one bit, looking over to Harry. Lots of spots on his armor were dented, breached, or sparking, and his last tank was probably almost depleted. Instead of all of them shooting it out blindly with Faction, Samus felt she should have already had a plan to exploit his divided brain, well before this. But there were so many other things constantly demanding her attention now, demanding she be more than a simple bounty hunter. It was yet another bit of evidence, pointing to how she was unfit to lead a team. And this time, it nearly cost them one of their four suits...and the man who opened up to her, befriended her, like no other ever had....

Samus felt something slap down on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Harry there. "Samus, don't," he said, simply but sternly.

"Don't what?" Samus asked innocently. It only half-worked.

"You know what," said Harry resolutely. "You came up with a strategy on the fly that almost went off without a hitch, and in the end worked. We pulled through. And we're one step closer to finding Hufflepuff. That's all that matters right now."

"In the meantime, we got the spazer back," Hermione cut in. "Might as well get it, in case Faction's crazy enough to double back and have another go."

Sighing, Samus walked over with the trio, to where the module landed among the debris from one of Faction's golems. They all knelt and touched it at the same time. Waves of light washed over them, and when it dimmed, Samus saw the message on her HUD, confirming her spazer was online again. Just to be sure, Samus fired a few shots at the nearby wall. Triple blasts fired out each time, and crackling electricity and flakes of ice flew off from where her beams hit.

"There. I trust your satisfied?" Voldemort asked airily from the middle of the cavern. He was looking up at the hole Hermione's bomb had formed, still plugged up with ice. "In that case, let us concentrate on getting out of here. Snape may still be up there, ready to blast us back down whenever we attempt to punch through."

"Doubt it. While Faction kept us busy, he probably ran off to find some way to get to Hufflepuff's android," said Harry, walking up under the hole. "Of course, your glue helped put a stop to that. But seriously, how could you forget that stuff was on you? Ever consider that glue might've plugged up those steaming pipes?"

At first, Samus was worried Voldemort would lash out, seeing his glare of utter loathing. She knew why Harry was taunting him. With his suit so low on power, there would never be a better time to strike...and he couldn't take advantage of it. No wonder Harry couldn't resist twisting the knife. Thankfully, Voldemort just stared back wordlessly.

"It may not be as hard to blast through that ice as you may think," said Hermione suddenly. "With all the burrowing Faction did, making this place quake, I bet that ice...."

Hermione suddenly stopped, but everyone could guess what she would have said. A good portion of the ice suddenly cracked off and fell down. Piles of powdered ice and huge, rock-hard ice chunks fell right where Voldemort stood, burying him.

Harry jumped back just in time, a shocked look on his face. But after seeing how Voldemort was flattened under tons of ice and snow, Harry couldn't help but laugh. It was so infectous, the rest of them laughed too. Except, naturally, for Voldemort, who soon blasted all the ice off of him, looking more livid than ever. "You...you DARE laugh!?" he roared.

"And so much more, Riddle," said Harry, still laughing. But over his laughter, Samus heard him charge a shot. Harry aimed his wand up at the remaining ice and, still forcing back laughter, yelled, "_Conterocrustulus!_" Three separate, sprakling charms shot up into the ice. Thanks to the spazer tripling Harry's charm, nearly half the remaining ice was instantly smashed into a snowy substance. And again, most of it tumbled down to where Voldemort stood, who conjured a wind to blow himself clear at the last possible second.

Despite the hilarity of it all, Samus decided it was best to plug the boiling volcano right then and there. "Alright, that's enough, all of you. Voldemort, want to stop being the target of these jokes? Go make yourself useful. Fly up there and see if Snape is still around."

Without a word, Voldemort rode winds upward into the bomb hole, still glaring daggers at everyone as he ascended. Soon after he vanished into the hole, Samus said, "Good to see that spell multiplying trick works for you three, too."

"Yeah, but it ate up three missiles doing that," Harry pointed out. "But Snape, Faction and Aunt Petunia were able to use these combinations even though they didn't have our ammo. I don't get it."

"It must have something to do with the special technology Valkyrie rigs for all her recruits. Must be another power source that works as a substitute," said Hermione.

"Better have Adam tear apart Dursley's armbands, then, and find out," suggested Ron.

Possibilities of reverse-engineering Valkyrie's designs into their own suits, the same way she reverse-engineered her own Chozo technology for Draco Malfoy, went through Samus's mind. Only Voldemort's impatient voice, echoing from high above, snapped Samus back to reality. "There's no sign of the turncoat anywhere! All of you, get up here! That spazer was clearly meant to open that triple-locked door! Let us hurry and do so!"

Sighing, Samus began the long trip up, carefully space jumping. Quick glimpses let Samus know her three friends were coming up fast below her, although the green blur and the blue blur lagged a bit. When she reached the inside of the hole, however, she noticed Hermione's power bomb had exposed many holes...several big enough to roll into in morph ball mode. She instinctively veered toward one, reaching out to grab inside the hole.

"Aran, what are you doing!?" Voldemort demanded, shouting down to her as her three friends zoomed up past her.

"Just wait a minute, there's something I want to check out," Samus shot back, right before pulling herself into the hole and rolling up. She sped through, navigating a crisscrossing maze, eventually reaching a series of blocks to bomb through. The reward was worth it, though, for an extra energy tank awaited her.

Her heart swelling with relief, Samus promptly rolled back out, clearing the gaping bomb hole altogether with one bound of the spring ball. Unrolling beside her friends, she glibly asked, "Anyone like energy tanks?"

Relishing the relieved, expectant looks in the eyes, the three of them rushed forward to place a hand on her armor. Their suits glowed as their energy stocks were recharged to full capacity, and though Harry's suit still looked mangled in places, he no longer walked about with an air of wariness. Wasting no more time on words, the five began their trek back across the sanctum. The fact that she found another tank to give back all the energy they used up fighting Faction...it relieved Samus to no end. But she had a terrible feeling they might not be so fortuitous next time Inferno came after them in full force.

xxxxxx

At least one of them kept the x-ray visor on as they trekked all the way back to the other automated mine chamber, in case Snape came back with a horde of Disillusioned house-elves. All that came after them, though, were more hordes of respawned Side-Hoppers and Erumpents. But by now, they were familiar with their patterns, and disposed of them quicker than before. Far more spike-shooting Zoomers were skittering about, though, complicating matters, but Harry and the rest quickly adapted. What's more, the ample Zoomers scavenging the caverns gave them perfect opportunities to replenish their dwindled stocks of missiles and power bombs.

_Got a bad feeling we'll need them,_ thought Harry as a charged spazer shot ripped through a giant Side-Hopper soaring above him. _Those things Slytherin and Ravenclaw made were far more forceful than anything you'd expect from sly, subtle geniuses like them. I shudder to think how nasty the things Hufflepuff dreamed up can be._

After disposing at the latest rush of Side-Hoppers and Erumpents, the five trekked on. Harry flipped his x-ray visor back on, but there were no signs of Disillusioned house-elves and goblins, or Faction burrowing around. But Harry had no doubt Snape was still lurking somewhere. Valkyrie had proven to be overconfident about some things, namely thinking she could coax him into joining her right away, but Harry just knew she told her husband to stick around in case her son failed. The only question was when he'd strike again.

After about fifteen minutes, which seemed to stretch on for hours, they finally reached the door with the three interconnected locks. "I've got this," said Harry, stepping forward with his wand charged.

"Hold, Potter," Voldemort suddenly demanded. "The rest of us should set up defensive positions. This would be the perfect time for Snape to return and ambush us."

"Yeah, and if we're right about what's in there, he can probably use it," said Samus. And so, Samus charged a shot herself, wildly looking around, her x-ray visor no doubt on. Voldemort twirled his wand, no doubt weaving a web of protective charms.

Reassured, Harry turned back to the huge metal barrier. Confident that he finally had the hang of aiming three charms at once, Harry shouted, "_Alohamora!_" Three blasts of sprakling energy shot from his wand tip, each striking a different lock. All three clicked open, and this time they stayed open. The barrier rose, beckoning them to enter into a darker chamber. From their vantage point, they saw only a paucity of sconches shaped like badger heads providing light, but what caught Harry's eye was a shimmering mural with Chozo writing, clearly visible in the flickering torchlight, on the far wall.

Anxious to read it, Harry stepped inside. "Harry, wait for us, mate!" he heard Ron call out as he and Hermione followed. Harry turned around to see Voldemort and Samus walking backwards through the doorway, still expecting Snape to appear. When Harry turned back around, though, he saw they had bigger problems. White, opaque mist was seeping down from the roof. At first, Harry feared Wildflower had finally come, but then he saw where the mist was going: another row of badger-headed statues lining the side wall.

"Oh just bloody wonderful," Harry muttered as he charged his spazer, aiming it at the nearest advancing statue. "_Bombarda Maxima!_" he shouted. Three explosive spells instantly smashed its main body apart, but the head shot forward, losing no momentum. Deftly punching the buttons to turn the other beam effects on, he fired wildly, freezing the head in midair after a few hits. More beam shots kept ripping through it, and eventually it shattered. But Harry wasn't given a moment's respite, turning and forced to quickly duck.

Another badger head zoomed over him, but Harry saw black lightning cascade around it, and it soon shattered as well. "Eyes open, Potter," he heard Voldemort say. Harry looked over to him as Samus and Ron blasted apart the bodies of more statues nearby. When their heads shot forward to bite, Voldemort whipped up a vortex of icy wind. The badger heads circled about helplessly until the sheer force tore them apart.

Harry looked around, keeping a spazer shot charged, but there was no need. Within minutes, all the rampaging statues had been smashed to powder. Sighing with relief, Harry turned back to the mural. But right in front of it, a trapdoor opened in the floor. At first, Harry feared something else was after them, but soon saw it was a seated Chozo statue holding a sphere.

Samus stepped forward and shot the sphere, revealing a glassy cube with a strange, triangle-like shape inside it. "Samus, it that what you thought it'd be?" Harry asked anxiously.

"It sure is," said Samus, motioning for them to step up. Harry heard Ron and Hermione eagerly run up behind him. Soon, all four were standing before the watching stone sentinel left behind by Samus's people, and all together, they touched the cube. It instantly vanished, its energy and data transferring itself to all four suits. Within seconds, a message flashed on Harry's visor: **SPEED BOOSTER ABILITY ASSIMILATED AND READY FOR USE.**

"Finally, we can get through those tunnels," said Hermione, sounding eager to get started. "Let's start with the ones back in that mine shaft."

"Actually," said Samus suddenly, tapping her visor to bring up her map data, "we should double back to the other one. It's a shorter distance to Hufflepuff's location, and with Inferno's forces still hanging around, I don't want to open up more tunnels than we have to."

"If you insist, Aran, but in the meantime, why not find out what that mural says? It may have vital clues," suggested Voldemort, pointing at the shimmering relief above the statue. Having nearly forgotten about it, Harry scanned it as Samus read its contents aloud.

_After confronting Kor-Zor here, he fled hundreds of miles northward once his designs here were thwarted. It wasn't long after that when Kor-Zor, horribly weakened, his worldwide power base crumbling, was finally subdued and sealed away in the deserts far north. However, the taint of the beast's evil would linger in this land for millennia. The souls of so many of its people, horribly maimed in the most unnatural ways, would for eons be in a state of flux, unable to move on and find peace. Unable to stand this, I kept this in mind when designing our four lairs, which would house the pieces of the one thing to permanently destroy Kor-Zor should he ever break free. Architecture exactly like that of their dead civilization would inspire my sanctuary, and their spirits would dwell here, comforted by the familiar sights, as long as was needed for Kor-Zor's taint to fade. And they will remain ever watchful, helping to test whoever came in search of my weapon piece._

As Samus finished reading, the gravity of Kor-Zor being freed sank in again. Because of that renegade Chozo, hundreds were forced to endure something Harry was certain Dumbledore would call worse than death. And this thing's power was supposed to fuel Valkyrie's lofty plans, to bring a golden age after instigating World War III? The very idea was looking more and more pitiful.

"So, all these statues coming to life...it's the spirits of dead Mayans that Hufflepuff made sure would have a peaceful place to stay," said Ron, his level tone thinly masking his horror. "That explains those big pyramids in here, too."

"Well, maybe once we find Kor-Zor and finish him for good, the effects of his evil will finally go away, let these Mayans finally move on," said Hermione hopefully.

Voldemort's disdainful snort made them all turn around. They glared back at him, but none of them said anything to him or each other as they turned away from the mural, preparing to backtrack across the sanctum again. As he walked out, Harry heard something crunch under his foot. Looking down, he saw he stepped on the broken stone jaw of a badger heads. Shaking his head, he couldn't help but think about what mysterious evil Kor-Zor worked on these poor Mayans. Then he started to realize how alike Kor-Zor and Valkyrie really were. Obsessed with getting results and bringing about their ideal universe, whatever the cost.

The scary thing, though, was that on some level, Harry still wanted to see those results too.

xxxxxx

While backtracking to the other automated mine chamber, Samus made sure several detours were made. Now that the speed booster upgrade was safe with them, they could afford to look around and gather up any gear they missed.

They found more than they bargained for, though. That mysterious morph ball tunnel Ron had found in Ravenclaw's sanctum, which magically transported him back to Slytherin's...they found two more just like that. By using the spider ball to ascend inside pipes they passed over before, they found portals leading them back into the last two sanctums.

After briefly scouting territory they covered before, plenty of new gear was uncovered. The portal leading back to Slytherin's swamp palace...Hermione came out in a long tunnel. behind the room where they found the morph ball bombs. Using the speed booster, she opened a path underneath the Chozo statue, uncovering another missile and power bomb as she did so. And by using the spider ball on the outer walls of Ravenclaw's floating castle...Ron found an energy tank in a small tunnel that would've been unreachable with the space jump, blocked off by an array of pipes. Slowly but surely, they were uncovering everything the Chozo and the Founders left for them to find.

But in the end, would it all be enough?

At last, they made it back to the other mine chamber, staring at the last pair of huge doors, the only ones in the entire sanctum still unopened. One would lead ot the quickest route to where Hufflepuff's android hid itself away, according to their map. But so far, they hadn't found any mechanism with which to open the doors. "Brilliant, Samus. You led us all the way back here, onlu to be stymied by more impassible doors," sneered Voldemort. But Samus completely tuned him out, focusing solely on readouts from her scan visor. The only clues it yielded was that it was possibly linked to a series of nearby gears.

A little more hopeful, Samus flipped her x-ray visor on, looking around at the array of gears situated above the doors, completely immobile. So far, it didn't look like any power relays were connected to it, ruling out another gear puzzle or bomb slots. But then, at last, Samus noticed something odd. The biggest gear was not solid lead, blocking her x-ray visor, but a metal that it could penetrate. And there seemed to be some special track lining the inside of the gear.

A possibility coming to her, Samus turned her normal visor back on. Seeing a circular covering on the gear's side, a meter wide, Samus blew it off with a missile. Before the others could think of questions to ask, Samus bounded up with the space jump, grasped at the opening, and rolled inside. Once situated inside the gear, she willed herself to charge forward in morph ball mode...and started rolling around inside the gear, as if she had the boost ball back! The speed booster upgrade included that old power! On and on she span, spinning the gear in turn, the vibrations of heavy machinery coming to life reverberating within the gear. When she sprang out, unrolled, and dropped down, Samus was elated to see both doors were now open.

"You were saying?" Hermione asked snidely, no doubt directing that at Voldemort. More worried about finally snagging the third weapon piece, Samus sternly told them to follow her closely. The five of them cautiously stepped inside the exposed tunnel, and right away they were met with a solid wall of blob-like blocks, like an artery clogged with plaques.

"OK you three, you know what we have to do," said Samus, looking back at her friends. Harry, Ron and Hermione all nodded, then started to back up. Samus did the same. After putting about thirty meters between them and the blocked tunnel, the four of them broke into a run.

Right before they would have crashed facefirst into the obstructing blocks, Samus felt that familiar, energizing sensation, and caught the glow coming from her own armor. Her legs pumped harder and harder, going faster and faster, and her body plowed through the blocks, melting through them as if they weren't even there. It wasn't long before she burst out into open space, running down a long, winding tunnel, but some stalagmites littered the place, forcing her to veer left and right, and soon more blocky barriers barred the way, necessitating that she keep running with superspeed.

Suddenly remembering she wasn't alone, Samus spared a glance behind her. Along with her own ghostly silhouettes, she saw Harry wasn't far behind. Ron and Hermione were running right behind him, glowing doubles of themselves trailing behind all three of them as well. Samus looked back ahead, just in time to steer clear of another stalagmite. The responsibility of leading these three still filled her with anxiety, but at the same time, seeing them use her own skills, their willingness to follow her...it made her heart swell with a pride she'd never known before.

At long last, they reached the spot where Hufflepuff was supposed to be waiting. Samus skidded to a halt, and her trio of young charges veered past her a good distance before doing the same. They all looked about apprehensively, silence looming over the wide tunnel like a storm cloud, until Ron finally broke it. "So, where is she?" he asked nervously. "Don't tell me it'll be like the last two, only popping in when she bloody feels like it."

"There may be more than a Founder's mechanations this time," echoed Voldemort's voice from behind them. They all looked back to see Voldemort gliding through the gaping holes made with their speed boosters, finally catching up. "That mist representing each spirit mangled by Kor-Zor's influence...a wealth of them seeped into the tunnel shortly after you ran through those barriers, but then bored into the rock walls."

Samus carefully regarded Voldemort's news for a moment, but it was Ron that again voiced the obvious question. "So what are those spirits possessing this time?"

"Ooooh, I reckon you'll find out soon enough, boyos!" came an echoing, boisterous voice from high above. Samus quickly looked up, only to see a rapidly descending, dark-brown blur. When whatever it was struck the ground, it sent out a tremulous shockwave that knocked them all flat on their backs.

With practiced swiftness, Samus sprang back onto her feet, missiles armed. As she expected, a plump woman with fiery, curly hair, wearing the robes of a Chozo elder, stood in the middle of the freshly-unsealed cavern. Blazing blue eyes like her own stared back at Samus, almost daring her to fire. But remembering what Voldemort said kept Samus from doing that. There was clearly more to this.

"So, you're the five seeking to assemble our super-weapon, eh?" Hufflepuff quipped at Samus. "Congratulations on making it so far, so soon. As you can guess, I designed my lair to be as arduous as possible. Truthfully, I didn't expect all of you to find me for at least another hour! But you yourself are of the Chozo, correct? Perhaps it's little wonder you've led this band so successfully."

Samus said nothing, though heartily disagreeing with her, keeping her arm cannon trained on Hufflepuff. However, Voldemort was nowhere near as cautious. He sent out a burst of black lightning, but Hufflepuff lazily swatted it away. Then, to Samus's surprise, Hufflepuff snapped a nearby stalagmite clear off the cavern floor and hurled it at Voldemort. Voldemort flicked his wand again, and just as it would have hit him, it exploded, the individual bits of rock turning into flying snakes. They glided at Hufflepuff, acidic venom dripping from open jaws. As they closed on Hufflepuff, she merely clapped her hands in front of her. The whole cavern quaked, and her shockwave blew away all the snakes, splattering them across the rocky wall.

"And this is the last descendent of Salazar Slytherin?" Hufflepuff went on as they all got back up, having been floored by the shockwave. "What a waste. For all his faults, ol' monkey-man did the right thing, and in the end helped save us all. The AI you fought before hid it well. Trust me, Salazar would be ashamed of how his line will end, judging from all I've heard about you, monitoring what transmissions can still be sent across the globe. This new ruler of Muggles back in Britain, this Minister, and this President Clinton...not happy to be working with a murderous thug like you. Not happy at all. I awake in a new era, where humanity is edging closer to achieving the glory of old Chozo friends...but fools like you, stuck in the past, still intend on ruining everything. Salazar turned away from that. A pity you never will."

Voldemort looked murderously at the android, no doubt fervently denying everything they just heard. Hufflepuff seemed to drink in his animosity, feed on it, before continuing. "But at least you've got the right idea, coming at me with all you've got. I'm sure Rowena let you all know things would be far different in my domain. Salazar and Rowena, being the better educators, sought to teach you lot how to use your heads and work as a team. Congratulations, you've mastered that. Now Godric and I will show you how to fend off teams, entire armies...."

"What armies? There's no one down here except you and us!" exclaimed Ron.

"Unless she's talking about those souls of dead Mayans," offered Hermione. "But what're they possessing? More warrior statues?"

"Uh, Ron? Hermione? Take a look around," said Harry weakly.

Risking taking her eyes off Hufflepuff while keeping her arm cannon steady, Samus glanced around quickly. It looked like the heads of white, opaque, crystalline..._things_ were poking out of the rocky ground. Some even came out of the ground completely, and Samus finally recognized what they were supposed to be: enchanted, crystalline statues of badgers, all gazing reverently at Hufflepuff.

"_THESE _are what the spirits of those dead savages are to possess!?" demanded Voldemort, sounding about ready to laugh. "What danger can these pose!?"

"As I said, a disgrace to the name of Slytherin," said Hufflepuff, shaking her head. "It's the souls of brilliant Mayan warriors possessing these statuettes, and they will stand united, determined to test the worthiness of you five. How will they do so? Time to show you."

With that, Hufflepuff kicked off the ground, soaring straight up and smashing through the cavern ceiling, making it quake again. At once, all the badger statuettes turned around and began crawling up the walls, hundreds of them making their way inside the hole Hufflepuff made.

This went on for a few moments, the five of them staring dumbly at the horde of crystal badgers scurrying up the walls like an insect colony. Eventually, Hermione brought them all to their senses. "People, what're we just standing her for!? Getting all these badgers together is part of what Hufflepuff needs to put together...something. Smash them before that happens!"

Spurred into action, they all got to work, wildly firing on the wave of crystal badgers crawling up the walls. But for every one they smashed apart, three more seemed to scurry past it. Even Voldemort's bombardments with black lightning seemed useless, as more just kept crawling up no matter how many he blasted off. "Everyone, get ready to use power bombs!" Samus cried out desperately. "Hopefully we can vaporize enough so...."

Samus was cut off when another tremor nearly made them lose their footing again. The badgers, however, kept their claws sunk into the rocky walls, and that distraction allowed the last of them to slip past the five and join with Hufflepuff. Whatever they were coming together for, they would be upon them soon enough. Samus aimed up at the hole, charged a shot, and told the others to back away and be ready for anything.

Her warning came not a moment too soon. Something far larger than Hufflepuff's android came crashing through the cavern roof, slamming into the ground with tremendous, irresistible force. Once the dust cloud it kicked up cleared, Samus gasped at what stood before them. All the crystal badger statuettes had come together to form what resembled a gigantic badger skull, easily twenty meters in length. Sprouting out from underneath it were eight massive, spindly legs like a spider's, made up of those crystal statuettes as well. From every opening of the skull, wild vegetation much like that on Zebes sprouted out; large, radiantly-colored flowers bloomed out of its eye sockets, and the tips of writhing vines sprouted out from its mouth, nasal cavity and jaw joints.

All of a sudden, Hufflepuff's bizarre creation dashed forward, forcing Samus to duck out of the way. A cry of pain from Ron, however, let her know it succeeded at ramming into him. Spurred to action, Samus whirled around and fired her charged blast at the back of the huge skull. But somehow, the wave beam effect couldn't penetrate that crystal, and Hufflepuff and the badgers barely seemed to feel it.

Incensed, Samus cut loose with missiles. The concussive onslaught seemed to make the badgers making up the skull's side and rear writhe and cry out, but it hardly slowed Hufflepuff down. Her machination skittered forward, lashing out with those spidery legs. Harry ducked under them, firing a triple spell with Conterocrustulus at its underbelly. A good dozen were smashed to powder, but Hufflepuff forced him back, impaling the ground near him with one legs while swiping at Hermione and Voldemort with another. They were too slow, and got knocked back a good distance.

"Keep your distance, but keep at it!" Samus shouted, seeing an obvious strategy. "Those badgers can be picked off, but it'll take a while! Hit-and-run tactics are our best bet!"

Samus saw Ron nod, then he ran to where Hermione and Voldemort were downed while pelting the skull's face with missiles and curses, forcing it back. Even though its back was turned to Samus, she could still see some badgers flying off due to Ron's handiwork. Determined to keep the heat on, Samus kept firing at the back of the skull nonstop. _Have to keep whittling away at its exterior, make a weak spot we can smash through and then take Hufflepuff herself._

Looking past it, Samus saw Hermione and Voldemort were getting back on their feet. But those spider legs were nearly set to impale them. Luckily, Harry moved in again, blowing the two clear with a gust of wind while keeping up a missile assault on the skull's face. The skull jerked sideways, its massive jaw snapping angrily.

Taking advantage of that lapse, Harry jumped onto its snout and fired missiles and Incendiary Charms into its eye sockets. Voldemort began circling Hufflepuff's skull-spider while gliding on winds, bombarding it with his black lightning. Samus kept up her assault as she closed in to cover her friends, firing one charged shot after another, while taking care not to hit her allies. Even though mangled and smashed badgers kept flying off its main body, the thing didn't seem to slow at all, as if it were weathering their best efforts.

Then, at last, it struck back violently. The plethora of flowers blooming in both eye sockets spreads their colorful petals even wider, and before Harry caught that, beams of pure energy shot out from them. One clipped him in the shoulder, sending him careening to the ground. Harry deftly rolled around under it, firing missiles up at it while avoiding the tips of its legs poking the ground. Meanwhile, Hufflepuff kept up the laser barrage, sweeping the cavern with over a dozen beams.

Some of them clipped Ron, but Voldemort steered clear, and Hermione and Samus jumped through the barrage together. Hermione used the Bombarda Maxima/ice beam combo while Samus unleashed a charged blast, following up with missiles. They both aimed for its eye sockets and nasal cavity. The skull-spider staggered back, bits of shattered badgers flying everywhere, but then it rushed forward, pinning Samus to the wall with its snout before she landed.

At first, the crushing pain overwhelmed Samus; a quick glance at her HUD showed that impact drained a whole tank, and the crushing pressure was starting to make her black out. Fighting back the pain, she aimed right into the nasal cavity and unleashed a volley of rapid fire. She swore she could hear Hufflepuff groan from inside the skull, along with a dozen other sorrowful cries. Voldemort swooped in, firing black lightning at the skull's face, and finally it was forced back just enough so Samus could wriggle free.

After taking a moment to breathe deeply and rest, Samus ran around its side, trying to aim more charged shots into any openings in the skull. Ron and Harry took turns jumping onto its snout, sending as many Incendiary Charms as they could into the eye sockets before the lasers from the flowers forced them off. Still, the skull-spider never seemed to waver. Hufflepuff undoubtedly built something that would take a lot of work to bring down.

Suddenly, the skull-spider made a huge leap backwards. The five of them steeled themselves for the inevitable tremor, then jumped over the shockwave. But after the shockwave passed under them, Hufflepuff tried something else. Her machination leaned forward, its snout seeming to loom out at them. Then, the plants inside the skull let out a huge cloud of some toxic spore, shooting right out of its nasal cavity.

The plume of spores rooted Samus to the spot for a moment, but she quickly got over the pain and jumped above the cloud. Her three friends weren't as quick to shake off the spores, so she desperately kept firing into the skull's openings as Hufflepuff charged. But as Samus kept jumping toward it and firing, she looked back after hearing Voldemort swoop in. His summoned winds blew the spore cloud away. The skull-spider kept charging, and its snout collided with Samus again, this time while she was in midair. But a quick glanced behind her let her know her friends had gotten clear.

Relieved, Samus aimed into the nasal cavity again, firing a few missiles right before the laser-shooting flowers in its eye sockets aimed at her. She quickly jumped away just as Voldemort moved in, pummeling the skull-spider with icy, gale-force wind. Hermione leaped at it, firing the icy Bombarda Maxima combo again. It connected with its forehead, but a barrage of lasers floored her. At once, the skull-spider was hovering over her, driving one spindly leg down onto her armored chest. Her suit held, but Hermione's cry of pain was deafening. Hufflepuff raised the leg to try and impale Hermione again, but Samus ran in, flung her grapple beam, and pulled Hermione clear just as the leg came down.

"Ugh, Samus, this is nutty. There must be something we can do to do some serious damage!" Hermione huffed as Samus helped her to her feet, then jumped away holding onto her. Samus had been thinking the same thing, but as she looked back to the skull-spider, she saw Ron move in, no doubt incensed by Hermione nearly getting run through. He ran underneath it, went into morph ball mode, and dropped a power bomb. Ron used the boost ball to get away, but before the power bomb went off, a vine shot out from underneath the giant skull and snatched it up. Hufflepuff flung it away, toward Harry, and he was caught up in the thermonuclear blast.

"Enough! No one finishes off that boy but me!" shouted Voldemort, now on the ground, pointing his wand at some nearby stalagmites. He transfigured them into stone replicas of acromantulas, all of which jumped onto the skull's face and furiously tore into it. It wasn't long, however, before more vines shot out from in between the crystal badgers that composed it, which ensnared them and ulitmately crushed them into rubble. At the very least, however, Voldemort distracted Hufflepuff long enough for Harry to recuperate and get clear.

"That won't work either. I think Ron had the right idea," Hermione said to Samus as they nervously watched Harry run off. "But you heard Hufflepuff...all those spirits possessing those badgers must be linked together. What one sees, they all see! There's no way to get a power bomb near it without Hufflepuff knowing about it!"

"You're right, but maybe the trick is making sure Hufflepuff can't do anything about it," said Samus. "Here's what I want you to do...."

As Hermione fiddled with the controls on her right arm, Samus darted toward the skull-spider. With one bound, she was airborne, and soon soaring over the bizarre machination. Samus glimpsed that the flowers were angling upward. She broke off her space jump just as the lasers fired, swerving and twisting her body to avoid the beams. One clipped her thigh, draining half a tank, but Samus ignored the pain. As she fell, she went into morph ball mode. Once she landed between the eye sockets, she dropped a power bomb and used the spring ball to bounce away.

Samus unrolled in midair, seeing that more vines were slithering out of those eye sockets, reaching for her power bomb. But then, Hermione jumped up in front of the skull, aimed her wand, and screamed, "_Glacius!_" The focused beam of icy power struck right where Samus dropped her bomb, locking it in place while shattering more crystal badgers and immobilizing the vines. It went off a few seconds later, causing the flowers to shrivel and then burst into flame, and the crystal badgers making up the forehead glowed red-hot.

"Everyone, Samus and Hermione just gave us an opportunity! Pour it on!" came Harry's voice from somewhere else in the cavern. Suddenly, Harry and Ron jumped up in front of the skull, firing rapidly. Their shots quickly cooled the superheated crystal statues, plus the added effects of the wave beam and spazer helped to tear through them even more. It wasn't long before parts of the forehead shattered completely, exposing more of the writhing alien plants within.

"Excellent! I shall take it from here!" came Voldemort's commanding voice. As Harry and Ron touched down, Voldemort soared over them, sending more black lightning into the gaping hole they helped make. The skull-spider made a horrible shrieking noise as it skittered backward quickly, but this was before its jaw opened. When it did, the skull swung around as Devil's Snare shot out of its maw, snatching up Harry and Ron. At the same time, the flowers in its eye sockets grew back and began shooting at Voldemort, forcing him to veer off, unable to fire back anymore.

"HARRY! RON!" Samus shouted worriedly as she ran for the skull-spider, arm cannon raised. But Hermione beat her to it, charging her spazer by itself. "_Incendio!_" she cried, firing three of the charms at once. Two of them shot out at the Devil's Snare, incinerating the strangling vines holding Harry and Ron, while the last one veered up at the flowers, burning some and giving Voldemort some breathing room. He then retaliated with more black lightning, more cautious of the laser-shooting flowers this time.

It looked to be a stalemate between Hufflepuff and Voldemort, but Samus saw he was at least keeping the skull-spider on the defensive. Realizing they had to act fast before Hufflepuff regathered her wits, Samus looked over to Harry and Ron. "Harry, look alive. You and me are making another special delivery, while Ron and Hermione make sure they aren't marked 'return to sender'."

They both nodded, and then Harry made a spinning jump toward the retreating skull-spider, bounding toward it. Samus watched Ron leave only his ice beam active, then quickly followed Harry. As they neared, stray lightning lanced everywhere. Whether it was too hard for Voldemort to aim it, or he just had no regard for his teammates, Samus didn't know. She was able to veer past it and evade the skull-spider's lasers, but one stray laser clipped Harry again, and he fell onto the tip of its snout.

Samus touched down on top of the skull just as Harry stood back up. More Devil's Snare shot up out of its jaw like a huge, noxious tongue, but Harry forced it back with a single Incendiary Charm and then went into morph ball mode. Samus watched him drop his power bomb, but being distracted let Hufflepuff aim a laser-flower up at her. "Aran, eyes open!" bellowed Voldemort.

It was too late. Just as Samus heard Ron yell "_Glacius!_" and fire his combination beam, a laser struck Samus dead-center. Both her and her suit were overwhelmed, and she teetered and fell off the skull. But at the last second, she reached out and grabbed its zygomatic process. Just as she heard Harry's bomb go off, she pulled herself up onto it, rolled up, and dropped her own there. With the spring ball, she bounced up to give Hermione a clear shot. Samus felt the rush of cold underneath her, and knew Hermione hit her target.

Samus unrolled in midair and touched down, watching her bomb go off as Harry and Ron wildly fired at where the last one detonated. Hermione and Samus aimed at the jaw joint and did the same. In addition, Voldemort kicked up a vortex of icy wind around the skull-spider. With a howl of fury that reverberated from inside the skull-spider, its jaw broke off along with half of its snout, mangled badger stateuettes flying off everywhere, exposing more of the vulnerable mass of plants.

Seeing their chance, they all fired missiles and curses into the openings before Hufflepuff could recover. The laser-spewing flowers, the Devil's Snare...all the plants were withering and crumbling to ash. Hufflepuff spewed out more toxic spores and fired lasers from what flowers remained, but it was too late. The five of them easily fended her off, and they were pouring on far too much, and eventually, the painful backlash spread to the Mayans' statuettes. Whatever spell kept them joined as one, it was broken. The cohesion of the statuettes in the legs went first, and the skull thudded onto the ground, which then cracked open to reveal the blackened mass of dying plants.

"Careful everyone. Hufflepuff can't be done yet," Samus warned, keeping her arm cannon trained of the smoldering, black mass.

"Truer words were never spoken, oh child of the Chozo," came Hufflepuff's boisterous voice. Suddenly, Hufflepuff burst through the mass of plants just as most of the statuettes burrowed to safety. She smashed the ground with both fists before the five of them could steel themselves, and thus were knocked off their feet yet again. Stalactites were also shaken loose from the ceiling, forcing them to dodge tons of crushing rock.

Once the stalactites stopped falling, Samus looked back to Hufflepuff. Many of the badger statuettes resurfaced near her. They started forming rings that stood up vertically on the ground, one inside the other. The last one was just wide enough for Hufflepuff to stand inside, and when she jumped up into it, all the rings began to spin about wildly, much like a bizarre gyroscope.

"And now, those who seek to be our successors, the chase is on! Time to run the gauntlet!" cried Hufflepuff from within the mass of spinning, crystalline rings. With that, her badger-gyroscope wheeled away at dizzying speed, and eventually Samus heard it crash through a wall of speed booster blocks.

"Oh that's just bloody brilliant. What now?" huffed Ron.

"What else? We go after her," answered Harry. "That's what all these tunnels must be for, for the final part of Hufflepuff's test."

"And what the speed booster would be so necessary for. This means I have little hope of following," said Voldemort, the venomous frustration in his voice palpable. "Fine then. Your four, go! Bring her down and get that weapon piece so we can be done with these insufferable caves!"

The four of them just stared back at him scythingly before turning back to the path Hufflepuff zoomed down. Then they all looked at each other, nodded, and broke into a run. It wasn't long before their speed boosters kicked in and they zoomed through the network of tunnels at dizzying speed.

They tore through the first barricade of speed booster blocks with ease, but the tunnel beyond was littered with large, fat stalagmites that would stop them cold if they ran into them. It took a lot of effort to swerve around and avoid the stalagmites. Sometimes it necessitated going along the edge of the tunnel, nearly running sideways, and sometimes one or more of them were forced to jump and hope they would land on stable ground to start running again. At one point, they even ran through the opened doorways back in the mine chamber where they found the speed booster in the first place.

Then other complication arose: Samus glanced at the tiny radar map on her HUD, and saw a fork was coming up. Making a blind guess and not wanting to split up, she said, "Everyone, take the right fork coming up!" When it came up, Samus veered right, boring through another blockade. But before she plowed through it, she saw there was a large, circular hole in it, and Samus knew she guessed right. Looking behind her, Samus saw Harry, Ron and Hermione run through the blocks, their legs pumping furiously, determined to keep up.

Smiling, Samus looked back ahead, just in time to veer to the right, avoiding more stalagmites. The tunnel then sloped upward for a few hundred meters, then sharply turned to the left. As Samus veered left and rounded the corner, she caught a glimpse of something resembling a white sphere, plowing through another blockade. Smiling to herself again, Samus pushed herself to run even faster. It wasn't long before she was plowing through that same blockade. When she emerged on the other side, Hufflepuff's gyroscope was less than a hundred meters ahead.

Locking onto the android, Samus fired her missiles. Some impacted stalagmites as they closed in, some lost the momentum afforded by Samus's running before they could reach Hufflepuff, but a good amount still hit. Through the white blur that was the gyroscope's spinning rings, Samus swore she saw Hufflepuff's face screwed up in rage.

Encouraged, Samus kept firing as the chase went on through tunnels that swerved left and right, sloped up and down, had plenty more blockades to punch through, and had numerous forks. And by now, the others had caught up enough to fire missiles and curses. Oftentimes, Hufflepuff would try to fake them out at a fork, but Samus would catch on and correct herself, veering back on the right course as she kept firing missiles. Her friends kept close behind, following Samus's lead.

_We're wearing her down, but this is getting too easy,_ Samus mused. _There's got to be some other trick Hufflepuff plans on springing. She wouldn't leave herself this defenseless._ Just as that thought went through her head, Samus saw Hufflepuff spread her arms inside her gyroscope. The instant she did, large shards of some green crystal shot out of the floors, walls and ceilings behind Hufflepuff, adding more obstacles to duck. _What are these?_ Samus wondered as she avoided crashing into a crystal at the last second. Suddenly it hit her: these were those strange crystals that only giants could mine and process, desperately coveted by the Wizarding world.

As soon as that realization hit her, several of the crystals ahead of her glowed. Bright, sparkling bursts of pure magical energy lanced out at the four of them. Samus did her best to avoid them all, but one clipped her in the foot, causing her to stumble forward while still moving at super speed. She ended up crashing into one of the huge crystals jutting out of the ground, shattering it completely, the impact nearly making her black out.

Samus had no clue how long she lay there uselessly on her back, but she was roused by the incessant calling of her name. As her vision cleared, she saw Harry, Ron and Hermione kneeling over her, looks of abject horror behind their visors. Samus's mind tried to take in everything as fast as possible...how her HUD said over half her energy was gone, how gratifying it was that these three were so worried about her. But eventually, that stern, calculating part of her mind took over. "What are you three doing!?" she demanded admonishingly. "Don't worry about me! Get after Hufflepuff! Now when we come to forks, we _HAVE_ to split up and hope at least one of us can find her!"

Getting the message right away, the trio quickly helped Samus to her feet, then broke into a run. Samus watched them as their speed boosters kicked in and their ghostly silheouttes vanished from view. Taking a few moments to breathe deeply and focus on blocking out the pain, Samus staggered forward and broke into a run herself, her own speed booster kicking in not too long afterward.

xxxxxx

It wasn't long before each one of the trio had to split up and ducked down a fork alone. Harry was the first to vanish down another path, leaving Hermione with Ron. Risking a glance sideways, she thought about how enraged he became after Hufflepuff nearly ran her through. But when she looked ahead again, she saw another fork coming up. "I'll take the right path. You watch yourself," Ron said to her before he veered down the right fork, watching her until he vanished from view.

Sighing, Hermione looked back ahead, nervously ducking around the crystals and stalagmites. Running at these speeds...it was exhilerating and terrifying at the same time. Driving that cab in Salem was nowhere near as fast and dangerous as this, and travelling at such speed was never so fearful when training with her uncle in his planes.

_Uncle J,_ she thought morosely, hating how her uncle had been dragged into this mess. Bad enough that her parents were always at risk of being targeted by Voldemort. She always hoped her uncle would never be caught up in this conflict of hers. Fighting with Harry and Ron was her choice, but Valkyrie and her Reformers ensured J.B. Granger would have no choice but to fight here in Britain with them.

_That's just the way he is. Whenever someone brings the fight to him, he never pulls out until it's done. Grampa was the same way, _Hermione thought as she kept on running. _I'm the same way too, really. That's why I'll stick it out with Harry until the end. A decorated World War II veteran, an Air Force captain, and now me...we Grangers must have it in our blood. Oh, but when this is over, I hope he has enough sense to just go back to America, leave finishing Voldemort to us, and...and...._

Hermione was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she almost didn't recognize where she was running through. Skidding to a abrupt halt, she took a good look around. "Oh my...this is where we fought Faction!" she thought aloud, the harrowing battle with Valkyrie's son still fresh in her mind. Looking up, Hermione saw the gaping hole Snape bewitched her into making was still there. "Hmmm, maybe I could take advantage of that, get into a different tunnel. Too bad there's no way to track Hufflepuff's position or anything...."

All of a sudden, a desperate hope came to her. Tapping her helmet, she brought up the map data Harry provided for them all. The yellow badger representing Hufflepuff was now in an entirely different tunnel, and was rapidly moving down it. Examining it more closely, she watched as Hufflepuff ducked down a fork. Hermione realized that in a moment, Hufflepuff would be running back down the tunnel they originally fought her in.

"Hold on, I can get out through that hole up there, access that tunnel again through the mine chamber, and...." Another desperate hope swelling within her, Hermione started bounding up out of the cavern. Hermione felt no nervousness about this bizarre way of flying now, now solely focused on what she had to do. Within moments, she was back in the room where Snape turned on them. Then she made her way back into the automated mine chamber, and soon was staring at the open doorway where they first entered Hufflepuff's tunnels. Quickly checking the map again, Hermione saw Hufflepuff was coming up fast.

"This is it," Hermione told herself as she tried to gauge how fast Hufflepuff would be coming up and when. "If I get this wrong, she'll probably turn on a dime in that gyroscope thing and...no, I won't be getting this wrong." Taking a deep breath, Hermione sprinted forward. It wasn't long before she felt that strange, overwhelming, energized sensation. Her armor glowed, and suddenly Hermione felt herself lurched forward, her legs pumping even harder. Glancing at her HUD, she saw Hufflepuff's symbol now appeared on the radar map in the corner.

Knowing it had to be done now, Hermione thought back to all the stories Harry told her about Voldemort's station. She abruptly knelt down, skidding to a halt. She felt more energized than ever, as if her suit was ready to explode from pent-up power. Fighting back the overwhelming sensation, Hermione looked up to see Hufflepuff rolling toward her. But as Hermione suspected, once Hufflepuff saw her there, she immediately came to a halt and rolled back the way she came.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Hermione cried, jumping forward. That did it. Her body shot forward like a missile before Hufflepuff could pick up enough speed, and within seconds Hermione reached her. Hermione's shoulder slammed into the gyroscope, smashing through it. Badger statuettes went flying everywhere as Hermione body's kept shooting forward, taking Hufflepuff with her, until they reached a turn and both of them crashed into the rocky wall.

Hermione's eyes were screwed shut, jarred and dazed from smashing Hufflepuff into the wall. She slowly slid down it, eventually collapsing into a heap on the ground. Coughing and panting, her limbs feeling like jelly, it took a while for Hermione to pry herself up off the ground. _Urgh, did that do it? Is Hufflepuff done?_ she wondered. Convinced she couldn't be that lucky, Hermione popped her wand out, certain that Hufflepuff would soon kick her while she was down.

But as she looked around, Hermione gasped when she saw Hufflepuff's android sprawled out on the rocky floor, her limbs twitching erratically. Her fears still not assuaged, Hermione forced herself to stand, aiming her wand at the downed android. _If she's really spent, that means one of us can claim her part. Oh, but I already got Slytherin's! Harry and Samus need to come do it!_

To Hermione chagrin, Voldemort was the first to reach them, speedily gliding on winds as usual. Ron came running to her from the opposite end of the tunnel. "Not a word, snake-eyes, not a word," Ron called out, his overprotectiveness of her no doubt squelching any fear of the Dark wizard. Hermione didn't know whether to feel flattered or peeved. "So, is she really down for the count?" Ron asked as he walked up to Hermione, glancing anxiously over at Voldemort.

"Don't know," Hermione said simply as Hufflepuff kept on twitching. "Guess we'll have to wait until Harry or Samus come along and try to take her part." At that moment, out the corner of her eye, Hermione saw Samus and Harry running toward them.

xxxxxx

Three sanctums down, and only one remains. I know some are probably anxious to see what awaits in Gryffindor's lair (some readers' guesses were pretty close) , but to make sure things don't get formulaic, things'll be shaken up pretty seriously soon.

Oh by the way...am I the only one ROYALLY PISSED about _Spider-Man 4 _getting shitcanned!? I'm sorry, but refusing to push it back to the 2011 holiday season to give Sam Raimi the time he wanted, and instead throwing the baby out with the bathwater and rebooting the damn thing RIGHT AWAY...it's a shoddy way to repay a man whose film franchise grossed TWO AND A HALF BILLION DOLLARS. And to all you whiners who bitched endlessly about _Spider-Man 3_ and its plethora of villains...I would've GLADLY put up with three villains again, even if one was the Vulture (bleh), if it meant seeing Lizard and Black Cat on the big screen!

So long,

Grey-X


	35. A Fanatic By Any Other Name

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning

a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover

Chapter 35: A Fanatic By Any Other Name

2-10-2010

by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

Relief swelled in Harry's heart as he saw Ron, Hermione and Voldemort standing over what looked like Hufflepuff's android, apparently down for the count. He eagerly ran toward them, moving so fast even Samus had difficulty keeping up. "Ron! Hermione! Is Hufflepuff really down for good? How'd you do it?"

"The Mudblood got lucky and used what you call the 'shinespark' at just the right time," said Voldemort evenly. Harry ignored his jab, looking over to Hermione, who was kneeling by Hufflepuff's twitching, jerky body, a distraught look behind her visor.

"I don't like the looks of this, though," Hermione said as Samus and Harry walked up behind her. "What if I damaged her so badly, I put the weapon piece out of commission? It took both the Chozo and all four Founders to build this thing in the first place...whatever it is. We wouldn't know where to start if it needs repairs."

"Well, now that we've got two power suits without a piece attached, hopefully that'll trigger this thing into imploding into one of those orbs," Ron suggested weakly.

"That doesn't seem to be too far from the truth," said Voldemort suddenly. "Take a look."

Harry looked down at the android. Hufflepuff was still twitching uncontrollably, but now her neck was craned up, leering and smiling at them all. He backed up nervously, his sudden movement coaxing everyone else to do the same, but then Harry realized it wasn't an evil smirk crossing Hufflepuff's face. She was gazing at him with a look of satisfaction, of one who felt he had earned respect. As she kept looking up at Harry and Samus with a proud, almost motherly look, her android body began to glow and shimmer, right before it slowly started to collapse in on itself. Seconds later, nothing remained but a pulsating, hovering orb that shone with the intensity of a tiny sun.

"Well, I guess that answers that question," said Samus, putting her hand in front of her visor to help shield her eyes. "So Harry, I guess one of us better take it so we can finally go. Which of us should it be?"

At first, Harry was anxious to snatch it up as fast as possible, but then he remembered that Gryffindor's piece was the last one to be found. Always having been proud of being part of Gryffindor House, a part of him wanted to be the one to claim his piece, and so he hesitated.

That moment of hesitation would cost them all.

As it turned out, Hufflepuff's piece had already chosen who would take it up, and zoomed right at Harry and Samus. Harry braced himself and closed his eyes, somehow figuring it had chosen him. But all he felt was a sudden rush, as if something had sped right past him, nudging him back slightly. When he opened his eyes and looked down, Harry saw his armor hadn't changed at all.

As Harry wondered what was going on, he heard Voldemort hiss, "You again...." Anxiety welling up in him, Harry looked back to Voldemort, who was lying flat on the ground, just picking his head up and sporting an open gash on his brow. Then Harry looked to where Voldemort was glaring hatefully and his blood ran cold.

Snape stood about a dozen feet away, still a double of Susan Bones. Pressurized air was gushing out from the bottom of Snape's armored feet, just like with Myrtle's boots. Hufflepuff's weapon piece was now covered in some sort of dark, glassy slop, held securely in Snape's free arm like a football while his wand was aimed right at them.

"Good work with Hufflepuff's machinations. Most historians agree that Hufflepuff was the most inventive of the four, so it speaks well of you that you fought just as creatively," Snape said snidely in Susan's soft voice. "It's a pity I can't let you claim her prize, though."

Harry just stared at Snape, mouth agape, cursing himself for not seeing this coming. This was Snape's Plan B, to simply lie in wait and steal Hufflepuff's piece if Faction couldn't beat them. But unlike Harry, Voldemort was more than ready to strike back. "You backstabbing, Mudblood-loving...TRAITOR!" roared Voldemort, aiming his wand up at Snape. Black lightning shot out, but Snape made a huge spinning jump. Blasting Curses rained down on them as he span, forcing the four of them to scatter, and then Snape came down on Voldemort's back with a crushing stomp.

"I'm two-for-two, My Lord," Snape spat as he stepped off Voldemort and ran. Harry watched with a sinking heart as Snape skated away on air, far faster than Myrtle did during their fight. It was almost as if Snape had his own speed booster.

"Get after him! No way he can move as fast as us!" Ron shouted, his anxiety palpable. Samus, Ron and Hermione all broke into a run, and it took a second for Harry's dumbfoundedness to be replaced by rage. He ran after his friends, feeling that familiar build-up of power just as he saw their speed boosters kick in.

Once again, Harry was dodging and ducking around stalagmites, running at breakneck speed. Even though he'd experienced this sensation of speed before, it was still unnerving; his career as a Seeker still couldn't compare to this insane rush. It took all his concentration to avoid crashing into stalagmites. Looking ahead, he saw Ron and Hermione disappear beyond a bend in the tunnel. Harry hoped that meant at least Samus caught up to Snape, but his hopes were dashed when he saw Samus's body hurled back down the tunnel, caught up in a swirl of icy mist.

Harry saw her hit the rock wall hard and painfully slide down. As he ran toward her, Samus vehemently pointed sideways; he could practically hear her cries of "_KEEP GOING AFTER HIM!_" echo in his brain. Harry swerved hard to the right, running right past Samus without a second look, only to see Ron and Hermione smacked against opposite walls. Several stalagmites now had the consistency of molten magma, and stretched out into tentacle-like shapes, two of which now had Ron and Hermione pinned.

"Harry, keep going mate! Kick his transvestite arse!" Ron cried as he fired on the magma-tentacle with his beam. Knowing it wouldn't take them long to cool that magma, Harry pressed on, firing Severing Charms with charged spazer shots at magma-tentacles that would have clobbered him once he ran past. A clear path was blasted open, and Harry pressed on.

At last, Harry spotted Snape as he rounded a sloping corner. Harry was closing on him fast, but the graceful way Snape was skating...he realized Snape would be the more agile one while they were moving at these speeds. If he gave Snape even one opening, he'd stop him cold and there would be no hope of getting Hufflepuff's piece back.

Snape looked over his shoulder, and Susan's face instantly twisted into an enraged snarl. Snape slashed his wand behind him, sending out a shockwave that uprooted the ground behind him. With no time to dash aside, Harry was forced to leap over it, even though he knew this would leave him wide open.

_He's banking on me jumping, has something planned. Have to act first!_ Harry realized. With a spazer shot charged, Harry aimed his wand down and yelled, "_Reducto!_"

He caught Snape's disappointed look as he shouted an incantation of his own, no doubt wondering why Harry used such a basic spell. A gust of icy wind blasted Harry out of the air, but as he went down, Harry saw that one curse had shattered the glassy blob encasing Hufflepuff's weapon piece. A second bounced harmlessly of Snape's armored leg, while the last one blasted loose a stalagmite a few dozen feet ahead. It fell to the side, and if Snape didn't look back ahead, he would trip over it. Harry hit the ground hard and kept painfully skipping along, until he finally crashed through a stalagmite. More determined than ever to get at Snape, he forced himself to get right back up, even though his legs and head screamed in protest.

Just as he got back on his feet, though, a bright flash of light blinded him. He staggered back, and would have fallen again if a stalagmite weren't right behind him. His skin felt strange, almost as if he had a sunburn, and he heard data streaming down his HUD. At first, Harry was overcome with confusion and fear, but then forced himself to calm down, finally realizing Hufflepuff's piece must have zeroed in on him once it was blasted free. When the light faded and Harry looked down, he breathed a sigh of relief, seeing he was right. Where his armor once had a dull, metal sheen, it now sported a light, sallow shade. Not only that, reliefs of badgers adorned his armor. Two were slung over his shoulder pads, while two more were mounted onto either thigh, giving the impression they were climbing up and clawing at him.

"Three down, one more to go," Harry thought aloud, more anxious than ever to get to Godric Gryffindor's sanctum. But he knew other things had to be taken care of first. He looked back down the tunnel and steadily ran down it, not quite fast enough to activate the speed booster. If Snape dodged that stalagmite, there was no hope of catching up to him. Still, if he went down, Harry wanted a piece of him. Or all of him.

At first, it looked as if Snape had gotten away clean. Harry saw the stalagmite he toppled, but no sign of his old professor. But then, he heard a low moan, coming from farther ahead. His heart racing, Harry ran forward, cautiously holding his wand out. But it soon proved unnecessary, for Harry soon came upon Susan Bones's quivering form, sitting and leaning against a stalagmite. His armored legs were smoking and sparking. Snape was coughing up blood and sported a nasty gash on his forehead. He didn't even try to raise his wand as Harry approached, his rage boiling over yet again.

"Congratulations, Potter. You finally got one step ahead of me. This round's all yours," Snape croaked weakly, right before coughing up another glob of blood.

"What, no crack about me not deserving to have the weapon piece of the Founder that was all about hard work?" quipped Harry. "You never passed up an opportunity like that before."

Snape snickered. "Can't say anything like that anymore, can I? Not after you've fought so hard to get this far," he said weakly, his bloodied lips actually curling into a smile instead of a sneer. "Now I see what the headmaster saw in you, why he entrusted you with that particular mission and me with mine. Oh yes, I finally know what that is now, thanks to Val. A pity you won't bother to hear the crucial intel Dumbledore wanted me to deliver...."

"You shut up about Dumbledore!" shouted Harry, jabbing his wand into Snape's busted forehead. He got a delicious rush from hearing Snape hiss in pain. "You're right, I _DON'T_ want to hear any of your bogus stories!"

"Bogus? Hardly. But if that's your attitude, Potter, then why not just kill me and be done with it?" Snape dared. "But whatever you do, first answer me this: why choose to fight Val? Look at what Val could've done for you already, had you just trusted her. The Dark Lord would've been subdued at last, and your aunt was ready to make amends. You could've finally been family, and then you could've worked to make Lily's wildest dream a reality, together. But you're trying to keep us from doing what your mother wanted. All I want to know is why."

Harry lost control, grabbing Snape's throat with his free hand and hoisting him off the ground. Snape's eyes widened, but still his limbs hung limply, not even bothering to try to pull free of his grip. "You shut the bloody hell up about her too! Don't you _DARE_ act as if you ever cared about her. I'll never forget how you're the reason Voldemort went after her!"

"And that's haunted me ever since, just like how I thought I caused Val's death, too," Snape wheezed out. "But when Val came back, said she found out how to fulfill that one wild hope of Lily's...I realized that working with the headmaster to bring down the Dark Lord, it wasn't enough. To make up for how we failed her, we must make sure Lily's dream didn't die with her. Why aren't you doing the same?"

"Because it's rubbish, how you talk about really knowing her," spat Harry, only half-believing what he was saying. "With the way everyone else talks about her...answer me this, Snape. Would my mother really want to go ahead with mutating all the Muggles, if it meant causing a world war like this to do it? To pull off this nudging of human evolution?"

Harry wasn't sure, but he thought Snape's eyes widened a little more. And as Harry kept him off the ground, holding his throat, Snape's eyes seemed to change, going from coldly determined, to his usual cold, dead look, then to something Harry couldn't read. Something strangely akin to hopelessness.

As they kept staring at each other, seconds seemed to tick on for an eternity. Harry was so focused on Snape, wanting to make sure he learned the true meanings of pain, shame and fear, he almost didn't feel a slight rumbling in the cavern. But when he heard an popping noise far to his left, Harry finally tore his gaze away from Snape.

One of Faction's crystalline clusters had erupted not too far away, and already shards of rock were homing in.

Harry shoved Snape aside against the stalagmite as he brought up his wand to blast away the rocks. He deflected them with ease. When he turned back to the stalagmite, though, Harry got another rude surprise. Faction's torso was sticking out of the ground, near Snape, and Snape already had his arms around his adopted son. He looked back over to Harry one last time, that weird, hopeless look still in his eyes.

Panicking, Harry sent out an Impediment Jinx, but Faction launched himself clean out of the ground, taking Snape along with him. Harry didn't even have time for another curse before Faction dove back down into the ground, spinning and burrowing away. In desperation, Harry flicked on his x-ray visor and aimed his wand, but their skeletal forms were spinning away to fast, and soon were gone completely.

"DAMNIT!" Harry screamed in frustration, slamming the ground hard with his fist. It was gratifying to feel the whole cavern shake a little from his tantrum. As he stared down at his fist, he noted the metal's sallow color, then looked at the badger relief on his shoulder. _Guess it won't matter in the long run. One piece left now. Just one. Then we take the fight to all of them._

xxxxxx

**July 1, 1997 A.D., 10:40 P.M., Arabic Standard Time**

**Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām in Mecca, Saudi Arabia**

If there was one thing Charlie Weasley hated to find himself in the middle of, it was crowds. Big, roving crowds that spread out as far as the eye could see. That was the only thing that ever made him claustrophobic. Perhaps that was why the life of a naturalist, chiefly studying dragons, appealed to him so much. Why he took time off from his work in Romania to put up with such crowds at the Quidditch World Cup three years ago, Charlie had no idea.

And now, Charlie had no idea why he volunteered for this assignment. Thanks to one of their foreign spies, the Order got word of a possible Inferno operation in the Muslim holy city of Mecca. It was enough to convince them it needed investigating, but just about every Auror was busy trying to maintain order back home in Britain, and their Death Eater 'allies' were wrapped up with other missions. Seeing no other choice, Charlie volunteered along with his brothers, Bill and Fred, much to their mother's dismay.

And now, here were the three of them, stuck in the biggest mosque in the world. They were disguised in typical Saudi Arabian Muggle attire, pretending to take part of the prayer just called for as midnight drew near. They shuffled along with the rest of the crowd as they moved around the Kaaba. Simply put, it was the largest crowd Charlie ever found himself in, and it was positively suffocating. Charlie just wished one of their Sneakoscopes or one of their detection charms would go off...any excuse to get out of this crowd and do something useful. He always hated the stake-outs of Death Eaters as well. Facing a bunch of Inferno thugs head-on would be better than just waiting for the murderous cowards to strike, if they would only show themselves.

Grunting, Charlie looked over to Fred, who looked even more bored. Charlie smirked, wondering if Fred now wished he tagged along with his twin. Helping look after that wondrous ship of Samus Aran's would've been more useful than this stakeout, that much was certain. Plus, it would've meant having a chance to work with J.B. Granger again, whom many of the Order couldn't stop talking about.

Charlie had a unique perspective on the man, having escaped from Inferno's forces with the overbearing-but-brilliant pilot. If not for him, Charlie would never have escaped. Charlie hoped the Order had more chances to work with him, especially after Voldemort slinked back into the darkness once Inferno was beaten. They never met a Muggle quite like him, and someone will the balls to face down Voldemort with just a gun was someone Charlie wanted on his side.

"This is getting ridiculous," growled Bill, prompting Charlie to look over to him. His hood was pulled tight over his head, obscuring much of the scars inflicted by Greyback. It made Charlie's blood boil again, the thought of being on the same side as that werewolf. At length, Bill spoke up again. "What's with all these people? Do they really think walking around that hunk of rock in there, bowing before it, will actually _DO_ anything? It sucks how so many Muggles are like that. At least Hermione's uncle isn't."

"No, no he isn't," Charlie echoed dismissively, not wanting to think about what Bill was getting at. From what he knew about Valkyrie and her movement, they despised most of the Muggles for things like what Bill pointed out, and believed they could change Muggles for the better.

Sometimes, it was hard not to think Valkyrie and her ilk had a point. All these people had an air of desperation about them, fervently praying to God as forces and disasters they couldn't understand rocked their world. Giving in so easily to desperation and fear, not knowing how to act, to strike back. It only reminded Charlie of how many Muggles back in Britain were, as the first war with Voldemort ravaged the country. Valkyrie no doubt believed her Day of Reckoning would give Muggles the means and the knowledge to make a better world for themselves, fight back against people like Voldemort, and turn away from these religions in the process. But how many more would suffer and die needlessly before her ideas bore any fruit?

Bill spoke up again. "Wonder what J.B. is up to, along with our brothers," he thought aloud. "Bet Ron's having fun, running around in that suit and blowing stuff up. But it must've cheesed off Dad to no end, missing out on getting a piece of Muggle gear like that."

"It's not strictly Muggle technology anymore," Charlie corrected him. "Ron's suit got fused with the alien artifact that Rowena Ravenclaw helped make, remember?"

"Which means he'll have some control over that weapon once it's done," said Fred. "Well, let's hope Ickle Ronnykins hasn't burned out all his brain cells, getting kicked around by all those aliens and killer machines and whatnot. That just wouldn't do, him frying half of Earth along with that Kor-Zor wanker."

"Come off it, Fred," Bill whispered scoldingly. "Our little brother's pulled through so far. Of course, I heard he's been kicking himself for being blindsided by that Malfoy prick."

"True, true. Still, he's done more than George," Fred spat. "Just tagging along and basking in J.B.'s reflected glory, as if that'll somehow impress Samus...."

Charlie rolled his eyes, in no mood for another one of Fred's rants about his twin being smitten with Samus Aran. He was ready to tell Fred off, but Bill suddenly spoke up again. "Hey you two, I wasn't paying attention. When did everyone start walking _AWAY_ from the Kaaba and out of here?"

Looking around, Charlie gasped after seeing that everyone was inexplicably breaking off from their routine ritual, fanning out in all directions to leave. It wasn't long before a gaggle of Saudis were aimlessly pushing past the three brothers, intent on getting out of the main area with the Kaaba. Charlie caught a glimpse of some of their faces. The eyes of some looked listless and glassy, others looked anxious and confused.

"OK, I know enough about these Muslims to know they don't just break off from these prayers, all at once," said Fred anxiously as more people pushed past them. "Something dodgy's going on, but what?"

"Dunno, Fred. If I didn't know better, though, I'd say it was one big Muggle-Repelling Charm," replied Bill.

"Yeah. How could anyone slip past all the security the Saudi wizards set up around this place? I mean, how many hoops did we jump through to get in ourselves?" protested Charlie.

"What about Moaning Myrtle? She got her boss into Harry's dormitories two years ago, didn't she?" Fred noted.

"But didn't Harry wallop her good a couple days ago, right after You-Know-Who fused her ghost to her clone body?" asked Charlie. "And besides, even if one Inferno nutter slipped through, how could he cast a Muggle-Repelling Charm powerful enough to disperse a crowd like _THIS!?_"

"Uh, Charlie, there's your answer to both questions," said Bill softly, pointing straight up. Charlie looked up, and up against the starry night sky, he saw a stream of opaque, white mist streak over the Kaaba. At first, he had no idea what he was staring at, but as the swirl of mist sharply turned and shot straight down, Charlie had an inkling, and his blood froze.

The mist collided with the tiled floor, spreading out right before it converged and condensed, seconds later reforming into a human shape. But the figure that stood before them was anything but human. Charlie's eyes widened as a horribly pale, white-haired woman, wearing a dress covered with floral designs and holding a long staff, stared them down. "Wildflower, Dr. Asara's right-hand vampire," Charlie got out eventually. Then, feeling more daring, he added, "Or is it Isobel Maxime?"

Wildflower grinned at them, exposing the tips of her fangs. "Cocky and daring. I always liked that about you Weasleys," she said silkily in that thick French accent. "Even with those hoods over your heads, I could easily pick you out. I know the smell of a Weasley's blood all too well, having come to you before, but later forced to erase your memories."

"I hope you don't think you'll have any better luck now, not with all the shit you lot've been pulling all over the world," Fred spat defiantly.

Meanwhile, Charlie nervously looked all around them. Most of the Muggles were gone. Charlie breathed a sigh of relief, knowing things were bound to get ugly. Then he joined in. "Yeah, especially that raid on Captain Granger's airbase. As you can imagine, he didn't exactly have a high opinion of you."

Wildflower's sinister grin became even more pronounced. "Well, if it'll make him feel any better, Val chewed me out mercilessly for that. I thought she'd appreciate a surprise chance to see what became of General Charles Granger's eldest son, but...I was too overzealous."

"No surprise there. We heard you've admitted to being to Dr. Asara what Bellatrix Lestrange is to Voldemort," said Bill.

"In that I'll carry out Val's vision for the rest of my immortal life, you're absolutely right," said Wildflower. "But you'll find that, in many ways, I'm Lestrange's complete opposite. Best example: why I'm here right now."

"So, it was you who cast a Muggle-Repelling Charm around this whole damn mosque," Charlie shot back.

"Indeed. No need for any Muggles to be here, considering what's coming in less than five minutes," said Wildflower coldly. "However, I certainly didn't expect to get a whiff of you three. Val still has some respect for the Weasley name, would rip into me again if I didn't at least warn you to get out."

"Get out? Why!? Just what sort of sick shit is your boss planning this time!?" demanded Bill.

Wildflower's grin vanished, her pale face suddenly becoming stony. "I've already said too much. Just know that if you're so determined to take this fight to Val, get out. Otherwise you will not live long enough to do so." With that, Wildflower suddenly turned into opaque mist again, and let herself be carried away on a stiff breeze.

The three brothers watched Wildflower disappear into the starry sky, then all nervously looked to each other. "So, she's definitely going to do something to the mosque," said Bill. "But what?"

"None of our Sneakoscopes went off, so maybe it's not something she'll do _HERE_," suggested Charlie. "Maybe she flew off to fetch that plane of hers."

"I don't think so, Charlie. There's something coming from the opposite direction, and it's definitely _NOT_ a plane!" cried Fred, pointing up.

His heart racing, Charlie looked up. His eyes immediately fell on some objects several thousand feet up, but glowing with a pulsating, white-hot intensity and falling fast. Charlie unconsciously began backing up, away from the Kaaba, and Bill and Fred followed his lead, sticking close to their eldest brother.

That probably saved all their lives.

Whatever these things were, one of them fell down right onto the Kaaba. The three of them were instantly blasted back by some shockwave, skidding a good distance on their backsides. _Ugh, good things these ridiculous Muggle robes are so thick,_ Charlie thought, getting right back up and nursing his sore back. Looking back to where...whatever it was fell, Charlie received a shock. The Kaaba, one of the things the Muslims revered most, was completely gone. Only a smoldering crater dozens of feet wide and deep was left in its place.

Bill ran up to the edge of the smoking crater and looked down. "Oh Merlin's beard, it was some big rock that just fell on top of it!" he exclaimed.

"Uh-oh, it must've been a big meteor or something," said Fred. "And more of 'em are coming!" he added fearfully, looking back up and pointing.

Blood pounding in his ears, Charlie looked up again. The rest of those white-hot, streaking pieces of space rock were even closer. Seconds later, another one smashed through a part of the surrounding walls, instantly reducing it to rubble. An even larger asteroid followed, this time crashing through the middle of a minaret right outside. Charlie's heart sank as he watch it topple and vanish from sight. If Wildflower's charm wasn't strong enough to coax all the Muggles to get away, and people were under that minaret....

"Less than five minutes, my arse! More like five seconds!" Bill roared over the sound of another asteroid descending. It crashed down and made another crater near the first, finally goading them into getting clear. But as they tried to run, iridium-laced death kept raining down all around them. The deafening booms from asteroids smashing the mosque apart nearly made their heads explode, almost making it impossible to keep running. At one point, an asteroid chunk landed only a few feet in front of them as they ran, toppling them yet again. Even worse, cracks were spidering out from the crater it made, making the floor cave away.

"Let's face it, we're _NOT_ getting out of here on foot!" Fred yelled over the sound of the mosque crumbling around them. He pulled out his wand and aimed it up. "_Accio Brooms!_" he shouted.

Charlie was about to rip on Fred, but with all the chaos Inferno's forces were causing all over the world, there was little sense worrying about secrecy anymore. Looking up, Charlie's heart leapt, seeing three brooms zoom toward them, having been stashed not too far away. Before they reached them, however, another asteroid crashed down nearby. Charlie had reached out for a broom, but was knocked flat on his face.

Thankfully, he felt strong arms pull him right back up. Fred shoved the Firebolt they borrowed from Harry in his hands. Bill was already mounting Ron's Cleansweep. Following suit, Charlie got on Harry's broom and kicked off. Looking back, he saw an asteroid chunk demolish the spot where they stood seconds before, and he looked back up in time to dodge another chunk zooming straight at them.

The three of them flew as fast as they could, desperate to get out of range of those killer asteroids. Only when the shrill sounds of descending asteroids got softer did Charlie bother looking back, and his heart sank instantly. He had spent several hours casing the Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām with his brothers, marvelling its artistic beauty. And now, in only a few minutes, those asteroids had completely leveled it. Clouds of dust and debris were already rising from the wreckage, obscuring all the deep craters left behind. They could also see the light of fires through those dust clouds.

"Oh...my...God," Fred managed to get out. "The crazy little cyber-bitch, she somehow flung those space rocks right at it, didn't she?"

"She probably did," replied Bill grimly. "That Muggle-Repelling Charm from her pet vampire...it better have worked. Anyone who was stuck in that mosque is as good as dead."

Charlie only half-listened, not wanting to picture innocent Muggles buried alive. Soon, the wailing of ambulance sirens racing toward the devastated mosque reached their ears, making Bill and Fred look back down. "Ugh, no way we'll be able to use magic to help out, not unless we want to cause another stir," Fred said sorrowfully.

"We may not have a choice. Some of those rocks hit the hotel buildings around the mosque!" exclaimed Bill, pointing at one building that was ablaze. Charlie squinted to get a better look, and though he saw a screaming young girl on a balcony. A balcony that looked ready to collapse, and send that girl plummeting to her death.

Acting on instinct, not caring what kind of panic he caused below, Charlie willed the Firebolt to dive down. He heard people screaming below, could feel their accusatory stares and knew they were pointing up at him, but Charlie ignored them. All that mattered was reaching that girl in time. His heart froze when he saw the balcony give way. The girl tumbled forward, desperately clinging to the last bit that was intact. It wasn't long before her grip gave way, but she held on long enough for Charlie to zip past and snatch her up.

Charlie held the crying, shaking girl close to his chest as he looked for a secluded place to drop her off. Fred was right, showing themselves right now without their Saudi wizard contacts to back them up would cause too many problems. Best to just drop the girl off somewhere and just get out. The girl kept clinging to him, spluttering something in Arabic. Charlie couldn't follow, but instinctively knew she was asking about her family. Charlie gritted his teeth in anger. _How dare that Valkyrie insist she's doing all this for Muggles, when so many are suffering as a result!_ he thought vindictively as he dove for an abandoned alley.

xxxxxx

**July 1, 1997 A.D., 9:12 P.M. Western European Time**

**approxomately 60 miles southwest of Hogwarts**

Harry sat in the back corner of the ship, occassionally glancing down at his armor. The sallow badgers fused to his thighs almost looked alive, ready to spring into action. _So, the piece belonging to the Founder who taught those ready for the long haul picked me,_ he thought. Looking up at Voldemort, who was silently gazing out the window, he remembered what he planned to do before Valkyrie resurfaced. Harry realized he shouldn't be as surprised as he was. His thoughts then drifted to other things. _Yeah, how Asara told me the world's problems don't magically disappear once you beat the bad guy...she was right about that at least. Long after both of them are gone, we'll still be cleaning up both their messes._

Harry turned away from Voldemort, looking toward the science station, where Samus was staring fervently and unblinkingly at whatever information Adam had brought up. Harry didn't bother asking what she found, knowing he couldn't even begin to understand half of the science involved with unraveling Valkyrie's plans. It was best not to break her concentration and let her keep on working.

He wasn't the only one who thought that way. "Hope Samus finds out what Valkyrie's planning soon," he heard Ron say. Harry looked up, seeing Ron walk over to the ship's rear. J.B. and Hermione were making their way back as well. Hermione slowly removed her helmet, the ship's lighting throwing her look of exhaustion into sharp relief, while J.B. closely scrutinized the markings from Devil's Snare and Snape's magma-tentacle.

"Uncle J, I'm fine," Hermione protested, brushing J.B. aside. "As long as we keep working as a team, we'll pull through this."

"I know Hermione, I know," J.B. said. "It's just that, with all you've been through...I think I know why Dad always doted on you. You've always been a tough one. He never would've admitted it, but I think you were his favorite grandkid."

Hermione smiled weakly. "I seriously doubt that. After all, your girls were the ones who'll eventually put on uniforms, not me."

"Huh? You've got kids, Captain?" asked Ron.

J.B. stared at Ron for a moment before saying, "Yeah, twin girls from my first marriage. One's in a Marine boot camp right now, the other's training for the U.S. Air Force like her old man. Just glad neither'll be seeing any active duty until well after we put a stop to all this."

"Well, we're one step closer to doing that, Captain," said Ron.

"Y'know, there's no need for formalities. Not like you're in the Royal Air Force or anything," J.B. quipped with a smirk. "But yeah, good to know we're one alien artifact away from keeping Valerie Prime from mucking up the fabric of the universe. Still can't believe that cute little girl my dad was hellbent on getting through a university turned out like this. Almost glad he didn't live to see what became of her."

Harry thought back to the memories he saw in Dumbledore's Pensieve. Did her suffering at the hands of the North Koreans, Voldemort and the Ministry warp her mind, or would she have gone mad regardless? Harry shook his head, not wanting to dwell on it, instead saying, "Hopefully he'd be happy knowing you and Hermione were the ones helping to stop her. Just keep being our pilot a little longer, J.B., and then we'll have the last piece."

"Funny how who was clearly the best was saved for last," Hermione said, smirking as she felt Voldemort glare at the back of her head. She looked down at her hand, flexing her fingers and scrutinizing the green serpents coiling around her arm. "And isn't it funny how there's three Gryffindors here, and yet _none_ of us will get his piece?"

Harry chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it's kinda ironic," he admitted. "But let's face it, out of the four of us, the one who deserves to be called the bravest is probably Samus."

At last, Samus turned from the science station, her sapphire eyes showing nothing but humility. Harry found that galling. Why was Samus so unwilling to take such complements, after everything she had accomplished in her life? But as Samus opened her mouth to speak, George's voice rang out across the ship. "Everyone, I think you're all gonna want to hear about this. Adam just got an emergency transmission from Charlie. Turns out he was on a mission in Saudi Arabia, and...and...."

"And what?" snapped Voldemort. "What sort of Inferno operation was the blood-traitor trying to thwart in Saudi Arabia?"

"It wasn't just one in Saudi Arabia. In the last few hours, Valkyrie pulled some shit all over the world," said George from the cockpit. Getting more anxious, Harry got up and walked toward the cockpit. Ron, Hermione, J.B. and Samus followed. "What's been happening, I-I-I can't really begin to....Adam, is there any way to just show them?"

An awkward silence followed, no doubt a pause on his part. That made Harry even more anxious. Finally, he said, "It's possible to project holographic displays of Earth's television broadcasts within the ship. Now that I've been alerted to this and have been monitoring the airways...George is right, words cannot convey the scale of this madness."

All of a sudden, a flat holographic projection of what looked like a BBC news broadcast sprang to life near the middle of the ship. A female British reporter Harry recognized was standing in front of some ambulances with Arabic lettering, and behind them all was smoking wreckage and debris. She was hurriedly saying something about a deadly stream of meteors, right before the broadcast cut to a bird's-eye view of the remains of what must've been some large temple. Clouds of smoke and debris obscured half the screen, but Harry could still see the panicky people running around below. Then Harry read the words on screen, and finally realized what he was looking at. Something Muslims considered holy in Mecca was just wiped off the map.

"The mosque with the Kaaba was wiped out by meteors!?" exclaimed Hermione. "Valkyrie was able to do that!?"

"We can be certain it was her, considering the pattern of activity Earth has been seeing over the last few hours," said Aam gravely. "Take a look."

Another screen flared into existence, this one showing an American news broadcast from someplace in Israel. Just like the horrific scene in Saudi Arabia, smoke and dust were rising behind the reporters, paramedics and firefighters. As Harry read the rest, his eyes widened even more. Meteors had rained down on Israel too, obliterating both the Dome of the Rock and what remained of the Western Wall.

Another screen popped up. It was a local news broadcast from the state of Utah in America, about how the Salt Lake Temple run by Mormons was just flattened by an impossibly huge tornado. Then another screen appeared, this one showing a huge, burning tree near some sort of Asian temple. Harry gasped when he read that the Bodhi Tree was set on fire. Yet another screen sprang up, showing a broadcast from India about yet another meteor storm. These meteors were supposedly even bigger, raining down all along the length of the Ganges River, somehow boiling the water and evaporating most of it, along with messing up its flow entirely.

"The most important sites in Islam, Judiasm, Mormonism, Buddhism, Hinduism...she's striking at the heart of every major world religion," said J.B. grimly. More and more screens popped up, showing even more devastation. Shinto shrines in Japan burned to the ground. A building used by Scientologists in America crumbling in a freak earthquake. All over the world, religious sites were systematically being picked off. "I don't believe this. I knew the girl had a problem with fundie Christians as a kid, but...why lash out at _EVERY_ religion!?"

"One reason and one reason only," said Hermione bitterly. "Valkyrie was making a statement to the world: your gods cannot save you."

"Plus she's so bloody mental, I bet she blames every religion for what's wrong with Muggles these days," added Ron.

Horrorstruck, Harry looked from screen to screen, unable to take in the scope of the senseless destruction Valkyrie just unleashed in a matter of hours. The confused cries and shrieks of terror from people in all the broadcasts seemed to meld together, creating a maddening cacophony that cut to Harry's very soul. Everywhere he looked on the screens, he saw horribly injured people, Muggles crying out for missing family and friends, reporters and rescue workers with looks of utter hopelessness....

As Harry kept watching, horrified beyond measure yet unable to turn away, a horrible thought came to him. The sacred site of one major religion had yet to be shown. After swallowing hard, Harry said, "Adam, the Vatican. What about the Vatican?"

Silence again, and Harry knew that was another sorrowful, thoughtful pause on Adam's part. Then, the biggest holographic screen yet flared into existence, showing a bird's-eye view of a city...but there were crumbling buildings and raging fires everywhere. "This is all that remains of much of the heart of the Vatican," said Adam. "Judging from reports of nearby citizens showing symptoms of radiation poisoning, one can only conclude that Valkyrie personally leveled the city." Horror and rage welled up even more within Harry, images of Bellatrix nearly dying from Phazon exposure going through his head. How many Muggles were going through that right now? "The only bright spot in the midst of these crises is that there is evidence Inferno's forces employed what you call Muggle-Repelling Charms. The death toll is far less than it could have been otherwise."

"But what's the death toll as it stands, Adam?" said Samus, finally breaking her silence. There was such a frighteningly hard edge to her voice, even Voldemort's head turned, looking flummoxed.

Yet another awkward pause on Adam's part. "It is to early to tell, but after crunching the data from the reports on all the attacks...I project no less than 1,250 have died as a result of these attacks."

_And these were the people I was tempted to join,_ Harry thought, shamefaced. He took one last look at the biggest screen, noting the smoldering remains of St. Peter's Basilica. Finally, he tore his gaze away and looked up to Samus, only to receive his biggest shock yet. Her face was stonier and more merciless than he could ever recall seeing.

"George, how much longer until we land back at Hogwarts?" she asked coldly.

"Uhhh, l-less than ten minutes, S-Sam," said George shakily. Harry thought George sounded more unnerved than he was.

"Good. There may not be any more time for me to unravel how Valkyrie plans to alter human evolution. If these attacks are any indication, we're almost out of time," said Samus resolutely. "Once we touch down, I'm going to go straight back to Dumbledore's office, use that relic, and find out where that last piece is."

**xxxxxx**

True to her word, as soon as George landed her ship in that courtyard, Samus jumped off the top and marched past Scrimgeour and all the Death Eaters there to greet them. Bellatrix had been shoved aside and began to rant, but staring down the barrel of Samus's arm cannon quickly shut her up. She heard Hermione call out to her as she tailed her, and later heard McGonagall's cries of protest as she followed as well, but Samus tuned them out. Outrage was broiling within Samus, filling her with a single-minded determination. As far as she was concerned, Valkyrie had finally shown her true colors. Taking out every magical government in Europe was a strategic move, but this latest planetwide attack was a senseless campaign of terror and nothing more.

Just like that Space Pirate raid on K2L.

After what seemed an eternity, Samus reached the gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumbledore's office. "Maxim Tomato," said Samus roughly, using the password she had suggested to McGonagall. The way up swiftly opened. Samus began to mount the stairs, but stopping to say the password had finally given Hermione and McGonagall a chance to catch up.

"Wait for us, Samus!" cried Hermione indignantly. "Forgetting that someone'll need to decipher whatever runes the lion head spits out!?"

"And please Ms. Aran, take a moment to calm down," huffed McGonagall. "I can understand how you're on edge. We all are. Good heavens, hearing Charlie's first-hand account of what happened in Saudi Arabia...."

"Ron's three brothers...they made it out OK?" asked Samus as she kept going up the stairs, not looking down.

"They're still shaken up, but they're fire," said McGonagall. "They should be back at Hogwarts in a few hours."

"Good. Good," said Samus absentmindedly. Truthfully, she couldn't spare the Weasleys much thought. The old Samus Aran was creeping back, solely focused on her mission and nothing else.

At last, Samus stepped out into Dumbledore's office. The Chozo relic was levitating on his desk, right where she left it. She set her helmet down on the desk and took Valkyrie's wand out from behind her ear. The stone beak opened wide, no doubt expecting Samus to delve for the final sanctuary's location. Samus hesitated a moment. Slytherin's challenge took no time at all to overcome, knowing how he thought. The most sinister trick was to hide the answer in plain sight, and his sanctum was the same way. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff's tests couldn't be conquered as easily, though, requiring all sorts of mental gymnastics. Who knew what Gryffindor had in store for her?

Taking a deep breath, Samus reared her left arm back. She heard Hermione and McGonagall vehemently say something, but Samus tuned them out and thrust her wand into the stone beak.

Blackness immediately engulfed her. For a long time, Samus couldn't see and hear or even feel anything. Samus had no idea how long she was stuck in that state, but slowly, she became aware that she was lying down on some hard surface. Her fingers flexed, and felt the rough texture of wood.

_Hold on...I feel wood with my fingers...where's my suit!?_ The shock from that sudden realization goaded her into moving. Vision finally began to return, and Samus found herself staring straight up into a cloudless, starry sky. Whatever she was lying on, it was incessantly bobbing around. Finally finding the strength to sit up, she looked around, finding herself sitting in a small, wooden boat. More wooden boats surrounded hers, but they were all empty, and all moving in the same direction. Samus looked to where the boat was taking her, and gasped when she saw it was Hogwarts, only without people hurriedly buzzing around like when they landed.

_What's going on? The other three tests were nothing like this!_ Samus thought panickingly. Remembering she was without her suit, Samus looked down, receiving another nasty surprise. She was clad in the typical Hogwarts attire that first-year witches wore, only tailored to fit her tall frame. _Ugh, and I thought the SA-X's dress looked ridiculous,_ Samus thought morosely, fingering the hem of her short skirt. Daring to look in the water's reflection, she saw her face still looked the same. Also, Samus saw Valkyrie's wand was back behind her ear. She quickly grabbed it, sighing with relief when sparks flew from the tip. Whatever was going on, at least she was armed.

The boats slowly drifted onward toward the castle, Samus's anxiety growing more and more overwhelming by the minute. Whatever Gryffindor's test was, it clearly had something to do with Hogwarts itself. She gripped her wand tightly, going over every spell Harry and George tried to teach her. Strangely, she recalled George's tutelage more vividly....

After many long minutes, Samus's boat reached the landing stage directly in front of the castle, bumping roughly against it. Regaining some of her determination, Samus jumped out and briskly ran up the steps. She couldn't afford to spend hours at this, like the last two times. The final sanctum's coordinates had to be deciphered right away.

Upon reaching the huge double doors leading to the Great Hall, Samus planted a kick against it with a shriek. The heavy wooden doors violently swung open, revealing a dark, gloomy hall. The hundreds of candles floating above did little to alleviate the dreary atmosphere. Even worse, in contrast to the clear sky outside, the enchanted ceiling showed a thundering, stormy expanse above. A bright flash from a simulated lightning bolt made Samus jump, making her knock over a chair. Looking around at the four tables, her gaze eventually drifted up to the banners hanging over them. Samus recalled Ron gleefully telling of how the green and silver of Slytherin was never seen at any D.A. meetings. But here, the colors of Slytherin House were in full view, along with the blue and bronze of Ravenclaw and the yellow and black of Hufflepuff. Now, only the red and gold of Gryffindor was strangely absent.

Samus's gaze wildly darted about, looking for any signs of trouble. She held Valkyrie's wand in front of her like a lifefine, silently praying to the Chozo spirits that had yet to depart that she could make it work. As she walked down the middle of the Great Hall, another flash of lighting blinded her. Once her sight returned, she looked back down to where the professors ate, and noticed a figure had suddenly appeared there, seated where Dumbledore was supposed to be. It was even wearing Dumbledore's robes, but as Samus stared, she saw it clearly was NOT the headmaster she so respected. It was a woman just as tall, with wild, dirty blond hair...and glowing, yellow-green eyes.

The SA-X stood behind the professors' table, holding up a glass of wine, as if toasting Samus.

"Welcome, Samus Aran," she said in her voice, sounding more silky and subtlely malevolent than ever. "I've been waiting a long, long time for you to get this far. It's given me this one chance to do things my way, you see."

"What are you talking about!?" demanded Samus, aiming her wand at her doppleganger. "What about Gryffindor's test!?"

"Silly you, I _AM_ Gryffindor's test!" barked the SA-X. "What do you think knightly old Godric Gryffindor would want his descendents to overcome? Nothing short of their worst fears. And what you do fear more than me, the living embodient of that part of yourself you've tried so hard to deny!?" The SA-X downed the wine glass in one gulp, then hurled it down at Samus. Samus hopped backward, just before it shattered right where she had stood. "But here's what I was counting on: when the relic reached into your mind to find your worst fear, it actually took what was left of me. Gave me an opportunity."

"What opportunity?" Samus asked shortly.

"To take matters into my own hands. To finally take control," answered the SA-X slyly. "Slowly regaining my strength and trying to exert influence over your psyche was so...tedious, though I did have fun dragging you to that wedding dance. We both know you had fun, too." Samus scowled back at the SA-X, but her double kept on grinning and glibly continued. "But I suspected once it was time to find the location of Gryffindor's piece, I'd get this chance. Once you're beaten here, I'm betting I can assert myself as the dominant personality in your brain, your body. Then it's off to give Dr. Valencia Asara a hand with remaking galactic history the way it should be!"

"You can't ever claim to be like me, though you wear my form!" spat Samus, sparks now sizzling from Valkyrie's wand. "All those pointless attacks Valkyrie just ordered all over Earth...just like the senseless slaughter at K2L. If you're anything like me, you'd feel just as aghast."

"Oh please. A concentrated effort to demoralize the non-magical population, right before bringing them back up with a wondrous evolutionary gift. A way to stamp out archaic, backward beliefs and outdated morals. I know more about human history than you, don't forget, thanks to the knowledge I absorbed from the B.S.L's scientists. Valkyrie definitely has the right idea," said the SA-X dismissively. With one swift motion, the SA-X threw off Dumbledore's robes, revealing Samus's old blue 'zero suit' that she once trained in. "But how ironic. As that outfit suggests, you're willing to embrace the ways of witchcraft. That which you're so desperate to keep Valkyrie from foisting upon the rest of humanity," she went on, pointing at Samus. "While I, on the other hand, am more than happy to take up your old mantle, and do the job right this time!"

The SA-X jumped out from behind the table, spinning through the air, until she landed a few feet in front of Samus. Then she produced the Paralyzer, and immediately activated the plasma whip. She slashed it around a few times, just to show off, right before slightly crouching, like a hunter ready to spring on its prey.

"You must've known our last fight wouldn't be the end, Samus Aran," said the SA-X evilly as Samus fearfully stared right back, gripping Valkyrie's wand in a trembling hand. "Time to settle this for good. Time to decide who'll truly go on to be the galaxy's protector."

**xxxxxx**

What, am I still supposed to say stupid shit here? OK, well, um...SAINTS WIN, BABY!

So long,

Grey-X


	36. Ragnarok Syndrome

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning  
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover  
Chapter 36: Ragnarok Syndrome  
2-20-2010  
by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

The two women, two halves representing light and darkness, stood and stared at each other in the middle of the Great Hall, both patiently waiting for the other to make the first move. "Come, Samus, let's get this over with. Valkyrie is waiting for no one, and both of us have plans involving her," said the SA-X.

"I bet you do," Samus shot back. "You have no real intention of giving Valkyrie the help she wanted from me. You'll just be biding your time, waiting until you can steal something like the Razor Knight, then go to SR388 and the X in this time and restructure history the way YOU want it."

The SA-X smirked evilly. "Ah, so you think you truly know yourself after all?" she jeered. "Perhaps that's my goal, perhaps not. Either way, this Valkyrie still intrigues me. Too bad she had to go and sully herself with Metroid DNA...."

A flash of lightning then blinded Samus, and in that split-second, the SA-X slashed the plasma whip. Fiery pain overwhelmed Samus as she was knocked back, but she landed on her feet, skidding backwards as she aimed her wand. "_Expelliarmus!_" Samus cried, elated to see charm done perfectly, blasted out at full power. However, the SA-X jumped straight up, letting the charm sail under her. Undaunted, Samus jumped up after her, nailing SA-X's jaw with an uppercut in midair, then following up with a roundhouse kick as they came down.

_At least this school uniform's easier to move around in than that stupid dress!_ Samus thought to herself as she gracefully touched down. The SA-X came crashing down a second later, just as thunder rocked the castle's foundation. But she immediately sprang up and fired the Paralyzer. Her shot hit Samus dead-center, almost making her topple backwards. The SA-X came at her with a flying kick, sending Samus sailing down the center aisle toward the open doors. Jumping right back up, Samus aimed and shouted the first incantation that came to mind: "_Aguamenti!_"

Water sprayed out forcefully from her wand, but not at the same high pressures Harry could produce. The SA-X crossed her arms in front of her, blocking the water blast. Though it took a lot of effort on the SA-X's part, her doppleganger stood her ground, and Samus knew she couldn't maintain the charm for long.

Samus steadily inched forward while the SA-X couldn't see her advance. Then, she broke off the charm and jumped forward, aiming to come down on the SA-X's head with a drop kick. She wasn't fast enough, and the SA-X slashed up with the plasma whip. Samus landed with a dull thud at the SA-X's feet, her muscles burning, but still found the strength to lash out with a sweep, knocking the SA-X flat on her face. As the SA-X tried to get up, Samus grabbed her by the throat and, with her wand clenched tightly in a fist, starting punching her double in her face as hard as she could.

_Oh, if only I knew the spells Snape pulled with a wand in his fist!_ thought Samus. Still, the SA-X's face was already bloodied, and her yellow-green eyes seemed to dim. Suddenly, when Samus tried for another punch, the SA-X grabbed her arm and threw Samus over her. Samus landed on her feet and whirled around, only to see the SA-X rush at her with an uppercut. It connected with her jaw, sending Samus flying back a good distance until her backside crashed down onto the teachers' table, smashing it in half.

The SA-X's evil laughter, mixed with the sounds of thunder from the enchanted roof, spurred Samus into getting right back up. She hatefully glared down at the SA-X, who was still laughing. "Oh, too bad our good friend George isn't here to see this. There was a perfect angle to see right up your cute little skirt as you flew," her double jeered. "It's disappointing, really, your attitude about George. Something you _still _don't realize you need as a human, right in your grasp, and you'll throw it away along with everything else Valkyrie offered. Not to worry, though. Once I'm done here, George'll provide an interesting...distraction."

As if Samus needed any more incentive, that threat fueled her determination all over again. She stepped back down onto the center aisle, holding her sparking wand. The SA-X stood her ground, her yellow-green eyes silently daring Samus as she twirled the Paralyzer on one finger. _Funny, I just realized, we seem to fly farther the more we abuse each other, and we never seem to leave this particular two-dimensional plane,_ Samus realized. _This isn't an ordinary duel to the death, is it? I bet there's something special I have to do...._

As Samus pondered this, the SA-X fired the Paralyzer while it was fully charged. Samus jumped over the shot, flying right at the SA-X and planting a kick on the side of her head. As the SA-X reeled, Samus aimed at her midsection and yelled "_Impedimenta!_" The spell worked as intended, and suddenly it seemed like the SA-X's speed was halved. Knowing that the SA-X would still be plenty fast, and just as crafty, Samus forced her back with a roundhouse kicked, then took aim again, shouting the last thing the SA-X would expect to hear.

"_Glacius!_" Samus bellowed. Searing pain went off in all her muscles as turbid, subzero mist exploded from her wand just as the SA-X would've struck with the plasma whip. Her double was blasted back, nearly out of the Great Hall's huge doorway. The Paralyzer flew out of her hands, landing on one of the tables. Samus sagged to her knees, the backlash from the spell even worse than she anticipated. Gritting her teeth and fighting back tears, Samus started to rise again. But as she looked up, the SA-X was coming right at her. A boot to her face sent Samus skidding down the center aisle yet again. Her wand flew out of her hand, toward the ruined teachers' table.

Lightning flashed and thunder rattled the hall again, replaced by the SA-X's laughter once it died away. "There go our weapons, Samus. Guess we do it the old-fashioned way now, eh?"

"Guess so," Samus muttered under her breath as she launched herself at her doppleganger. Samus tackled her to the ground, but the SA-X immediately kicked her off. Both were back on their feet in a split-second, lashing out with all they had left: their fists and feet. However, being essentially the same person, fighting this way proved to be an exercise in futility, since both knew the other's fighting style intimately. Almost every punch and kick was skillfully parried, and neither one gave any ground. Thunder and lightning kept rocking the Great Hall as the stalemate raged on. But after a while, Samus got the feeling the SA-X was adapting, mixing up her own fighting style with knowledge she absorbed from other sentient beings. If that was the case, Samus knew she had to come up with a plan fast.

The SA-X popped her one in the jaw, sending Samus reeling back. Her gaze drifted upward just as another flash of lighning went off. As the light from the enchanted ceiling blinded her, some instinct told her what had to be done. Meanwhile, the SA-X must have gotten overconfident, for she clumsily lunged at Samus with another stiff left. Letting instinct take over, Samus grabbed the SA-X's incoming arm, then purposefully fell on her own back. With both legs, Samus shoved the SA-X upward toward the enchanted ceiling, then leaped up and spun in the air, smacking the SA-X with both feet as she fell back down. Samus saw the SA-X rocket up past the floating candles.

When Samus touched the floor again, another flash of light went off, but it wasn't lightning. Some sort of explosion went off where the SA-X would've hit the enchanted ceiling, sending out an upside-down column of starry bursts. Then there was crushing silence.

Samus took a moment to take some deep breaths, willing her heart rate and blood pressure to return to normal. Looking down as she did so, she got another good look at her outfit. "Hmph, not what Harry would've taught his friends in the D.A., but effective nonetheless," she told herself, fingering the Hogwarts emblem on her robe, which had the animals of all four Founders.

Satisfied, she grabbed the Paralyzer off the table, disgusted by how it looked exactly like the one she gave Harry. Sighing angrily, she walked back to the smashed teachers' table, looking for her wand. When she found it, Samus looked back down at the Great Hall, then up at the banners. Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff's colors were still proudly displayed, but a banner for Gryffindor had yet to appear. "What in...I passed the test, didn't I? Why isn't this vision acknowledging I conquered Gryffindor's challenge?" she asked herself.

"Because you haven't," came the SA-X's cold, jeering voice. Freezing up inside, Samus looked back up. Some small, glowing platform was levitating the SA-X back down into the Great Hall. But now, her doppleganger was once again clad in her old Chozo power suit. Only the helmet was missing, letting Samus gaze directly into those chilling, yellow-green eyes.

Spurred on by pure fear, Samus turned both her weapons on the SA-X. "_Stupefy!_" she screamed over and over, continuously launching Stunners along with Paralyzer blasts. But her shots ricocheted futilely off the SA-X's armor, who just stared back mockingly, her twisted, toothy smile enough to nearly paralyze Samus with sheer terror.

Having had her fun silently taunting Samus, the SA-X raised her arm cannon. The missile barrel snapped open. Her eyes widening, Samus ducked aside just as a super missile reduced the teachers' table to splinters. Shielding her eyes, Samus ducked into the room the chosen Triwizard champions were herded into years before as the SA-X peppered the wall beside her with ice-spazer shots.

Slowly and methodically, as if savoring the moment, the SA-X made her way into the back room. But Samus was ready by the doorway. Having pocketed her weapons, Samus had lifted an entire metal shelf full of priceless magical artifacts over her head. As the SA-X stepped through, she brought the whole thing down over her unprotected head, hammering her double to her knees. Bracing herself her more pain, Samus used Glacius again as she backed away, hoping to freeze the SA-X solid long enough to get away and make a plan.

Unfortunately, the SA-X's suit had the varia upgrade, and slowly rose, shattering what ice had formed. "Nice try, Samus!" cried the SA-X as she blindly fired a super missile. Weak from using Glacius, Samus barely swerved around to avoid it. Huffing as she broke for another door, the SA-X shouted, "Go on, run! You know I can track you wherever you go, and your weapons are of no use!"

_She's right. I can only cast the most basic spells, and the plasma whip won't do much good against a Chozo suit,_ Samus realized, nearly giving in to hopelessness as she ran down the dark, dreary halls. _But there MUST be something in Hogwarts itself that I can use! Some potion in Slughorn's stock, some plant Sprout's growing, something...._

As she went down the list of professors and what they specialized in, a wild, desperate hope came to Samus. Her vigor renewed, Samus sprinted even faster, heading for the closest staircase that would take her up.

xxxxxx

When the SA-X stepped into the corridor, sensing her quarry was still nearby, her eyes immediately fell on the entrance to the headmaster's office, now wide open. Raising an eyebrow, no doubt curious about what Samus was planning, she slowly stepped through the archway, keeping a watchful eye out for any movement.

Unfortunately for her, she neglected to look right above. Samus had positioned herself directly above the stone archway. As the SA-X passed under her, she dropped down with a furious cry. The SA-X immediately whirled around and aimed up, just as Samus had counted on. Before the SA-X could fire, Samus smashed a large flask over her arm cannon's barrel. Noxious orange liquid seeped out over it, instantly hardening.

As the SA-X stared dumbly at the Insanity-Glue on her arm cannon, letting Samus plant a kick in her midsection that sent her careening backward. "Good thing George bragged to me about how even Dumbledore purchased his products," spat Samus gleefully at the SA-X, who was now flat on her back. "Now it's a fair fight."

"You think so?" whispered the SA-X dangerously as she sat up. In a flash, the parasitic clone came at her with a vicious left hook, slamming Samus against a column under the archway. "Hate to break it to you, but still having a Chozo power suit gives me an edge." As Samus struggled to get back up, the SA-X bludgeoned her in the head with her nonfunctional arm cannon. As Samus slid down the column, blood oozing from her jaw, the SA-X kept on taunting her. "Good idea with the glue, though, but a shame you've got no other tricks up your sleeves." The SA-X grabbed her by the neck, hoisted her up, then reared back her arm cannon to bludgeon her again. "So, my better half, any last words?"

Samus's bloodied lips curled into a broad smile. The SA-X was right where Samus wanted her. "Just one, actually," she said. Samus had already been slowly drawing Valkyrie's wand from her robes, which the SA-X missed, and now it was time to act. Samus pointed her wand past the SA-X and screamed, "_Accio!_"

Her eyes widening, the SA-X let go of Samus and whirled around, hoping to spot whatever Samus had Summoned. But when the SA-X whole body jerked, and the tip of a blade poked out from in between the yellow plates along the SA-X's back, Samus knew her doppleganger was too late to act.

The SA-X stared down at her midsection, mouth agape, where the Sword of Gryffindor was buried halfway into her.

Samus wasn't done with her double yet. She flicked at her Paralyzer and flung the plasma whip at the SA-X. It wrapped around her shoulders and her throat, and in one swift motion, Samus spun and smashed her up against the column. Samus grabbed the sword's hilt, twisted it around, eliciting a horrible wail from her doppleganger. An even louder one followed after Samus pulled the sword out and ran her through again, this time making sure to skewer her heart.

Instead of the pus-like yellow glop, blood began flowing like water from the SA-X's stab wounds. "_NOW_ I've passed the test," Samus snorted disdainfully, still clinging to the sword as the SA-X slid down the column. Samus knelt beside the SA-X as she slid down. "So, _YOU_ got any last words!?"

Blood gurgled up from the SA-X's mouth before words could be forced out. "S-S-So you've past Gryffindor's test. Go on. Go fetch his weapon piece like a good little bitch. I-I-In the end, y-you gain nothing. Even if you stop Dr. Asara's Day of Reckoning, y-y-you have n-nothing but a bleak, lonely future to return to."

"If that's the price I must pay to keep power-hungry madwomen like you and Valkyrie from imposing your wills on an entire universe, so be it," snapped Samus defiantly.

The SA-X simply chuckled, right before coughing up more blood. Once she could speak again, she defiantly jeered, "You think this victory here means anything? That it'll set me back in any way? Take heart in that the sanctity of your mind and body is preserved...for now. But don't go thinking you've rid yourself of me...of the part of yourself you can't stand. You've no idea what's already been set in motion...what _WILL_ be set in motion...."

As the SA-X's diatribe slowed, Samus noticed her breathing was slowing down, and eventually her eyes slid shut just as their yellow-green glow faded out. Samus withdrew the plasma whip and sword as she stood up, staring at her double's skewered corpse. Samus's heart thumped violently in her chest as she looked over the creature that copied so much of her: her body, her legendary Chozo power suit, her skills and knowledge. Just how much of the SA-X was a true reflection of herself? "But it's over now," Samus thought aloud hopefully. "With her defeated here, my mind and body's my own again."

As she spoke those words, though, it surprised Samus how hollow they seemed.

And then, there was a blinding wave of light coming down the corridor. Everything felt tingly for a moment as it swept past Samus, then she lost consciousness altogether.

xxxxxx

When Samus opened her eyes again and light flooded her senses, it took a few moments to remember what had happened and what she was doing. Once the recollection swept over her like a tsunami, she tried to move, only to find her body felt strangely stiff and sore. Looking up as her vision became less blurry, she thought she saw one of Adam's mechanical appendages, one with medical applications, hovering over her. _What? I'm back in my ship and not in Dumbledore's office?_ Samus thought.

Her unspoken question was answered when Adam's synthesized vouce blared, "Harry, Ron, Hermione...Samus is finally awake. Time is short, so let's waste no time bringing her up to speed."

Samus groggily started to sit up, realizing she was on her ship's biobed. "Urgh, finishing the test knocked me out cold?" she asked.

"It sure did. The whole time you had your wand in that relic, I saw your eyes darting around behind your eyelids, your teeth were gritted, the veins in your forehead throbbing...." Hermione got out breathlessly. The trio crowded around her, worry ethced on their faces. Ron and Hermione had their helmets off, but were still wearing their armor, while Harry had opted to take his suit off entirely. "McGonagall tried to break the connection, but the relic wouldn't let her. Just what happened?"

For a moment, Samus was tempted to tell them everything. She was supposed to trust these three, and she had yet to tell anyone that the SA-X was still with them. But as she ordered her thoughts, the urgency of their mission came back to her. "I'll tell you all later," she said quickly. "Hermione, just please tell me you deciphered the last sanctum's coordinates."

"Well, er, when the relic finally let you go, you kind of, well, screamed in pain. You were convulsing on the ground, and McGonagall and I rushed to help you," Hermione said sheepishly. "By the time I turned my attention to the runes it was spitting out, they were already fading."

Samus's eyes widened with horror and anger. "You mean to tell me that I went through all that for nothing!? That we can't go after Gryffindor's piece!?" she cried indignantly.

"Not exactly, Samus," Hermione said quickly. "I did get a quick glimpse. From what I can tell, the last sanctuary is somewhere in Japan."

"So how does that help us!?" Samus demanded impatiently.

"Oh, it'll help us plenty," said Ron. "Y'see, the four Founders...everyone knows they all kinda reflected the four elemental forces seen in all sorts of old myths. Slytherin was water, Ravenclaw was wind, Hufflepuff was earth, so that leaves only fire."

"So...you're saying that Gryffindor's sanctuary is buried in something like an active volcano in that country?" asked Samus, starting to understand.

"Exactly," said Harry with a smile. "Gryffindor must've had his built right inside Mount Fuji. It can't be anywhere else."

Samus took a deep breath, relieved beyond measure. "Good. Now that I'm awake and you three are here, we can set out. Oh yeah, we still have to fetch J.B. and George, but maybe we should leave Voldemort behind this time. If this sanctum's in the heart of a volcano, he'll be more of 'a fifth wheel', as they say in this time, than before. Let's not lose any more time than we need to."

"Excuse me, my dear Lady, but there are a couple things you must be made aware of," Adam interjected delicately. "First of which is, well, much time has been lost already. Whatever solving the last Founder's puzzle involved for you, it left you unconscious for over twenty-hour hours. Even neurostimulants had no effect. Going by Britain's time, it is moments away from being midnight and July 3rd."

"WHAT!?" Samus yelled in disbelief, standing straight up. But as horrible feelings of soreness racked her body, the idea of being asleep for over a day didn't seem so outlandish. Still, frustration welled up within her. "You're telling me you've known the location of the last sanctum for over a day and haven't moved out!?" she demanded, overwhelmed with disbelief.

"What good would it have done?" asked Ron, shrugging his shoulders. "You're the one who has to take Gryffindor's piece."

"Plus, this'll be the most dangerous sanctuary," Hermione added. "We barely survived the other three, what with all of the Founders and Chozo's tests, and Inferno forces popping up around every corner. I doubt we'd get far without you."

The apologetic looks in the trio's eyes drove home for Samus, once again, how this mission called for her doing the thing she hated and feared most: lead. Samus sat down again, holding her head in her hand.

"It's not like we've been sitting around with our thumbs up our arses, though," said Ron sheepishly. "While you were asleep, all sorts of disasters have been popping up in England, and we've been putting our suits to good use. Had to secure Parliament from a gaggle of wyvern-riders this afternoon, for one thing...."

"Anyway, Lady, the three were fully prepared to move out for Mount Fuji an hour ago," Adam cut in. "But then something made me decide it was better to keep them, and you, here."

"Oh great. And just what might that be?" spat Samus.

"I completed the final analyses of Petunia Dursley's tissue samples, and the dark secrets held within," said Adam. "Dr. Asara's scheme is almost exactly as what you postulated." Samus looked back up, her eyes widening as she felt the color drain from her face. "Furthermore, Hermione aided me in finally deciphering the meaning behind the formulas Lord Voldemort ripped from Dursley's mind."

"Yeah, before we do anything else, we better arrange to have Aunt Petunia moved out of here," said Harry. "Hermione and Adam think they know what's wrong: Hogwarts itself is killing her."

"The school itself? That doesn't make any sense," said Samus.

"It's all the magic around the place. Turns out the concentration of magical energy in the air...it's more than any other place on Earth," Ron chimed in. "She was fine as a frog, it seems, but now that she's human again...."

"It all has to do with the mechanism behind Dr. Asara's transfection process," said Adam grimly. "But there's one bright spot: Harry believes there may be a way to ultimately turn this against Inferno. Now that you are awake, you must present this information to all of our allies. There may yet be a way to contain Inferno permanently, if we act swiftly enough. First, have a look at the abridged account yourself."

Samus heard the screen at the science station flare up. Gritting her teeth, Samus stood up and gingerly walked over to it. As Adam rolled down all the data he had collected, Samus could feel her blood get colder and colder. Indeed, it was almost exactly like what she expected to find. The question now was now to stop it. And as she read more, Samus could sense her three friends behind her, reading the very same data.

And afterwards, all four finally knew that the Day of Reckoning HAD to be stopped, no questions asked.

xxxxxx

Several minutes later, the four of them were heading for the Defense Against the Dark Arts room. Adam had relayed the message that the top members of the remaining Ministry, the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters were to meet there, and his special holoprojector was taken there too, to help with the briefing.

Harry nervously fiddled with his helmet, making sure it was fastened tight. If he left his mind unshielded, he had no doubt Voldemort could easily force himself into it, given how going over this intel would undermine any mental control he had. It felt so odd...for years, the Order kept delivering dire news to him. Now Harry had to help brief the Order on what would be the end of the world as they knew it.

Harry walked ahead of everyone else, reaching for the door handle when they reached the classroom. He was about to open it, but then he overheard sharp, vehement voices.

"They cannot put off going on the offensive any longer!" snapped Voldemort venomously. "We have known the location of Inferno's topside bases for days, all the remaining wizards and Muggles ready to fight have been clandestinely assembling for the strike, and now, a good number of Inferno's forces are being recalled for some reason! There won't be a more perfect time for a surprise attack!"

"But what if that means we play our hand too early, and it turns out Valerie's holding all the aces?" came J.B.'s cool, collected voice. "Yeah, all the intel suggests most of these screwballs are returning to base, but it also looks like they're assembling their chess pieces too. Their activity back home in the States has been escalating for days. They're planning something big, and if our counterresistance gets too tangled up when they lower the boom...."

"It's not just his country," McGonagall cut in. "What information we've gathered also suggested more Inferno forces are being hidden somewhere off the coast of Iceland. They must have their sites on something in Europe as well...most likely _US_."

"Wasn't all this supposed to end once the Muggle mercenary eliminated that alien ghost?" Bellatrix interjected. "Figures, she goes comatose on us when her and her pack were one step away from doing that. She better have a good reason for calling us all here instead of getting on that right away."

Samus brushed past Harry and slammed open the door with her arm cannon, holding her helmet in her other arm. Many tables were shoved together, with Voldemort, Bellatrix and Greyback seated at the classroom's darkest corner, many masked Death Eaters silently standing behind them. Scrimgeour and Umbridge were closest to the door, immediately turning and frowning upon seeing who just joined them. Scrimgeour, in particular, scowled upon seeing how Harry had taken hold of Hufflepuff's piece. Harry simply tuned him out. "Trust me, Bellatrix, I have plenty good reason," said Samus. "There's a good chance that once that final piece is ours, Valkyrie will have already won."

"Yeah. We think we've cracked the secret of her Muggle-mutating trick, and it's not a pretty picture," said Ron.

"Ah, sounds like you're finally convinced that her scheme is the grossest violation of the natural order," sneered Voldemort.

"Not quite, Voldemort," Harry shot back. "We've just finally realized that the price of Valkyrie's dream, this last part of it, is way, way too high. Makes what she pulled last night around the world...it's nothing compared to this final plague of hers."

"The operative word being 'plague'," added Hermione tersely. "Adam, show them."

The ring-like machine in the middle of the tables hummed to life, and from the top, it spat out a single projection. It looked like some bizarre shellfish with a milky-white sheen, with a long needlelike projection from one end of its sleek body, and what looked like dozens of pinchers protruding from under a husk on the other, ready to latch onto something and never let go. "This specimen is only about 500 nanometers long, magnified at about 145000 times," said Adam. "And unless we act soon, it will be the author of another worldwide paradigm shift."

"Hold it hold it...you're telling us some sort of germ is going to make all the Muggles like us?" asked Fred dubiously.

"That's exactly what he's saying," said Samus. "Already in your time, specially engineered viruses are being used to treat genetic defects. Valkyrie has taken that basic concept a step farther."

"Something only a few hundred nanometers wide is about to change the world forever," Hermione grumbled with disbelief.

"You're...sure about this?" asked McGonagall hesitantly.

"Unfortunately, yes. It's what I had suspected for a while, and while I was comatose, Adam finished up the research and confirmed it," said Samus. "Adam, go ahead and bring up part of Captain Granger's genetic profile."

The image of the shellfish-like virus faded away, only to be replaced by several long double-streams of As, Ts, Gs and Cs. Harry knew full well what Samus was about to explain. Over the last few days, Samus helped him become intimately familar with basic genetics. She never bothered the first time she landed in his time, after his own transfection, but circumstances had changed since she came back. Harry just hoped she could make everyone else understand.

"These represent base pair sequences from several different chromosomes in the captain's genome, taken from epithelial cells lining his trachea," explained Samus. "Long story short, pertinent base pairs code for crucial proteins. That's DNA's sole function. But the samples were taken less than twenty-four hours ago, and for all appearances are nothing but junk DNA, not coding for anything."

"But then, we put the cells in a special medium, then added viral samples we isolated from...an Inferno soldier we've taken hostage," said Adam. Suddenly, all but one of the gene sequences faded away, and the remaining one was magnified. "This particular sequence is found on the 22nd chromosomal pair." As he said that, another sequence of equal length flared into existence next to it. "And this is the same sequence, taken several hours after a virus culture was added.

As everyone studied the two gene strands, Harry saw the light of dawning wash over more and more faces. Greyback was the first to state the obvious. "A lot of the letter orders, they're...completely different," he muttered.

"Exactly. That's what a mutation is, and there's no doubt this virus induces them," said Samus seriously. "Now have a look from the sequence from the exact same region on Ron's genome." A third string of letters sprang up, this one identical to the altered version of J.B.'s. Nervous whispering broke out among many of the Death Eaters and Aurors. "Guessing by the structure of the protein this encodes for, it's probably a neurotransmitter," Samus went on, ignoring them. "Perhaps it's what lets your kind perceive ghosts and dementors and the like visually. But that's not important right now. There's many mores examples of altered genes we've picked out from our test cell sample. No time to decipher them all. All we need to know is that this is what's caused all the Muggles that emigrated to Inferno these last sixteen years to mutate."

"And thus why we have dubbed this condition 'Ragnarok Syndrome'," added Adam. "We know Dr. Asara swore to Scrimgeour and Umbridge that she would be a real-life Valkyrie, bringing about a 20th century version of the mythical battle of Ragnarok. This is how she created an army to do it."

"Feels like you're doing Asara too much of a favor, though, giving this disease of hers a cool-sounding name," said Fred idly. George immediately smacked his twin upside the head.

"What this affliction is called is irrelevant," said Kingsley. "Just...how can one virus do all this? I know enough about them to know they can't infect every type of human cell."

"All too true," said Adam, and suddenly the three gene sequences were replaced by a transparent model of a human body. In particular, the heart, lungs and brain were clearly visible. "It had no apparent effect on tissue samples from Ron, so it seems those with magic already are immune. Anyway, for the virus to have the proper effect, we suspect it must first come in contact with epithelial lining like the trachea and espohagus. Further infiltration occurs in the squamous tissue of the lungs once breathed in." Harry watched as the holographic image showed a noxious, opaque gas entered the model's lungs. "Naturally, only a fraction of the viruses breathed in would hijack the cellular machinery to replicate itself. The rest would simply inject the new strands of human DNA to be inserted."

"And once viruses are carried back to the heart via systemic circulation, the heart is the next organ to be infiltrated. Once they enter coronary circulation, the cardiac muscle and the pacemaker system are transfected next," Samus explained as the model zoomed in on the heart, sickly white dots flowing through the vessels feeding the heart. "It isn't long before they reach the brain, then slither on into the spinal column."

"What about...the immune system? Won't the body try to fend these things off?" asked Arthur.

"Indeed it will, but Valkyrie's a clever one. She factored that into bringing about Ragnarok Syndrome," said Hermione.

"Yes. As more of the virus spreads throughout the body, all the phagocytotic immune cells mount their attack and try to destroy them," said Samus. "But after studying our...prisoner, we can conclude this only helps the process. The immune cells can't phagocytize all the viruses before reaching lymph organs. Once there, the virus almost takes on a mind of its own, bursting out and infiltrating lymph tissue. There, they instruct cells to specifically synthesize viroids."

"Viroids?" repeated Bellatrix incredulously.

"Bits of DNA that can infiltrate a cell without a virus depositing them," said Samus. "Trillions of them get released at a time. We're not sure how, but these viroids eventually splice the remaining mutant genese for sorcery into the rest of the body's cells. The whole transfection process probably comes full circle in less than a day."

"Wait wait wait wait wait," Greyback cut in. "If this stuff'll change Muggles just by them breathing it in, why hasn't Valkyrie released it all over the planet already?"

"Because this virus can't survive in open air. It needs some sort of fluid medium to stay intact long enough to infect someone," said Hermione.

"Plus, there's another reason Valkyrie hasn't released it yet, and it has to do with why it took so long for Valkyrie to perfect her virus," said Samus. "Valkyrie didn't have the means to perform the final step in creating wizards and witches until she got hold of Harry. Or rather, his Metroid DNA."

"These germs...they have bits of the alien juice you stuck in that boy!?" demanded Umbridge. "She seeks to have pieces of these inhuman beasts infecting all of us!?"

"Can one of us please go slap her? Hard?" asked Ron innocently.

"Maybe later," said Samus offhandedly. "Anyway...giving these viruses Metroid-style traits was done for one reason: to establish magical cores."

"Magical cores...the indwelling field of magical power that slowly builds as a child grows," muttered Lupin. "It's the reason why children have such little control of magic and it explodes out of some. It takes so much time for the core to merge harmoniously with the physical body."

"And an adult suddenly gaining the genes for magic would have it even worse. It probably wouldn't even happen, and all the mutations would be useless," said Harry. "That's what these mini-Metroids are for...to transfer energy and make it into a stable magical core straightaway."

"Oh no...this is what the formulas I found allude to, do they not?" Voldemort asked hotly.

Harry nodded. "You heard what Tesla bragged about, about Valkyrie 'shrouding the entire planet in total darkness'. This is what she needed Kor-Zor for."

"Precisely. Assuming she's milked him enough to disperse his power across the whole planet, all the dark energy will give the viruses all the power they need to create magical cores within any infected humans. The dark matter is probably to create a suitable medium that they can survive in. Once that happens, Valkyrie can release the virus in the air, and there's her Day of Reckoning," said Samus.

"Sounds like something many here would actually applaud, for reasons I will never fathom," said Voldemort. "I suspect there's a special reason you want to see her Day of Reckoning thwarted."

"You bet there is. Samus and Adam think there could be a problem with the virus," said Ron.

"A problem with the virus?" repeated McGonagall fearfully. "You mean...it could kill all the Muggles instead!?"

"A good number of them. Valkyrie must've designed this virus so that once the core was established and the transfection complete, the immune system eventually purges most of the viruses," Samus explained, sounding more dire. "But this isn't exactly a virus, as it shows some basic signs of life, like limited movement and response to stimuli. In the prisoner we studied, we found a sizable number of viruses had burrowed into liver tissue and laid dormant."

"Like malaria," Hermione added bitterly.

"And once she was brought here, and the magical aura around Hogwarts turned these viruses back on, everything went crazy," Harry chimed in. "The virus adapted and started going out of control. Like cancer, it kept on going and it probably won't ever stop." Harry shut his eyes, knowing that Aunt Petunia had little hope of survival, even if she was ferreted away from Hogwarts right then. Madam Pomfrey had arranged for Bill and Charlie to get her out, then try to curb the runaway infection. Harry silently prayed she could help her the way she saved him with Samus's DNA. Despite all she had done, Harry couldn't bring himself to hate her so much, he wanted her dead.

"Going by the formulas Voldemort wrested from our test subject, the dark energy and dark matter nourishing this virus would not dissipate from Earth's atmosphere for several days. More than enough time for those humans vulnerable to an out-of-control infection to have the viruses hiding in their livers proliferate and adapt," Adam went on. "As the condition worsens, the toxins produced by the runaway viral infiltration would overwhelm the hepatic and renal systems, causing their shutdown and ultimately the death of the host," Adam finished. To the others, his voice must've sounded cold, but Harry could feel the horror behind those words.

It was a long time before anyone spoke again. Even the Death Eaters seemed slightly taken aback. Finally, Fleur dared to ask, "How...how many Muggles would be affected this way?"

"We're not entirely sure what host factors will predispose the virus to adapting and turning deadly after taking up residence in the liver," said Adam "But by our current projections...no less than 4.2 percent of non-magical humans would be affected this way."

"Oh my...what's 4.2 percent of over five and a half billion?" asked Arthur, his face ghost-white.

"A lot," said Hermione gravely. "The exact number, though, it's got to be in the hundreds of millions."

"Yes. Well over 230 million," Adam informed them.

Harry knew all this going into this briefing, but hearing Samus and Adam explain it once more chilled him to the bone yet again. Seeing the faces of all his friends in the Order, their utter sense of horror, made it even worse. Then his gaze drifted over to Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and his stomach churned from seeing their now indifferent looks. "Yeah yeah, we know you don't give a damn about all the Muggles that'll be killed," Harry snapped at them. "Of course, you should be more worried about the ones that'll survive."

"Yeah, no doubt this is meant to be Valkyrie's final revenge against you lot, the Ministry...the entire Wizarding world," said Hermione.

"So, when you said Val's goal was to alter humanity's evolution...." Slughorn began.

"This is what she meant," said Samus. "Not only is she going to make the rest of humanity like your kind, she's uprooting everything in their world. Ravaging entire militaries, throwing everything into chaos and confusion, razing all the religious sites...it's all Valkyrie's way of jump-starting her idea of natural selection, in preparation for when she forces these mutations on everyone. She wants to steer all of Earth's future social development from Inferno, as well as make all of humanity the same biologically."

"And this is what she thinks Lily would want?" asked Slughorn, sounding hopeless. "The rest of the world made just like ours, at such high a cost for Muggles everywhere?"

"Luckily, there's still might be time to stop it," said J.B. brightly. "Like any other biological weapon, Valerie needs a mode of delivery. If we can find out what she plans to use and destroy it before she launches it, that'd buy Samus enough time to get her weapon piece and wipe out Kor-Zor."

"And what happens after that, assuming both are possible?" demanded Scrimgeour. "Asara will still have her armies and the designs for this virus. What would stop them from trying again, from finding another power source for her plague?"

"Finally, an intelligent question from you, Minister," came a voice Harry never expected to hear again anytime soon. Gasping, Harry looked beside Scrimgeour, seeing Cornelius Fudge there for the first time. "But I recall being told that Mr. Potter had stumbled upon another...miracle solution."

Harry took a deep breath, stepping forward. "Well, I do have an idea about how we can get this virus to work for us," he said. "That fact that a good number of Inferno's citizens still have bits of this virus stuck in them, it gives us an opportunity."

"What kind of opportunity? Some way to turn this virus against Asara's soldiers?" demanded Bellatrix.

"In a way, yes. All we have to do is set up a Quarantine Charm. A big Quarantine Charm, and I mean a _really_ big one," said Harry. "Set it to detect this virus, extend it all around Inferno, and then nothing gets in or out."

"And...just how do you propose a charm of that magnitude be maintained indefinitely?" sneered Voldemort, obviously not taking Harry seriously.

Harry simply took a moment to relish Voldemort's haughty attitude, right before revealing the next part of his plan. "That's where you come in, Riddle," he beamed at Voldemort, leaning forward a little. "You've had giants rerecruited for a while now. Don't pretend you haven't put them to work, mining that crystal and making more of those magical conduits. The ones you used to rebuild that space station must've been left over from the last time you had giants on your side."

"So if you want Valkyrie's life work contained, Voldemort, you'll cough up every bit of crystal your giants have processed for you," added Samus. "And once her topside bases are smashed, we deploy these crystals all around Inferno, have a Quarantine Charm cast through them, and that's it. Inferno is sealed away forever."

"But not destroyed!" Voldemort shot back angrily. "You know full well, Samus, no one in this world will safe so long as Inferno still stands. I would've expected a better plan from...."

"Face facts, Voldemort!" snapped Hermione. "America went all-out with nukes a few days ago and accomplished NOTHING. If nuclear weapons won't do the job, nothing else we've got will!"

"So we settle for the second-best thing: we bottle them up forever," said Ron.

Voldemort let out a disdainful snort, and long moments passed before he spoke up again. "It...is doubtful that I have enough of the giant's crystal for what you're suggesting," he said evenly. "Troops that some of my Death Eaters managed to get information out of...they bragged about Inferno covering a surface area the size of Spain. Such a charm would be spread too thin with what I can offer."

"That may not be a problem," said Harry. "We saw there was more in Hufflepuff's sanctuary, remember? If we get some people back there and strip those tunnels, that might be enough to...."

Harry was interrupted by the door bursting open. "Everyone, you'd better come outside and look at what going on," said Luna, her voice more serious than Harry could ever remember. Despite her carefree nature, Harry knew Luna wouldn't barge into a meeting like this unless something important was up.

Everyone looked around, muttering things to each other, until a few Death Eaters and Aurors started to shuffle out of the room, their curiosity piqued. The rest soon followed suit. They made their way to the nearest courtyard, far from the one where Samus's ship was docked and hidden. A good number of other witches and wizards taking refuge in Hogwarts were already there too, along with many Muggle troops. All were staring up, fixated on something. Luna ran ahead of them all, and after stepping out into the courtyard, pointed straight up. All across the night sky above Hogwarts, dazzling ribbons of greenish energy were snaking and swirling. "Just what on Earth are those?" demanded Voldemort.

"What's commonly referred to as the aurora borealis," said Samus. "It's typically caused by extraneous solar activity, like stray solar winds or...."

Samus's eyes widened, and Harry realized what had dawned on her. "The CME...it's finally here!?" he asked nervously. Samus could only nod.

"Oh, this is bad. Real bad," said Ron. "Hermione was telling me earlier that when one of these things hit back in 1859, a lot of the enchantments in the school seem to weaken. Thieves were able to fly in on brooms and nick stuff from Hogwarts for weeks...."

What that historical tidbit, the gravity of their situation hit Harry like a troll's club. It clearly hit Samus as well, for she cried out, "Valkyrie's coming! She's been waiting until the coronal ejection hit before trying to invade Hogwarts!"

"You sure about that?" asked McGonagall anxiously.

"You're the one who said her forces are still amassing out on the ocean somewhere!" barked Samus. "And like Voldemort's been saying, Valkyrie would eventually come in force. That must be part of the reason why she induced the ejection in the first place, so that could attack even if Tesla was put out of commission. With her on the mend, Valkyrie had to wait for this to hit!"

"So what are we standing around here for!?" demanded Harry. "We've got our work cut out for us!" His outburst finally seemed to rally everyone. Muggle soldier, Death Eater, Auror and Order member alike all rushed off somewhere, preparing for what was sure to be a long siege.

As for Samus, Harry, Ron and Hermione, they darted across the castle, back to the courtyard with their ship. Minutes later, the four of them were busily toiling away on the ship, making last-minute preparations and repairs. Hardly anyone said a word to each other, leaving a crucial question unanswered: should they stay and defend the castle, or flee to find Gryffindor's lair?

Harry jumped down from the ship's roof, having come out after helping Adam do last-minute patch jobs on his computers. Standing in front of the nose of the ship, Harry looked back up at the aurora borealis streaking the sky above Hogwarts. _Say what you will about Valkyrie, but the woman sure knows how to plan in advance,_ he thought morosely.

Out the corner of his eye, Harry saw J.B. and George rush out to meet them. When he turned to face them, however, Harry saw Bellatrix was tailing right behind them, a broom slung over her shoulder. Further behind, Fudge huffed with exhaustion as he ran after them.

"We're ready to move out, but according to Lestrange, things look bad. REAL bad," said George breathlessly.

"Got back from doing recon with other Death Eaters," said Bellatrix tonelessly. "The bounty hunter was right. Asara's moving invasion forces through the Forbidden Forest, aided by those damnable centaurs. Thousands of her soldiers...they'll be all around us in less than half an hour. Also spotted her wyvern-riders and more Muggle flying machines. Nearly shot us down before we could head back."

"Good thing Scrimgeour and your Order had the forsight to draw up evacuation plans in the event on an attack like this," added Fudge, still panting. "The thing is, though, it may take hours to implement, and there's no telling how long we can hold back these...these monsters."

"Then we should stay and help," said Hermione resolutely. Harry turned to see her donning her helmet, a grim, serious look still visible behind her visor. "With this ship and our suits, we can put plenty of hurt on these Inferno goons."

"A united front is still vital. We have yet to wipe out their topside bases," Samus chimed in. "It's decided then. We stay until everyone can be evacuated."

"In that case, you better be there when the time comes," spat Bellatrix. "The Dark Lord has backed you up and fulfilled his end of our bargain so far." With that, she mounted her broom and flew out of the courtyard, leaving J.B., George and Fudge behind.

J.B. and George wasted no time on words, going straight for the ship, though J.B. did pause to smile and nod proudly at his niece. This left Fudge standing alone, looking quite flummoxed. Harry found his presence strangely awkward. They had never talked face-to-face after Voldemort's exposure in the Ministry.

Eventually, Fudge worked up the courage to approach Harry. "Mr. P-P-Potter, not quite sure how to say this, b-but...can it be more plain how wrong everyone was about you?" he blubbered. "I w-w-won't pretend to understand half of what's going on around here, b-b-but I must apologize profusely f-f-for...for keeping that HAG on as Undersecretary! I-I-If I had any idea of how sadistic she was, the things she did! And now advising her co-conspirator...I guess I feel I must tell you, once this is over, I'm resigning from the Ministry. I refuse to be part of their mess any longer. I know it's too little too late, but...."

"Fudge, it's no big deal," said Harry simply, finally having heard enough. "You're not to blame for what they did. As for what Valencia Asara's doing...that's no one's fault but her own."

Fudge nodded dully, still looking pale and nervous, before turning to leave the courtyard, occassionally glancing at Harry over his shoulder. Harry shook his head. He had yet to really forgive Fudge for all his bungling, but there was no time to waste dwelling on him.

"And you wonder why I'm fed up with the world as it is, seeing spineless vermin like that helping sow the seeds of ruin wherever I go," came a cold, sultry voice Harry now knew all too well. Popping his wand out, Harry whirled around and faced the ship. Valkyrie was right under it, calmly walking toward him. Harry was about to sling curses, but then she walked right through a landing strut. "Don't worry, it's really just a projection this time. Though as you know, my forces and I are on our way here."

"Don't let us stop you, then," spat Samus as she approached her projection, Ron and Hermione right behind her.

"We're not leaving anytime soon. Since you're so hellbent on causing as much chaos as possible, it's only fair we help out," Ron snarled. "Go on, invite all your Inferno pals over. We worked over three of your Reformers, we can trash the rest of your army too."

"As self-assured as ever, a true credit to the Weasley name," quipped Valkyrie flippantly. "But actually, I'm here to make you four an offer. You know exactly what I'm after here. Surrender your three GF Marine suits and turn Petunia Dursley over to me, and I'll order my forces to withdraw."

"You've been working up toward this attack for days, just waiting until the coronal ejection hit," said Samus tersely. "You expect us to believe that if we simply cave to your demands, you'll all skip off to your underwater home, and that's that? Somehow, I don't think so."

"Samus is right. We know you can't resist another chance to cause more chaos and destruction, especially after what you did yesterday, to all those religious sites," barked Hermione.

"But tell you what: we'll go ahead and hand over Aunt Petunia, since it might be the only way to save her," Harry cut in. "Thanks to that virus you pumped her full of, she's been slowly dying ever since she was brought here. Just like how millions more Muggles will die once you release that virus worldwide, on top of the hundreds you killed yesterday for no good reason."

Valkyrie whirled to face Harry, her eyes wide with surprise. "So...you've been probing Ped all this time until you uncovered my secret," she said flatly. "Well met...you and Samus truly are the best detectives to ever walk this Earth. Not that it'll matter if I can disperse my virus before your superweapon is assembled."

"Weren't you listening!? Hundreds of millions will wind up dead thanks to that virus! Dursley's been coughing up her guts for days, and that's what loads more Muggles will be looking forward to!" Ron yelled.

Valkyrie stared at Ron for a moment. "Then go ahead and release her to me," she said coolly, not sounding as if she believed them.

"And what about the other Muggles who're at risk for the same reaction to your virus?" demanded Hermione.

"I've been aware that...complications with the virus can arise, and am prepared to act quickly to treat any such reactions," said Valkyrie, though to Harry it sounded quite half-hearted. "But I can't let any such concerns stop us now, not when Inferno's so close to fulfilling our ultimate goal. I swore on Lily's grave I'd make her wildest hope come true, and in a few days, it'll finally happen."

"No matter how many more people die needlessly!?" demanded Harry. "It doesn't matter what you try to do after you let out that virus. Despite your best efforts, loads of people will die and you know it. Just like how so many Muggles died at those religious places, in spite of all the Muggle-Repelling Charms your cronies threw up."

"You see, Asara, at the end of the day, despite all your talk about helping guide humanity, doing all this in Lily Potter's name...you're no different than Voldemort. No different from anyone who asserts that the ends justify the means," said Samus resolutely.

"That's why we're DEFINITELY not going to be swayed by you now, no matter how you justify what you've done and what your trying to do. And the end of the day, that's all people can be judged by: by what they do," added Hermione.

"Go ahead, send your invasion force in. We don't care," spat Samus. "We're going to keep fighing you every step of the way. There's no other choice."

"And you know I've got no other choice put to keep pressing on, to make sure that what's happened to me and my closest friends never happens to anyone else...or you four and your friends for that matter," Valkyrie shot back.

"Yeah, we know," was all Harry said.

Valkyrie glowered at them all. The crushing realization that the four of them would never side with her finally seemed to get through to Valkyrie, and it filled her with a cold, calculating hardness. "Then get ready for the fight of your lives," she snarled, right before her projected image faded away.

xxxxxx

Well, now that it's 2010, I expect we'll be hearing more details about_ Metroid: Other M _plenty soon. Personally, I'm eager to see what Team Ninja's cooked up. After the delightful mindfucks that were _Metroid Fusion _and _Metroid Prime_, I've learned to keep my fanboy mouth shut and not gripe about drastic change.

At least when it comes to this series; not too sure about how _Castlevania_ and _Sonic_ will turn out. Oh, I'm sure _Castlevania: Lords of Shadow _will be ridiculously fun, since I thought all the previous 3D games in the series were FAR from terrible. But one thing nags me: the vibe that this game is a 'reboot'. Excuse me? How can Konami spend 24 years building up such an epic mythology only to wipe the slate clean, without even giving us a game about the final battle in 1999!? And while many fans are elated over _Sonic the Hedgehog 4_, I just don't know about a new 2D game on console, since most of the 2D sequels on Nintendo's handhelds felt like shallow imitations of the Genesis classics.

So long,  
Grey-X


	37. Evolve or Die

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning  
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover  
Chapter 37: Evolve or Die  
3-10-2010  
by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

"Everyone, we're lifting off!" Samus told everyone as she manned the controls for her ship. Now that Valkyrie saw where her ship was throuh her projection, they had to move it to another spot, as Valkyrie was sure to target it. Furthermore, with its weapons, they could help repel Inferno's air assault for a time. The ship steadily rose out of the courtyard, and soon, the view of the stone walls in front of the cockpit was replaced by the night horizon. Thick clouds had blown in, and even from within the cockpit, Samus could practically feel the chill winds forcefully blowing everywhere.

Samus also saw they weren't the only ones taking off. She easily made out Bellatrix Lestrange rising on her broom, along with several scores of Death Eaters and Aurors. Bellatrix didn't even spare them a glance as her group took off toward the lake. Through the mist and the darkness, Samus started to make out what they were intercepting. Valkyrie had ordered the wyverns Voldemort described to move in, along with some of her own broom-flying troops and a dozen flying machines from this era, which Samus thought they called 'choppers'.

"I'll be damned...those are Hinds!" J.B. shouted from right behind Samus, sounding surprised.

"Come again?" asked George, who was also right behind her.

"The old model for the attack choppers favored in the former Soviet Union," J.B. said. "Don't think any more've been produced in a decade. Why's Valerie bothering with those old suckers if these got all this Chozo technology?"

"Why bother wasting time and resources making more fancy spaceships, when she can get stuff that's still working and charm them to high hell?" asked George. "Probably the same reason she gives her troops machine guns with charmed bullets instead of laser guns." Samus shivered inside. When considering almost every attacking soldier was given magic by her Ragnarok virus, that fit Valkyrie's style perfectly: make sure you can always throw more at your enemies than they can handle.

The three of them couldn't dwell on it much longer, for the Hinds and the wyverns opened fire on the advancing Death Eaters and Aurors. Jarred into action, Samus sped forward and fired the forward plasma cannons on the nearest Hinds, covering them. She saw her shots ricochet off some sort of defensive charm, but continuous fire soon ripped through them as she strafed past. Other Hinds were moving in, though, firing missiles.

Too close to evade, they smacked into the ship's shielded rear with devastating force. Samus heard her passengers scream as they got tossed around the ship. Acting on instinct, Samus barrel-rolled to deflect the rest of the missiles, then did a loop-de-loop, winding up behind the Hinds. Samus quickly opened fire, sending another Hind to the ground, now nothing but flaming scrap metal. But now wyverns were closing in from all sides. Their fire breath wasn't draining the shields much, but the rockets and spells fired by their riders were a different story.

"Lemme get on top, Samus. I'll clear some of these out for you," George insisted, sounding more confident than Samus felt. But it soon proved unnecessary after something they never expected to see in Hogwarts again rushed in. A trio of dementors emerged from the darkened, cloudy sky, going right for the wyverns. Each one of them grappled a rider and plucked them clean off. As they flew away with their quarry, Samus saw the riders squirm, and instinctively knew they had received the Dementor's Kiss.

Repressing another shudder, Samus returned her attention to the battle. More dementors swooped down, going after the Inferno troops on brooms, but some sent out hastily-cast Patronuses to cover all their flanks. The Patronuses' casters could still use submachine guns, while the troops they covered kept lashing out with both spells and bullets. A hail of bullets, along with covering fire provided by another Hind, forced a slew of Death Eaters to break off. Some couldn't shield themselves in time and were ripped clean through. Samus could see Bellatrix shriek in outrage from the cockpit. She recklessly swooped down while flanked by dementors, lashing out with curse after curse, cutting down one broom-mounted soldier after another.

More gunfire from the Hinds forced Samus to focus on the threats right in front of them. A few skillful moves and well-timed shots took care of more Hinds, but Samus could see more coming in from across Hogwarts's lake. "How many of these Hinds is Valkyrie going to throw at us?" Harry demanded from the back of the ship. "We can't stop them all by ourselves. Her invading force'll still reach the castle soon enough, we better think about getting back soon."

"We can do it sooner than you think! Look at what's taking off from the Quidditch field!" J.B. exclaimed. Samus spared a glance to see J.B. was looking out a side-window. "Oh, here's another reason I love the Brits...they sure know how to manufacture some dame fine jets!"

Samus was about to ask what he meant, but was too busy dealing with wyverns and Hinds flanking the ship. But the blips on her ship's radar suddenly fizzled out. The next thing Samus knew, craft about half the size of the Razor Knight swooped over them, cutting loose with a hail of gunfire and missiles. Samus had no idea what they were, but Hermione recognized them. "Harrier jets...oh, and some of the Royal Air Force's own helicopters!" she cried giddily. "Oh, when Scrimgeour said he convinced the Prime Minister to fortify the castle, he wasn't kidding!"

"We've got dozens of each, from the looks of it," said Ron. "Hopefully, if they've all got a wizard co-pilot, then they'll have a shot at winning this. If we're lucky, they'll keep Asara's air troopers away for a while."

Samus watched as the Royal Air Force's craft plowed into Asara's approaching armada, backed up by their wizarding allies on brooms. One could easily tell that they had been running simulations and preparing just for this. Samus saw charms issued from the Harrier jets, creating small vortexes of air that destabilized the Hinds and wyverns they swept past, leaving them easy prey for their allies. Realizing that jumping into the fray again could trip up their carefully-laid battle plans, Samus turned the ship around and headed back for the castle. Harry was right. They had done their part here. Now it was time to make their stand at Hogwarts itself.

As Samus zoomed back across the lake, she saw several British soldiers and Ministry workers busily working by the water's edge. Several moderately-sized, primitive-looking wooden ships were docked there as well. "Looks kinda like the ship Durmstrang arrived in," noted Ron. "That must be how they'll get everyone out."

"Valkyrie'll be expecting something like that, though. Just hope the Royal Navy is close with some subs, ready to cover them after getting out to open sea," said Hermione warily.

Samus inhaled deeply as they neared the castle, their battle plan becoming clearer. They had to stay long enough to cover the mass exodus. As the ship hovered over Hogwarts, Samus noted how things changed since they sped out to repel the air invasion. Several of the towers...it was as if the stone walls had folded away like the entrance to Diagon Alley. Now cannons and machine gun turrets were poking out, firing wildly. The towers were even whirling and pivoting around to get a bead on targets. Furthermore, there were turrets and soldiers using surface-to-air missile launchers lining the walls. Not only that, Samus spotted wooden catapults behind all of Hogwarts's walls, manned by house-elves hastily loading barrels full of some potion. Samus smirked. Obviously, all of Captain Granger's suggestions were taken to heart.

It looked like Hogwarts's defenses were holding for the moment, so Samus began her descent. But then, something suddenly broke through and fired wildly upon the ship: the Razor Knight. Samus looked up, cursing herself for her carelessness. Her blood boiled upon seeing Wildflower's insufferably smug face, grinning at her from a readout screen that sprang up over the window, zooming in on the enemy cockpit.

However, at the same time, yet another readout screen zoomed in on the antics of Bellatrix Lestrange and a human Inferno trooper she was dueling in midair. The soldier successfully landed a charm that caused Bellatrix's broom to combust and explode. But Bellatrix had launched herself off her broom beforehand, diving right for the soldier. She landed right on the broom behind him, slitting his throat with a silver knife. Before shoving him off, Bellatrix grabbed his rocket launcher. As the trooper's lifeless body crashed onto a rooftop, Bellatrix aimed the rocket launcher and fired at the Razor Knight's underside. The force of the impact made the Razor Knight veer off. By then, some of the towers turned, their fire ensuring the Razor Knight couldn't slip back in, allowing Samus to safely land the ship.

"Having our bacon saved by dementors is one thing, but _BELLATRIX LESTRANGE_ again?" Harry spat acidly.

"Wonder how she figured out how to use that rocket launcher so fast, though," added Ron.

"Doesn't matter. At least she's gotten it through her head that you use whatever you've got to win a war," said Hermione dismissively.

Samus flipped on the stealth field as she nudged her ship closer to the other courtyard. The time it took to safely land to ship seemed to slow to a coma-inducing crawl. Samus glanced out the cockpit window anxiously. British soldiers, Death Eaters and Aurors could be seen running across the courtyards, through the windows and doorways, their apprehension palpable. As Samus felt her own growing, Harry asked, "Anyone know where Voldemort is?"

"He better not have bailed," said Ron bitterly.

"He won't. He planned to take Hogwarts for himself sometime soon, remember? He'll hold on to it as long as he can, trust me," said Harry.

"Then let's go find him. Maybe he has a plan," suggested Samus as she sat up. Having concentrated so much finding the four sanctums and turning them inside-out, Samus realized she hadn't given securing the castle as much thought as she should have. Organizing armies just wasn't her forte, so she was grateful J.B. put everyone on the right track. But hopefully Voldemort had some ideas, too. Samus stepped on the platform that would levitate her out the bottom of the ship, and Harry, Ron and Hermione all followed her out at once.

xxxxxx

J.B. watched the foursome leave with a twinge of regret. It felt so wrong, seeing his niece rush off into the maelstrom like this over and over again. He had no doubt she was capable. Despite raising twins dead-set on living up to the family legacy and putting on uniforms, J.B. always knew there was a subtle, quiet strength to Hermione no one else in the family could ever hope to match. Nevertheless, she was still young and had much to learn, especially about war. Combat was what he had prepared himself for all his life...

"George Weasley, Captain Granger, my diagnostic tells me several starboard thrusters sustained minor damage in that last firefight," said Adam suddenly. "Some repairs will be necessary to ensure a safe departure."

Sighing, J.B. looked around, his eyes falling on something a friend in the Royal Navy had left him the other day. One of many custom-modified M16 assault rifles shipped from America recently, complete with grenade launcher attachment, and supposedly laden with charms cast by Hermione's teachers.

Coming to a decision, J.B. snatched up the rifle and the sack of ammunition. "Adam, can George get all the repairs done by himself?" he hastily asked.

George looked taken aback, and Adam paused a moment before answering. "It...is feasable to assume he can. Why? Do you intend to join this battle yourself?"

"Damn straight I do. I'm a soldier, and this is my fight too," J.B. said defiantly. "Besides, since this ship isn't going anywhere for a while, this'll be my only shot at getting a piece of that vampire for now. Blood-sucking bitch ruined a perfectly good teaching stint..."

"J.B., are you mental?" cried George. "You can't go out there...y-y-you can't use magic!"

"Neither can any of the British soldiers here, and it doesn't seem to bother them," J.B. said dismissively. "I've known a good number of 'em for a long time, and I intend to back them up."

"I know a good number of people here, too! My family's here too! And no offense, but repairing this ship sounds like something better left to you," George protested.

"And no offense, but wouldn't GUARDING the ship be better left to the one WITH magic?" J.B. asked slyly.

George sighed, knowing he was beaten. "OK, you win. I'll get the ship patched up. Just...take this with you." With that, he reached for the pile that J.B. knew was Samus's robe disguise. George removed the Shield Cape and tossed it to him. "Here, extra insurance. Keep yourself alive out there, man. Everyone in the family's come to like you."

"And I them," J.B. replied, stepping onto the levitator pad and putting on the cape.

"Y'know, some of us always wondered why Hermione got into Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw. Now I think I see why," George called after him, grinning. J.B. grinned back as he was lowered out of the ship. Rifle in hand, J.B. made his way out of the courtyard.

J.B. followed a group of British soldiers, thinking they would lead him to some action. But then, he passed a girl with long, dirty blond hair and a lanky, round-faced boy. They looked hopelessly confused, knowing they had to do something but didn't know what. It took a moment for J.B. to recongize them from the other day. At once, J.B. whirled around and ran after them. "Hey, you two!" he called out, and the pair stopped in their tracks. They turned and looked at him with blank expressions, obviously not realizing who he was. "You two are Hermione's friends, right?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," the boy managed to get out. "I'm Neville Longbottom, and this is Luna Lovegood."

"Then you two are with me," said J.B. forcefully. Hopefully that would help instill some confidence in the pair. "C'mon, let's go find something to blow up."

xxxxxx

Voldemort stood his ground atop one of Hogwarts's outer walls, surveying the chaos below. More and more witches and wizards on brooms, Death Eater and Auror alike, had cast off, helping to drive off the invading horde on land along with their airborne foes. Meanwhile, Muggles were perched all along the walls and windows, using their guns and cannons.

A contemptuous sneer crossed Voldemort's face as the chaos unfolded. Now, the Muggles that he had the misfortune of calling his allies were pouring out of the castle. Those things they called 'tanks' and 'jeeps' were moving out, firing wildly on the advancing army, while the wizards they brought with them protected the vehicles as best they could. Unfortunately, the Inferno horde was ready. Many of their troops clustered together, and wove intricate defensive charms over them as they moved forward. Like a snapping turtle, their pace was slow, but Voldemort knew Hogwarts would eventually feel their bite if he did not enter the fray himself. Even worse, Inferno had special tanks of their own, resembling that accursed gyroscope Hufflepuff's drone used against them. Only these had cannons attached. The Muggles' tanks and rockets couldn't seem to land a hit on them as they sped around, firing at will.

Several shells they fired soared right at the castle, effortlessly punching through the weakened, ancient charms around the place. They struck the walls of a tower right behind Voldemort, forcing him to conjure a barrier above him to deflect falling debris. Incensed, Voldemort raised his wand, aiming at the nearest cluster of troops. But before he could fire off a curse, a gust of wind from above knocked him off his feet. Looking up, he saw a wyvern and its rider, ready to douse him in flames.

"Fool. Lord Voldemort cannot be downed so easily!" roared the Dark wizard, raising his wand. Again, things happened so fast, he had no time to cast anything. Someone launched a Conjunctivitus Curse at the wyvern. At once, it flailed about in midair, blinded and howling in agony. Then, while its maw was wide open, someone threw what looked like a navy-blue steel orb into it. Voldemort instantly knew what was going on. A wave of hellish flame soon erupted from the wyvern's belly, engulfing both it and its rider. The metal orb fell dully onto the wall, and it unrolled to reveal Samus Aran. "So, you're finally here," Voldemort said flatly as he and the bounty huntress stared at each other.

"And company, Tommy," came Harry's insufferable voice from behind him. He whirled around to glower at the trio that had vexed him for so long. "We kept Inferno from overtaking the castle by air until our jets and choppers could be launched. Now it's looks like we've more to worry about from the ground."

"Very astute, Potter," sneered Voldemort before turning back to the carnage below. Those gyrotanks had edged ever closer, flanked by centaurs wielding shoulder-mounted cannons. And all around, more and more Inferno soldiers had broken through, ready to scale the walls. "You must hand it to them, Inferno has accomplished quite a feat, amassing such a force undetected in our midst." Then his sneer gave way to a self-assured grin. "That's not to say I cannot do the same. Observe!"

With that, he spread his arms wide, letting the force of his will do what needed to be done down below. He could sense the confusion of the foursome as their beams lanced out to drive back more Inferno troopers on brooms. "OK Snakey, what's going on down there?" demanded Ron. "What're you planning on..."

The boy's words trailed off as the very first of his Inferi burst forth from the rocky ground below, emitting sonorous, chilling wails. Dozens more rose from the ground lining the castle walls, wielding melee weapons carved from bone. Soon enough, thousands of Inferi surrounded the castle, having no will but the Dark Lord's will, ready to defend the castle with no care for self-preservation.

Voldemort smiled to himself again, and his grin grew broader as he looked back to his shocked, reluctant allies. He knew what they were thinking. He had surreptitously planted these Inferi in place over the last few days, in hopes that defending the castle like this wouldn't be necessary, that he could eventually use them to take Hogwarts for himself. Unfortunately, things hadn't turned out the way he liked. Fate did not always favor Lord Voldemort, it seemed.

As they watched the Inferi go to work down below, he realized that was truer than he knew. The Inferno soldiers were still charging forward, undaunted. A gaggle of house-elves and goblins leaped into a crowd of Inferi, hacking away at the animated corpses with knifes and swords. Wyverns swooped down and scorched the ground, incinerating scores of them. However, others groups of Inferi had successfully advanced on the 'turtling' squadrons, their bone weapons piercing through their charms, forcing them to break up.

"Not a bad start, I suppose. But it's obvious they require a bit of backup," said Voldemort coolly. Voldemort spread his arms again, and suddenly, several large rocks strewn about the castle walls, which looked horribly out of place, cracked open to reveal Voldemort's giants. They roared in expectant fury, their lust for blood and violence a palpable thing, right before charging into the chaos.

One giant picked up a decimated, flaming tank by its mangled cannon and swung it like a club, smashing apart one of Valkyrie's gyrotanks with one blow. Another charged at a squad of Inferno troops that had some Muggles in an overturned jeep pinned down, tossing them away like toys. But that was right before centaurs closed in around the giant on all sides, firing cannons and ensnaring him with grappling hooks. Their shells bore into his thick hide, while house-elves started to crawl all over him like ants, driving their blades deep into him and firing curses into the open wounds.

"The giants, too?" cried Hermione with disbelief.

"Here's one time I'm not complaining about giants!" Ron shouted as he downed a wyvern-rider with a well-timed missile. "Hey look, Grawp's out there too. Bloody hell, he's REALLY laying into those gyro-thingies!"

"I hate to admit it, but Voldemort's goon squad'll keep Valkyrie's forces busy for a good long while," said Samus as she kept firing at airborne targets.

"Indeed they will, but I will keep them busier!" shouted Voldemort brusquely as he twirled his wand. This summoned up a roaring pillar of Fiendfyre that travelled along the ground outside a good distance before fizzling out. Once it was gone, he conjured up some gale-force winds carrying huge chunks of ice, knocking many broom-riding attackers out of the sky. "Come in waves or all at once! It matters not, Valencia Asara!" roared Voldemort, his voice magically amplified, booming across the battleground. "Hogwarts is where I draw the line!"

xxxxxx

Draco peered over a rock nestled on a hilly slope overlooking his old school, watching in silent despair as the growing conflict raged all around it. He fidgeted with his spear-broom anxiously. The thought of bringing a bloodthirsty animal like Greyback into Hogwarts still unnerved him. But now, had he only switched sides to bring something far worse to a revered place in his world? Hearing the Dark Lord's booming voice a half hour ago only punctuated how everyone in that castle would fight tooth and nail to hold it as long as possible.

A whooshing sound nearby made Draco look down. More gyrotanks and centaurs were on the move, rushing past and ready to throw themselves into the chaos. "This fresh brigade should help bolster our eastern flank," came Valkyrie's voice suddenly. Turning quickly, Draco saw his boss standing atop the rock, looking out at Hogwarts through Omnioculars, her coat and hair braids fluttering in the gusty winds. How did she suddenly appear there without him noticing? "I admit I miscalculated badly. I should've realized Voldemort would have most of his Inferi here, burrowing their way, not to mention how the Royal Air Force moved more Harriers than we thought."

"But...you think you can end this quickly, without causing too much more destruction, right?" asked Draco, desperately seeking reassurance.

Valkyrie turned to look at him intently. At first, Draco feared she considered he showed weakness, but then said, "I understand how you feel, Draco, I really do. That castle means more to me than you can possibly imagine. But the facts remain: those people in there have Petunia Dursley, have all but one piece of a weapon that'll destroy my life's work. Harry Potter and the Order welcomed Lord Voldemort back in there with open arms, to sully its grounds again. This couldn't be avoided, my hand was forced."

Draco turned back to the battlefield. The sounds of guns and cannons and jets and helicopters assaulted his ears from even this distance. On the ground, in the air...the chaos was exploding everywhere, and for the moment, all Draco could do was wish for it to all end soon. What else could he do?

"Mother, their defenses are holding much longer than we anticipated!" came Faction's strained voice from behind the hill. Draco looked down. Faction's face and arms were covered in things called 'steri-strips' to help mend all the deep wounds caused by curses. Tesla was with him, clad in her containment suit, but was nowhere near as energetic as usual. Clearly, her body had yet to fully heal, depsite her ghost form being recharged. "The Inferi in particular have slowed up our advancement from the north and east. We're taking far more losses than are necessary."

"All too true, son. All too true," said Valkyrie regretfully. Then she turned back to look at the battle through her Omnioculars. "No denying that we've been sucker-punched. Very well. Voldemort and the Royal Air Force have played all their trump cards. It's high time I played mine." With that, she set aside her Omnioculars and touched something on the wrist of her bionic arm. "This is Dr. Asara. Deliver our packages now, half a kilometer from the southeastern and eastern boundaries of the castle."

Draco looked up anxiously, wondering what Valkyrie was planning now. Soon enough, more wyverns swooped over their position. These wyverns were clutching cables with their talons, several of them assigned to haul a huge metal container. More squadrons of wyverns carrying those strange containers followed, and when they neared the castle walls, drawing fire, they roughly dropped their cargo and veered off. "What...what's in those things?" he asked timidly.

"Why not take a look?" Valkyrie suggested coyly. Draco hesitated a moment, staring at her uneasily, before he picked up the Omnioculars and zoomed in on one of the containers. As soon as he had, it broke open from the inside, and Draco gasped upon seeing what emerged.

It was one of the many forms those Metroids mutated into. This one was dubbed the 'Omega' Metroid, if he remembered right. Each stood at least twenty feet tall, the giants barely able to look down at them. Draco zoomed back out, seeing that nearly a dozen Omega Metroids were now on the loose. They reared their heads back, letting out bird-like shrieks...like birds of prey. The one Draco had seen first charged at the nearest giant, toppling her with one forceful shove. A burst of plasma breath at point-blank range reduced her to a charred skeleton.

Draco gulped nervously, setting aside the Omnioculars. "And they're not the only ones, Draco," said Valkyrie, looking up. Draco looked up as well, gasping as he saw scores of Metroids in their larval forms soar overhead, heading right for the castle. For several moments, Draco couldn't speak or even think straight, unable to contemplate what was just unleashed upon Hogwarts. Finally, Valkyrie's commanding voice snapped him out of it. "That should tip the scales back in our favor soon enough. Be ready, Draco. Soon, it will be time for the both of us to move in, as we discussed." Draco gulped again, unable to do anything but nod.

xxxxxx

Samus and Harry span through the air, crossing over to another side of the castle. They touched down on a rooftop just in time. Taking aim, they quickly fired missiles upon a Hind that had a group of soldiers pinned behind cover on another tower. It couldn't veer away before missiles finally took out its blades, sending it crashing to the ground. Harry didn't bother seeing where it landed, too busy scanning the skies for any more incoming enemies. But the next thing to grab his attention came from behind them. Harry heard the house-elves launch their catapults again. He kept looking forward as two barrels soared over their heads, eventually cracking open near an Omega Metroid. As liquid splashed over it, it instantly hardened into thick sheets of ice, trapping it. Harry and Samus didn't even need to look at each other. Both opened fire with missiles, and soon its upper body shattered.

"This is not good. Valkyrie sending her Metroids after us...any advantage we gained from Voldemort setting his Inferi and giants loose will quickly be lost," Samus assessed. Harry caught the solemn tone in her voice. He couldn't begin to guess what was going through her head, having to face the Metroids yet again, and he didn't bother asking. Their attention was needed elsewhere.

A sudden shriek from above made Harry's head jerk up. High above, a Metroid had snatched an Auror clean off her broom. She screamed in terror, but even over that, Harry could hear sucking sounds as the Metroid drained her life force. Harry aimed his wand up, ready to cast Glacius, but the Metroid suddenly let go. When the Auror's body hit the roof, it immediately exploded into a cloud of ash. Harry stared at the fading plume blankly even as he heard Samus land an ice beam shot, following up with missiles.

"Urgh, the air's too thick with Metroids, and most are too high to take out from the castle," snapped Samus. "At least the dementors seem to be able to fend them off for a while. And Voldemort had the decency to bellow the instructions for killing them for all to..."

A sharp, sonorous roar from the other side of the castle cut Samus off. "That...wasn't an Omega Metroid. What did Valkyrie sic on us THIS time?" demanded Harry.

"Don't know, but let's go find out," said Samus sternly.

With that, they space jumped over to a nearby wall, then ran along it, passing by numerous soldiers and wizards desperately trying to hold their ground. Harry caught a cry of "Want some of this, you buggers?" right before a rocket was fired down below, followed by anguished cries of house-elves. The sounds of flung curses and gunfire couldn't drown out all the shouted obscenities. Harry paused a moment to look at the raging battle outside. Muggle, wizard, goblin, house-elf, Inferi, giant, centaur, Omega Metroid...it was utter pandemonium. However, one glance told Harry that Inferno's forces were pressing closer and closer.

Harry caught Samus space-jumping away out the corner of his eye. Jarred back into action, Harry took off after her. Soon enough, they reached the other side of Hogwarts, soaring over the doors leading into the Great Hall, now heavily barricaded. Landing in front of the great doors, Harry and Samus looked down to the docks below, and immediately saw what the commotion was.

At the lake's edge, the upper body of a sea serpent had emerged, spraying at the castle's defenders with powerful, watery breath. They tried their best to repel it with curses and bullets, but the sea serpent kept driving them back. And when it had a clear shot, it aimed a tightly-focused blast of water at the nearest ship, making it explode into splinters.

Again, no words were exchanged between Harry and Samus. They spun through the air, closing in on the sea serpent. _Sea serpents are supposed to be docile, I know that much. Does EVERYTHING Valkyrie touch get twisted and corrupted? _Harry wondered, his anger brewing.

They touched down near the lake, and Harry immediately cut loose with the Bombarda Maxima ice blast. It smacked into its head, driving it back long enough for another ship to depart and disappear under the waves. Samus followed up with charged spazer blasts to its head, keeping it disoriented and eventually drawing blood. Everyone else kept focusing their fire on the sea serpent, wearing it down. But out the corner of his eye, Harry saw something else emerge from the lake. Scores of house-elves and goblins with Bubble Charms cast over their faces burst up out of the water.

Curses and bullets immediately rained down on them. One had a miniature rocket launcher, and fired it at Harry. Harry couldn't jump away in time, and found himself blasted away and then flattened against the marshy ground. Gritting his teeth, Harry pushed himself back up, only to look up and see several house-elves staring back at him, disappointment and hate in their baseball-sized eyes. Some had already readied nonverbal Glacius charms, their wands frosting over. A split-second before the mist overtook him, however, J.B. Granger slid in front of him, his back facing the house-elves. Harry almost cried out, but then noticed he spread out Samus's Shield Cape to cover him. By creating a buffer, the mist washed over them.

"We've got them, Captain. Keep shielding Harry!" came Neville's voice from nowhere. When J.B. let the cape down, whirling around to aim his rifle, Harry saw Neville covering his right side, dueling several house-elves at once. Luna then moved up on his left, easily deflecting the house-elves curses.

"Hello there, Harry. Interesting friends we're all making," said Luna in her usual carefree manner, offering Harry a hand.

Harry took it, trying to piece together what J.B. was doing here with Neville and Luna. From behind him, he heard a Muggle Scotsman shout, "That banana suit cuttin' off yer oxygen, kid! A fogey like ol' Granger had to save yer carcass! Stay alert, boyo!"

"Lay off, that's the kid!" snapped a Muggle woman. "That's the one lookin' for whatever'll wipe out their leader's plans!"

Before Harry could say anything for himself, Samus landed beside him. "That takes care of the sea serpert, but it looks like it took out quite a few ships before we arrived," she said hastily.

"Indeed it has. These two've been helping me cover all the evacuations...but we've lost too many ships!" J.B. exclaimed. "Even if we can keep holding them off, now it'll be impossible to ferry all the nonessential personnel away."

"Oh great, something else is coming in," said Neville suddenly, pointing up at something. Looking up, Harry squinted his eyes, unable to make out anything. Then, he saw something glisten off of something that otherwise blended into the dreary, dark skies.

"That's Draco up there," said Harry as he watched his old rival veer around Hogwarts. "But what's he up to?"

"Harry, from what you've told me...something bigger is heading for us," said Luna evenly, pointing up at something else. This time, Harry had no problem making out what was streaking over Hogwarts, and the sight nearly made him lose it.

It was like a meteor, giving off a deadly, purplish glow as it streaked down. As soon as it dropped out of view, behind some turrets, the whole castle shook, and a sound like shattering glass blasted in their ears.

"Valkyrie," Samus muttered under her breath. "She waited until enough of her aerial attackers could cover her approach, then smashed through what remained of the castle's defensive charms all at once."

"Then let's go get her!" said J.B., loading a grenade.

"No way, Captain!" Harry shouted at once.

"Look, I think we've done all we can out here," Neville said. "If this 'Avenging Angel' is loose in the castle, we've got your backs, mate."

"Look, you've NO idea what Asara's capable of now. Even Voldemort's scared shitless by her for good reason," said Samus.

"Yeah, what she said. Let us handle this," said Harry. Not bothering to wait for their retorts, the duo turned and bounded back up over the doors to the Great Hall, silently praying Valkyrie couldn't do much damage before they reached her.

xxxxxx

"And here I came back to Hogwarts assuming it would be the safest," grumbled Horace Slughorn as he bounced another rocket back at some troops below. Dead bodies flew about and scattered everywhere because of the blast, making Slughorn wince with shame. But another explosion elsewhere rocked the castle, immediately followed by panicked cries of troops finally breaching the castle walls. "Safest, my arse," spat Slughorn as he turned his attention to some goblins trying to scale the walls with bare hands and feet. Every spell he sent down at them was easily flicked away. In the midst of this chaos, it was all too easy to forget why he volunteered for this madness.

The reminder came in the form of faint, purple light coming from overhead. The instant Slughorn noticed it, the entire castle quaked, and some shockwave blasted him off his feet, along with everyone else helping defend this part of the outer wall. Cursing under his breath, Slughorn struggled to get up off his aching back, but fell silent once he saw what had crashed down among them.

Valencia Asara knelt on one knee in the middle of their section, cracks spidering out from where she landed. Slowly and dramatically, she rose, her indigo and pink eyes glowing evilly as Phazon energy crackled over her.

A few Aurors close to Slughorn had also gotten up, and immediately slung curses at Valkyrie. She batted them away with broad swipes from her wand, then flicked it in the direction of the Aurors. At once, tiles blasted loose from her landing morphed into a flock of bats and owls. They flew at the Aurors and clasped their robes, lifting them over the wall and beyond the castle, only to be dropped into the carnage below. At the same time, Muggle soldiers had readied their guns to open fire. Before they could, Valkyrie whirled around and made an upward slashing motion with her robotic hand. There was a flash of purple light, and the Muggles were blasted away, landing in a courtyard below.

Now it was just the two of them on that wall, and soon those goblins would climb over to join her. Her gaze fell onto Slughorn. Valkyrie's face seemed to soften, but the rest of her body language betrayed an unyielding resolve. "Horace, my old friend, I hoped our next meeting wouldn't be like this," she said regretfully. "You were always our favorite teacher...mine, Lily's and Severus's. Some of the greatest lessons we ever learned, like how to organize, we got right in your classroom. I always thought you'd be better off if I left you alone after Lily's death...but now, it's not too late. You can still help me fulfill her dream and my life's work."

Slughorn stared back up at his old pupil gone astray, nonplussed and blubbering incoherently. Even now, having come face-to-face with the madness that had taken hold of Valencia, he still couldn't wrap his head around her fall from grace. The avenging angel was now just another fallen angel...

Thankfully, Slughorn got a reprieve from two unexpected sources. "Away from him, you diseased sack of nuclear waste!" roared Bellatrix from above. Slughorn looked up to see Bellatrix and her husband closing in on brooms. "If the bloated old fool is serving anyone anytime soon, it will be the Dark Lord!"

Rodolphus let loose a barrage of curses from above, covering Bellatrix as she jumped down onto the wall. Valkyrie effortlessly blocked the spells raining from above, but that gave Bellatrix time to ready the rocket launcher she stole earlier. She fired, and immediately cast a Cruciatus Curse afterward. Evidently, Bellatrix hoped the curse would weaken Valkyrie long enough for the rocket to hit.

Instead, Valkyrie bore the brunt of it, merely gritting her teeth as the rocket closed in. She caught it with her robotic hand and chucked it up at Rodolphus. He swerved away, but the rocket impacted the tail end, throwing him off. Valkyrie flung her lariat out at Bellatrix, ensnaring her neck. She twirled around and flung Bellatrix into Slughorn as he stood up, sending them both crashing to the floor just as Rodolphus landed at Valkyrie's feet. "Like I said before, if Voldemort won't keep you on your leash, Bella, I will," scoffed Valkyrie.

"Just you keep speaking my master's name and speaking to my wife as if you have any right, you delusional little Mudblood," spat Rodolphus weakly. "He'll see to it that your mad plan to make Muggles like us will go down in flames, that you'll have the pleasure of watching the lives of your precious Reformers and your traitorous husband snuffed out before your very eyes."

Slughorn picked his head up to see Valkyrie glowering contemptuously down at Rodolphus, her eyes glowing more menacingly than ever. Then, with an inhumanly swift motion, she grasped Rodolphus's neck with her robotc hand and hoisted him off the ground. He legs kicked uselessly out at Valkyrie as his hands tried to pry off her vice-like grip. "I see, like any good Death Eater, you are immune to learning. Ask any Death Eater who saw me duel your master. When it comes to him, I have nothing else to prove."

"Indeed. You've proven how the Dark Lord was right all along. How Muggles and you wretched Mudbloods must be put in your place, lest you corrupt everything!" spat Rodolphus.

Valkyrie's face screwed up in frustration right before she replied. "No doubt that's how you feel, considering how I saw you mercilessly cut down air troopers whose graduation I personally attended. I see it was such a stupid mistake, seeing you freed along with Lucius and Rookwood, a heart stained permanently black like yours. Well, like I always say, mistakes are made so they can be corrected."

With that, she let Rodolphus drop to his feet. But a split-second later, Slughorn saw Valkyrie's robotic hand punch through the back of his torso, clutching his still beating heart. She withdrew her hand, letting Rodolphus's quivering body slump onto the floor as his life ebbed away. Blood had sprayed everywhere, and more was pouring out from the gaping hole in Rodolphus's chest. Valkyrie stared at his mangled corpse a moment before looking back to Slughorn and Bellatrix. Slughorn still couldn't believe this was the gentle, introverted girl he loved to teach years ago. To see her cut someone down like that in cold blood, even a Death Eater...

With a lazy, casual motion, Valkyrie tossed Rodolphus's heart over at the two of them. It landed at Bellatrix's feet, still beating weakly. Bellatrix looked down at it, eyes wide, her face twisted with savage, inhuman fury. "You...you dare...you murderous Mudblood BITCH!" she eventually got out.

"Oh, just be glad I didn't eat it and start reciting Shakespeare in Klingon," Valkyrie quipped nonchalantly. At that moment, some of the goblins scaling the walls finally jumped over to join their commander. But a stiff, icy breeze that seemingly came from nowhere blew the goblins back. Slughorn heard grunts of surprise as they collided with other goblins still climbing, sending them all crashing down to the ground.

"Whuh...w-w-who in the..." blubbered Slughorn dumbly, finally looking up. Trepidation mixed with relief upon seeing young Weasley and Granger, clad in that strange armor, standing along the roof of the tower behind him. They jumped down, landing in front of Slughorn and Bellatrix, shielding them.

"Professor, you and Lestrange get out of here. We'll cover you," said Ron, raising his wand at Valkyrie as it throbbed with a strange power. Another strange sound then came over the explosive din raging everywhere, an incessant whirring noise. Before Slughorn knew it, two spinning somethings soared up out of the courtyard below. They landed behind Valkyrie, and now Harry Potter and his time-travelling friend Samus Aran stood there.

"You heard Hermione, Professor. Get moving. She's better left to us," said Harry sternly, eyeing Valkyrie intently.

Normally, Slughorn would have been more than happy to let others fight such battles for him, but these were hardly normal circumstances. "No, Harry! I'm not standing by, letting a homicidal maniac hunt you down like I did your mother..."

"Slughorn, just GO! There'll be another time to play hero!" Harry shot back.

"Listen to him for once, you two. MOVE!" shouted Hermione. She whirled around and slashed her wand at the door to the tower behind them.

Suddenly, Bellatrix and Slughorn were sucked into it, and after they soared through, the door started to close. But Slughorn still caught the insidious glow in his old pupil's eyes as she watched them depart. And after the door shut, he heard Valkyrie's voice echo. "How convenient...you four saved me the trouble of tracking you down. Let's do this."

xxxxxx

Inferno's relentless assault went on unabated, and steadily picked up in intensity as they whittled away the castle's defenses. Hagrid could have told everyone that it was only a matter of time before Valkyrie found a way to break through. Having lived at Hogwarts for so long, he knew the castle just wasn't build for withstanding a siege, and now most of its defensive charms had been ripped away.

The castle shook again, jarring Hagrid to the bone, even though he was in the lower corridors. He wondered how Grawp was doing outside. He had been outside when Valkyrie unleashed her 'Omega Metroids'. Hagrid could hardly believe the same DNA that saved Harry's life was the blueprints for the monstrosities besieging Hogwarts. The thought of leaving his half-brother alone against those things filled him with shame, but McGonagall called him back, along with Arthur Weasley and Fleur Delacour. While the lower corridors were practically empty, it was the perfect time to move a certain prisoner.

Grumbling, Hagrid looked down at the two of them. They were on either side of Petunia Dursley, who looked listless and sickly as they ferreted her away, her arms slung over their shoulders for support. Hagrid still had nothing but contempt for Harry's aunt, but the sight of the illness that racked her body now...it was a grim reminder of what was truly at stake. Millions might share her fate it the Order failed...

"Not much longer until we reach Aran's courtyard," said Fleur hopefully. "Then we can dump this sack in her ship and get back to..."

A series of explosions, four in a row, resounded in their ears. But they sounded too...close. "Wait a minute, that wasn't from the fight outside," said Arthur. "Where did that..."

Suddenly, part of the wall near the floor behind them was blown apart, and out rolled a solid, black sphere about three feet in length. Hagrid realized what, or rather who, it was a split-second before it morphed and unrolled, revealing Draco in the Chozo armor Valkyrie gave him. He immediately lunged at Arthur, decking him with one punch. He and Petunia slumped to the ground as Fleur aimed her wand. But Draco was too close, and easily swept her with one swift, low kick.

Turning to face Hagrid, Draco found him ready. A blast of water from his umbrella-wand forced him to jump aside. But then Hagrid aimed his crossbow, firing an explosive arrow right into Draco's armored chest. The impact knocked Draco back into the wall. "Remin' me t' thank Hermione's uncle fer riggin' these up," quipped Hagrid.

Draco immediately pulled himself off the wall. "You blundering oaf, for once just do what you know is good for you and BACK OFF!" he snarled. Undaunted, Hagrid swung his umbrella-wand, lobbing balls of blue, ghostly flame over at Draco. Draco effortlessly batted them away, leaving Hagrid to wonder why he wasn't bothering to counterattack. If he stole more of Samus's power, like Ron said...

"M-M-Malfoy..." came Petunia's anguished voice all of a sudden. Hagrid spared a glance to see that she was rousing, along with Arthur and Fleur.

"Dursley, quick, take this!" cried Draco. Some sort of compartment opened up in Draco's left thigh. Draco reached in and grabbed a short wand and a vial containing some ugly, weedlike thing. He tossed them both over to Petunia. Hagrid swung his umbrella wand over to Banish them away, but before he could, one of Samus's power blasts hammered him under his chin, sending him careening back.

Once he recovered, Hagrid looked over to Petunia. The vial lay empty at her feet, and somehow, she looked completely rejuvenated, as if the infection ravaging her was halted in its tracks. Glaring at Hagrid, she suddenly leaped at him. The world seemed to slow down, and as she soared toward him, Hagrid saw her skin slowly change back to that noxious greenish-brown, and her hair turned turquiose again. Her transformation was complete when she reached him, planting a spinning kick against the side of his head while in midair, sending him crashing to the ground.

His head spinning, Hagrid struggled to look back up. Petunia was now fending off curses from Arthur and Fleur. "You say none of this is personal, yet you seem to make a habit of going after Hagrid!" spat Arthur.

"If he'd stop getting in my way, I wouldn't have to," Petunia coolly retorted.

"Ain't gonna happen, Dursley, ain't gonna happen!" roared Hagrid, suddenly finding the strength to get up. With speed belying his size, Hagrid seized Petunia and threw her forcefully into Draco, sending them both crashing to the floor. "Damn, been waitin' a long time ter do that!" Hagrid growled.

"Hagrid, let's just go. The two of them are just too strong together!" Fleur urged. She and Arthur flung curses at the downed pair, but they deflected them as they got right back up.

Sighing in annoyance, Hagrid took off after the retreating Arthur and Fleur, loading more arrows. Looking back, he saw Petunia was in pursuit, leaping from one wall to the adjacent one, rapidly closing the distance. Likewise, Draco had willed his spear to become a broom, and was flying after them.

Sir Cadogan was travelling through the paintings lining the hall, shouting encouragement to Hagrid. "Unspeakable, dastardly beasts, out to do deeds equally unspeakable! Fight valiantly, my noble half-giant friend! Seize the day!" he cheered.

"Whatever yeh say," growled Hagrid as he aimed his crossbow again.

xxxxxx

Valkyrie's bionic arm shifted into a cannon again, but instead of lashing out with Samus's own weapons, a beam of concentrated Phazon energy lanced out, scouring the floor. Ron and Hermione jumped away in opposite directions, both firing Bombarda Maxima ice bursts as they did so. They came mere inches in front of Valkyrie before she conjured a barrier to block them. The impact made Valkyrie skid backwards, but her feet were still firmly planted on the wall. Meanwhile, Harry moved in behind her, firing a fully charged beam blast, all effects active. But since they still lacked the plasma beam, they didn't rip through her. Still, she hunched over and hissed in pain, stunned for the moment.

That gave Samus an opportunity to move in, pelting Valkyire with ice missiles. Miraculously, her body withstood the impacts, and it took several hits before ice crystals encased her. Samus lunged at her, wisp whip out and fins extended, certain Valkyrie would break free in seconds. Which she did, and Samus's wisp whip wrapped harmlessly around Valkyrie's arm cannon as she tried to strike her. With a yank, Samus flung Valkyrie toward her, left arm reared back to slash away with her fins. But again, Valkyrie was ready, flipping in midair as she reached Samus and planting a kick that sent her careening back, nearly over the edge.

Valkyrie untangled her arm cannon from the wisp whip and gracefully touched down, aiming her wand at Samus while she was stunned. However, a trio of Blasting Curses from Ron and three streams of poison water from Harry forced her back, making her scream. For a moment, Valkyrie was stunned again, but soon retaliated. Blasts of Phazon energy from her arm cannon forced them to scatter. Not only that, she turned many of the upturned tiles into spine-shooting Zoomers, forcing the trio to deal with them right away.

_This is crazy...no matter what we hit her with, she springs right back! How much power does that Phazon really give her?_ Harry thought panickingly as he ducked and dodged poison spikes from the Zoomers.

"You're all fighting as viciously as ever. You have no idea how much I admire that," said Valkyrie as she fended off beam shots from Samus and Hermione. "But I'll wear all of you down before you wear me down, and you know it. Why are you bothering? Why did you bother going against me in the first place, when I bent over backwards to offer you four anything you could ever want?"

"Because we all finally see the cost of your ambition," snarled Hermione as she let loose a volley of curses and missiles. Valkyrie had to glide around the wall, defending herself with both charms and slashes from her bionic hand.

"Hermione's right. There's such thing as doing the wrong things for the right reasons, you know," added Ron as he dealt with the last of the Zoomers.

By now, Valkyrie was on the offensive again, lashing out with blasts of Phazon from both her wand and arm cannon. Harry, on the far end, was forced to duck and weave around them all, trying to get close. "Yeah, razing all those religious places was bad enough. But now we know the secret behind your magic mutations...and millions of Muggles will die if you go through with it!"

"LIARS!" bellowed Valkyrie. Enraged beyond measure, she sent out bursts of Phazon everywhere, scattering all four of them. One ricocheted off the tower and struck Harry in the back, flattening him against the floor. The next second, Harry felt Valkyrie's lariat wrap around his armor. Soon, Valkyrie had him off the ground, bound helplessly and in front of her, the same as Voldemort when she taunted him. "It's sad, really...you having to resort to such desperate tactics, as if you can dissuade me from carrying out half a lifetime's work."

"Go take a look at Aunt Petunia and see for yourself," Harry challenged. "Hogwarts is killing her, just like how all that dark energy will kill millions once they're infected with your virus."

Valkyrie sent out more wild Phazon blasts through her wand, keeping Harry's friends at bay, before answering. "Don't make it sound like I'm THAT cold when it comes to who'll be affected by my virus, Harry. Do you have any idea how thoroughly I tested the virus before giving it to your aunt, before the mass-synthesized versions were prepared? I made sure it was as safe as possible, and I took too long to do it!" She turned to see more missiles coming at her, not to mention Samus lunged at her again, whip and fins at the ready. Spinning around, she flung Harry at Samus right before blowing away the missiles.

As Harry and Samus untangled themselves from each other, they heard beam shots and curses from Ron and Hermione, desperately trying to keep Valkyrie busy. Soon, they heard Valkyrie's enraged voice shouting over the noise. "Like I keep telling you, I waited too long to make sure the virus was ready! And what happened? Albus Dumbledore, the only father I ever knew, got himself killed! That was the last straw, ladies and gentlemen. The sign I'd waited long enough! I won't put off fulfilling my promise to Lily any longer!"

By now, Ron and Hermione had forced Valkyrie to back up against the edge of the wall, her back to the carnage raging outside. Realizing this, her bionic arm shifted into a cannon again, and she unleashed another double blast of Phazon energy, scattering them yet again.

"Oh please, Asara. Take a look behind you!" shouted Harry, now flat against the ground. "Look at the war you've single-handedly started! Can you honestly look in me in the eye and tell me my mum would've wanted that dream of hers to come true if THIS was the cost?" Harry sat back up, a shot charged, as Valkyrie glared at him with teeth gritted, looking more fanatically furious than ever before.

"Perhaps she can ask her fellow Mudblood herself!" came a high, cold voice over the sounds of battle enveloping the castle. All of a sudden, Voldemort rose up along the tower, facing Valkyire, and immediately cast Avada Kedavra. Again, there was that shattering noise and a flash of light, but Valkyrie only staggered back this time. She stared dully up at Voldemort, as if amused he would try this again. "WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO KILL YOU, MUDBLOOD?" Voldemort demanded, right before sending out another Killing Curse.

As the green wave washed over Valkyrie, once again doing nothing but nudge her back, a sharp noise made Harry look up. Several of the larval Metroid were a few dozen feet above them, but they merely shivered and floated in place as if paralyzed, chirping strangely. Harry stared at them blankly for a moment before he realized something. _Riddle, I think I got your answer..._

But right then, his theory couldn't be put to the test. For now, Valkyrie had to be put down another way, if only temporarily. While Valkyrie was still stunned from the Killing Curses, Harry fired his charged shot at her, dazing her even more. Then, with one last burst of strength, he rushed forward and landed an uppercut on her jaw, sending Valkyrie sailing over the edge. Harry peered over the wall, watching as dozens of her soldiers crowded around her still form, their body language betraying shock and desperation.

"Urgh, think that did it?" asked Ron hopefully.

Harry shook his head. "No. If all those missiles and beam shots couldn't put her down, a fall like that sure won't," he said morosely. But at last, he felt like he had an idea of what could.

"What good will that do, anyway?" demanded Hermione, turning on Voldemort. "She'll be back on her feet in minutes, and with her wards down, she'll poison all our allies with radioactivity!"

"Ah, but having those wards down causes her excruciating pain, don't forget," replied Voldemort coolly. "Her minions will see to it that the time is taken to get them back up. And again, the shock of seeing their leader fall yet again will also buy us more time. Time we desperately need, as her forces have broken through in countless places. Even _I_ can't keep the castle from being overrun much longer."

"And the evacuation is nowhere near complete, nor can it be complete after Asara's sea serpent decimated so many ships," said Samus, surveying the air battle above them. "On top of that, our aerial forces are getting whittled away. An escape by air won't be possible either. If only we..."

Samus's words trailed off as they heard a Hind close in, flanked by wyverns. Harry wasted no time firing missiles and curses, noting how dangerously low his missile stock was. The Hind backed off, but opened fire with its machine guns. Not only that, the wyverns unleashed their flame breath, blanketing the wall in fire. Voldemort tried to ward off the flames, but Harry was too far from him, and fire seared his armor. His suit's energy ticked away, only four full tanks left...

But as suddenly as it began, sounds like cannons boomed overhead, and the flames ceased. Harry looked up to see the wyverns dropping and the Hind breaking off. "Were those our cannons? Didn't think there were any towers in this part that could angle them down like that," Hermione said.

"Hermione...look up there. You're not gonna believe this," muttered Ron. Everyone else looked up, and Harry gasped, his heart leaping.

A huge wooden ship, outfitted with sails and propeller engines, hovered over the castle, blasting everything away with cannons and missile launchers that seemed to jut out from everywhere. Harry caught sight of the French flag on the side of the ship. All around it flew attack choppers also emblazoned with France's flag, along with witches on winged horses. "Flying horses?" Harry thought aloud. Then he noticed what those witches were wearing: Beauxbatons uniforms.

"Beauxbatons?" cried Ron, noticing the same thing. "Then that means..."

Ron's unspoken question was answered by a booming, commanding voice from overhead, which Harry knew was Olympe Maxime's. "Sorry we did not arrive sooner, the coronal ejection crippled almost all communication. We should be able to evacuate the rest of you. Get into open areas, and we will have you brought aboard while we hold off Inferno."

As Maxime finished, long plastic tubes snaked out from the bottom of her flying ship. Harry watched as Death Eaters, Muggle soldiers and Aurors got sucked up those tubes and into the ship. "Talk about arriving in the nick of time," muttered Harry.

"Maxime's air reinforcements...they should keep Inferno at bay just long enough," said Samus. "With the element on surprise on our side and Valkyrie down for the moment, we can't pass up this opportunity. We've got to get to our ship out now, while we still can."

The others nodded dully, even Voldemort, no one pleased about having to cut and run. As Voldemort conjured winds on which to glide over to the courtyard with their ship, the rest followed closely using the space jump. As Harry soared over the castle, he caught a glimpse of the Razor Knight. At first, he thought Wildflower was going to attack Maxime's huge ship. But then, it ducked out of view as it began to rearrange itself into a tank. _Why didn't she attack?_ Harry wondered. _Wait a minute, do Wildflower and Olympe Maxime really know each other?_

At last, the five of them reached the courtyard. As soon as they touched down, though, a squadron of Inferno troops poured through from one end. Voldemort wasted no time conjuring ice javelins to lob at them. Several were impaled, but more kept charging past, firing curses and guns wildly. Samus immediately got to work, ducking and weaving around enemy fire as she dispatched one soldier after another. Harry raised his wand, ready to join in, but a door crashinng down behind him made him spin around. He almost fired a curse on reflex, but stopped just in time when he saw it was Hagrid, Arthur and Fleur. "'Arry, get ready! Your aunt and the Malfoy boy are right behind us!" Fleur warned.

That was all Harry needed to hear. He motioned for the three of them to get clear, then fired a Bombarda Maxima ice blast into the hallway. He saw the outline of Draco's armored form, now trapped in ice, but Aunt Petunia was crawling along the hall's ceiling. She broke Draco free with a Reductor Curse, then jumped out into the courtyard and lashed out at Harry with her tongue. Harry jumped up to avoid it, while Hagrid rejoined the fray, firing explosive arrows.

"Is that other Weasley boy still in the ship?" demanded Voldemort as curses from five Inferno soldiers bore down on him. He barely blocked them all. "Have him prepare the ship for take-off! Once we deal with these annoyances, we must...GGRRRAAAARRGH!"

Harry had been dueling Draco, but spared a glance over his shoulder. Wildflower had moved in behind Voldemort, and skewered him with the spear-like end of her staff. "Draco and Severus have already had the pleasure of running you through with cold metal. Now it's my turn!" she snarled savagely. Wildflower flung Voldemort's injured body over at Ron and Hermione, who reflexively caught him. "Draco, get Petunia out on your broom. You've succeeded in your retrieval mission, so allow me to finish up here," she ordered.

Harry watched Draco mount his spear-broom and ascend, his body language betraying an overeagerness to get away. Aunt Petuna leaped up and landed on the broom, right behind him. For a moment, Harry was tempted to go after them, but knew Wildflower demanded his immediate attention.

Hermione and Samus had already cut loose with beam shots, all effects active. But somehow, Wildflower spun her staff around so fast, she deflected all the shots. Then she struck the ground with its tip, and suddenly explosive bursts of rock crystal spread out around the courtyard. They didn't fragment into pieces that homed in on them, as Faction's had, but they still forced them all to scatter. Harry caught a glimpse of the vampiress smirking, right before she tossed her staff at Samus. It began to spin, engulfed in white-hot flame. Samus couldn't dodge it in time, and it smashed into her, then ricocheted off her armor and hit Hermione, flooring them both. At the same time, Wildflower transformed into opaque mist and barreled into Ron, flooring him as well, then sped toward Harry.

Harry tried to jump away, but the mist overtook him. The next thing he knew, Wildflower had him pinned against a tree. Her staff boomeranged back to her, and she reared it back, its rosy tip crackling with what could be only described as black lightning. "You were the one whose friendship Val was counting on the most. The one most deserving of having the armor painfully peeled off one layer at a time is surely you," Wildflower sneered.

"Hands off 'Arry!" bellowed Hagrid, right before he fired another arrow. Wildflower merely Banished it away, and instead it hit Samus as she tried to get back up.

"Ah, we meet again, Rubeus," said Wildflower. "I was wondering when I'd get another chance to rip into you for utterly failing to do what I demanded of you."

"And didn't I demand that you stay out of my life altogether?" roared a vehement voice from above. At once, Wildflower tossed Harry aside, as if he no longer interested her. Harry looked up, and saw something drop down from the French ship. Eventually, it crashed into the courtyard with a deafening boom. Harry saw it had a human figure, and as it righted itself, he saw it was a VERY tall human figure. Olmype Maxime stood proudly a few yards away, now clad in the uniform of a French soldier, complete with the French flag sewn onto her shoulders.

"I had thought nothing could cause me any more shame than the atrocities you committed before my very eyes," snarled Olympe haughtily. "Now, it seems you've spent the decades since our last parting thinking of new ways to sully our family's name."

"You've got it all wrong, Olympe. What I'm doing, it's as much for you as it is for Val..." Wildflower began.

"I will hear none of it!" roared Olympe. "All that talk about redeeming yourself after that one night you gave in to the darkness...nothing but talk. The hundreds of dead I saw all around the castle...YOU helped unleash something far worse! And now I shall do what I should've done decades ago... personally see to it you cause no more!"

With a howl of primal fury, Olmype stomped toward Wildflower, dashing with a speed Harry would have thought impossible of a woman so big. Wildflower watched her approach, a dumbfounded look on her face, only bringing her staff up to deflect Olympe's blow at the last possible second. Wildflower was too slow to block a second punch to the head; amazingly, the vampiress stood her ground and rolled with it. She then leaped over Olympe, gracefull kicking off the back of her head, sending the half-giantess stumbling forward. However, she quickly regained her balance, leaning down to rip a tree stump clean out the ground. She hurled the stump at Wildflower, who shattered it with a swipe of her staff.

"Olympe, don't worry, we've gotcher back!" shouted Hagrid, looking ready to charge himself. Fleur kept her wand trained on Wildflower, spluttering something breathlessly in French.

"NO! No my friends, she is mine! MINE ALONE!" roared Olympe as she and Wildflower kept exchanging savagely powerful blows, neither yielding an inch. "Get aboard the bounty hunter's ship and go! It can dock on the deck of mine!"

"You heard her, everyone. Leave Wildflower to her. Let's move!" Samus commanded everyone. Harry watched as Hagrid, Arthur and Fleur reluctantly turned away from Olympe and made their way over to the ship. He ran after them.

However, they were at the opposite end of the courtyard, farthest from the ship. So when Valkyrie burst through one of the walls like a runaway meteor, she zoomed across their path, leaving a trail of bubbly Phazon energy, cutting them off. Valkyrie made a sharp turn and dived at the half-giantess and vampiress. Both were still slugging it out, heedless of her approach until it was too late for Olympe. Valkyrie effortlessly knocked Olympe away with her bionic arm, and she painfully skidded to a halt near Hagrid and Harry. "Sorry, Madame Maxime, but I can't afford to lose my second-in-command to a family squabble," Valkyrie said dangerously, hovering near Wildflower.

Harry's mind went completely blank. It took him, Samus, Hermione and Ron to weaken Valkyrie enough to set her up for a debilitating Avada Kedavra from Voldemort. NOW how were they supposed to keep Valkyrie down long enough to get away? Desperately, Harry looked to the others, hoping they had some sort of plan. Hagrid and Fleur looked numb with shock, Olympe still looked murderous...but for some reason, Arthur looked positively smug, glancing up at something. "Wildflower, Hagrid and I have only one thing to say to you and your boss," he said coolly.

"Oh? And that is?" retorted Wildflower, sounding amused.

Arthur smiled. "Say hello to our little friends."

Before either Valkyrie or Wildflower could say anything, Arthur's old enchanted Ford Anglia swooped into the courtyard and rammed right into both women. Harry caught their dumbfounded looks, right before the flying car smashed them both through a stone wall. The car then went into reverse, and Harry got a good look at who was riding in it: the Etecoons and Dachoras.

"Those blokes always pop up when yer least expect it," mused Hagrid.

Harry couldn't help but smile, but when he spoke, his voice was dead serious. "Well, we all know that won't keep those two down for long. Let's get aboard Samus's ship and move."

At that point, Valkyrie's trail of Phazon energy had faded away, leaving everyone free to board the ship. All the preparations for takeoff were complete, and George quickly ascended out of the courtyard. Harry glanced out a window, seeing the Etecoons and Dachoras fly up with them, looking at them happily from the Ford Anglia.

By now, the French ship was moving away from Hogwarts, having evacuated as many Britons as possible. Samus's ship and the Ford Anglia flew under it. Slowly but surely, they picked up speed, and were soon rocketing away from the school.

Through the cockpit window, though, Harry saw they still had trouble. An Omega Metroid must've flown at the ship and sank its talons into the hull before it sped away. But before it could cause any trouble, Harry saw that Grawp had grabbed onto one of those plastic tubes, and used it to rappel down and over to the Omega Metroid. In one hand, Grawp held some sort of tank; it looked like a big oxygen tank, possibly from one of the gyrotanks. Grawp landed a few clumsy quick kicks on the Omega Metroid's head. When it roared and opened its mouth to spew plasma, Grawp quickly shoved the tank down its throat, then dislodged the Omega Metroid with one last kick.

Harry didn't see the Omega Metroid land, but a loud booming noise and a fountain of fleshy liquid from below let Harry know Grawp's plan worked. Sighing, he squatted in the middle of the ship, occasionally glancing out the cockpit window. Harry was glad there was no window in the ship's rear; the sight of Hogwarts getting smaller and smaller on the horizon would've been far too depressing. Valkyrie had taken so much from so many people already. Now they were forced to even abandon Hogwarts.

xxxxxx

I had hoped this chapter would've been done by the end of February, but a bad inverter killed my laptop's backlight, and had to get it fixed. Just as well, because getting it done before March would've meant rushing this one out the door, and we can't have that can we?

Anyway, as further proof that I've invested too much thought in this fic's OCs...remember how I said watching _Terminator 4 _again made me realize Korinna Moon Bloodgood could pull a perfect Valkyrie? Well, watching _Indiana Jones 4_ again got me thinking Cate Blanchett would make a perfect Wildflower. If she could throw up a Russian accent and fight with a rapier, throwing up a French accent and fighting with a staff would be no problem. Who says a franchise's fourth movie is never good for anything? :P

And yes, this chapter was also heavy foreshadowing for the showdown with the final Reformer. Get ready for that and the revelation of the rest of Wildflower's origin.

So long,  
Grey-X


	38. The Lion's Den

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning  
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover  
Chapter 38: The Lion's Den  
3-20-2010  
by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

Severus Snape trudged along through the lower levels of Hogwarts, part of a search team put together to flush out any stragglers Olympe Maxime failed to evacuate. To anyone else, the man who once served as a professor here with distinction was utterly nonchalant about this job. In reailty, all of this was weighing heavily on Snape, making him more conflicted than ever before.

Up until recently, Snape managed to bury such doubts, convincing himself that Val's plans were for the best, and that he deserved this chance to be together with her again. But ever since Harry Potter confronted him in Hufflepuff's sanctum, that was no longer possible. The boy was self-righteous and cocky, but as hard as he tried, Snape couldn't block out what Harry said to him.

Sighing, Snape glanced down. Under his black, sweeping cloak, Val made him wear the same chest plate her soldiers had, along with a special pair of boots exactly like those he wore while disguised as Susan Bones, only molded for his own body. Looking back up, he saw Susan Bones herself had taken point, wearing the same gear Snape had while mimicking her. Bane was with her, along with Draco, whose body language betrayed even more self-doubt than his. But he knew his old pupil would put aside his doubts for different reasons. Snape glanced back at his parents, who were bringing up the rear. So long as Val guaranteed his family a place in her world, Draco would ultimately stay loyal.

But in the end, after all this, could he?

Sounds of gunfire made Snape look back ahead. He saw an arrow knock Bane's rifle out of his hands. Out of nowhere, Firenze charged him, knocking both centaurs into a wall. People within the portraits yelped in shock, except for Sir Cadogan, who shouted encouragement to Firenze.

"Stay back, all of you!" thundered Bane. "This fool was once of my herd, he is mine to deal with!"

"Craven hypocrite! Every reason you gave for banishing me, you have done yourself, your treachery a hundred-fold greater than anything I could ever do!" retorted Firenze as the two centaurs kept exchanging savage blows. "Selling out our herd to two black-hearted creatures of darkness! Tampering with the order of the cosmos we are meant to merely observe, all in the name of selfish gain for our kind!"

"That's enough from you!" roared Bane, rearing up on his hind legs to plant a hoof square between Firenze's eyes. The blow was enough to knock Firenze out cold. As the centaur slumped against the wall, a rain of curses came from down the hall, along with a flurry of sharp kitchenware. Snape peered around a corner to see a dozen house-elves standing before a group of humans, tossing knives and cleavers. The humans included two Aurors, a masked Death Eater, a Muggle soldier, and to Snape's chagrin, Cornelius Fudge.

Susan wasted no time dispatching the ragtag group, conjuring a gust of wind to scatter the house-elves. The wind also disoriented their human quarry, giving Draco an opening. He tossed his electrified spear so that it landed in the middle of the group, paralyzing them all. Snape watched with no small measure of satisfaction as Fudge weakly slumped against the wall, unconscious.

However, the spear had no effect on a foursome Snape just saw emerge. The four ghosts representing the Houses of Hogwarts slid out of a door Fudge's group was covering. "Cowards and brutes, the whole lot of you!" snapped Nearly Headless Nick.

"Indeed. I am ashamed to admit the likes of you two flew under the banners of my House," snarled the Bloody Baron, his chains clanking as he pointed at Snape and Draco.

"Not in the mood, Baron," said Draco dangerously. He raised his wand, a power shot charging. "Just be smart and leave us alone. Even ghosts can be destroyed, you know."

The Fat Friar shivered and recoiled, his instincts telling him Draco could carry out such a threat. But the Grey Lady was undaunted. "And even ghosts are capable of action, boy!" she spat, leaning forward threateningly.

"Not the kind of action that'll matter. Not like the actions capable of _this_ ghost!" came a saccharine voice from a nearby flight of stairs. At once, all four ghosts froze in place, horrified looks etched on their faces, as if paralyzed by some invisible force. Snape watched warily as Val and all four Reformers descended the stairs. Tesla led them all, holding up an outstretched hand crackling with electricity. The Grey Lady managed to turn her head; she still couldn't speak, but her astonished glare said plenty. "Don't look so surprised, Helena. We never liked each other, always acting so stuck-up, you did. And you should've known I'd be here once Dr. A fumigated the place. This school'll be under new management soon, and something tells me Dr. A won't need you four anymore. I'm the top ghost around here now. Kago...."

Faction popped out both his wands, waving them around in an intricate pattern. Snape watched his foster son weave a web of enchantments. Then he turned back to the four ghosts. Huge, glassy spheres, made of something much like what he conjured to try and steal Hufflepuff's weapon piece, encased all four of them. Done with his work, Faction let them drop to the floor. They rolled around idly, their phantom prisoners trapped inside, futilely beating against the glass.

"Well done, my precious little Mentat. There's four more annoyances that won't plague Hogwarts anymore," quipped Val as she idly waved her wand, sending the four globes rolling away down the corridor. The five of them finished walking down the stairs to join them. Val herself looked horribly winded, covered in some sort of strange dust. So was Wildflower, who limped along using her staff for support. Petunia was once again in her amphibious form, though here in Hogwarts, she looked as horribly timid as she used to as a Muggle.

"Ouch. What happened to you and Wildflower, boss? You two look like the giant squid had its way with both of you," said Susan flippantly as the two groups walked up to each other, keeping her wand and submachine gun trained on their downed prey.

"Try getting run over by a flying car driven by alien koala-monkeys, and see how good you look," replied Val coyly, but Snape could sense the frustration brewing under the surface. "Anyway, good work on corraling the stragglers. We were headed down here to lend a hand, but I see there wasn't much need."

"So, how many others were left behind, and how many got away?" asked Snape.

"Too many got away. I figured the coronal ejection would screw up all channels of communications so badly, Hogwarts's defenders would be on their own. Another miscalculation on my part," admitted Val. "We've corraled plenty of house-elves that were still down here when Maxime sent out those vacuum tubes. Hopefully a good number will opt to join us. As for the Aurors, Muggles and Death Eaters left behind...they're being herded into empty classrooms and put under armed guard right now."

"How many of our people are we leaving here?" asked Susan. "I mean, we had to pull so much to make this siege work. How much can we spare to secure Hogwarts?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. Now that it can't be used as an enemy base anymore, it's not exactly a strategically vital location," explained Val. "But rest assured, I'll leave enough to hang onto the castle in case...."

Loud moaning interrupted Val. She turned to the source, her body language betraying cold amusement rather than irritation. Fudge was rousing, propping himself up on the wall and opening his eyes. Upon opening them and seeing the company that greeted him, however, he nearly fainted away.

In a flash, Valkyrie was all over Fudge, pinning him against the wall by his stubby neck, her bionic hand nearly crushing his trachea. "Ah, the useless tub of blubber, too cowardly to ever do his job right," sneered Val as Fudge goggled at her. "You know, I never gave much thought to how a bungler like you should be dealt with. Someone who ignored Voldemort's comeback and kept a hag like Umbridge as undersecretary despite all the damning evidence against her. If there's one thing I hate more than anything in this world, it's inaction. But I've decided you're not worth my time."

With that, Val whirled around and threw Fudge at Wildflower's feet. The vampiress gazed down at Fudge with a confused look, then glanced up at Val. "Doctor, what are you...."

"You need a pick-me-up bad after that run-in with Arthur Weasley's car, and I know prepackaged plasma won't do," said Val sternly. "Indulge yourself, Wildflower. That's an order."

Snape could sense Draco and his parents shudder as they watched Fudge convulse with shock, and he could barely supress one himself. Susan, however, looked completely impassive, as if in silent agreement with Fudge's sentence. "What about Scrimgeour and Umbridge? Did they get away clean?" she asked

"Yes. For whatever reason, Samus Aran and Harry Potter keep protecting them along with Voldemort," said Val bitterly. "But after losing Hogwarts as a safe haven...it won't be long until they're finally ours again." She then turned to Snape. "Sev, doesn't look like there's much here for us to do. You know where the two of us must go next. So walk with me, let's take one last look at Hogwarts before we move out."

Doing his best to supress the tumult in his heart, Snape walked over and took her offered hand. Her right hand was so soft, warm and inviting; it was always so unnerving how it was in such stark contrast with her other hand. They walked up the stairs together, but Snape glanced over his shoulder. Wildflower had Fudge pinned against a wall, hands grasping his shoulders. Snape could sense her hesitation, her unwillingness to take this plunge again for whatever reason. But an instant later, her head lurched forward. Fudge screamed as her fangs sank into his neck. Soon they were out of view, leaving Snape to curse himself for being too timid to say anything, so conflicted he couldn't act...ironically, what his wife hated most.

They walked together in silence for many moments, taking in the harrowing signs of the battle that raged hours before. The bodies were cleared out, the surviving defenders moved elsewhere to be healed, but things like collapsed archways and shattered glass still littered the place. In addition, blood stains dotted the school's halls here and there.

Snape shut his eyes for a moment, overwhelmed with guilt, then turned to his wife. To anyone else, Val would look stony and impassive, but Snape knew her better. Val took no joy in this. He could sense the conflict broiling within her, but Snape knew better than anyone how willing Val was to do things that left a bitter taste in her mouth if it meant getting closer to her goal. Snape then recalled how Lily and Val were often likened to the concept of yin and yang. Snape knew Lily well enough to know she was far from timid and passive, but to the world at large she seemed that way. Val was the opposite. Val was all about tackling a problem head-on right away. After lying in wait for nearly sixteen years, plotting and scheming, she wouldn't let anything stand in her way.

Not even her best friend's son.

"Ah, there's Tesla's old bathroom," Val said suddenly. Snape looked up from the blood-stained tiles, seeing water running out from under a smashed door. "Remind me to have some of my Parselmouths get in the Chamber of Secrets and give it a clean sweep, will you? Hard to believe such a monster was hidden right under where the three of us first came together."

"Indeed," was all Snape could say. At length, he added, "Val, tell me, when Potter faced you today, did he say anything to you?"

"Oh, just more of the same naive drivel. How my plan to make Lily's vision real carries too high a price," said Val dismissively.

"He said something similar to me as well," said Snape. "I...guess it's easy to see it from his point of view. The deaths from the razing of all the religious sites, that alone would make anyone...."

"We've been through this already, Sev," said Val. "It's obvious our field agents weren't thorough enough with their Muggle-Repelling Charms, and I'll see to it such negligence is punished. At least I know Wildflower isn't to blame. We still need her badly. She's the only Reformer left who's free to track down Samus and her hunting party now. No one's been able to track Olympe Maxime's new ship so far."

"But even if more care was taken in erecting those charms, some still would have died needlessly. You know that as well as I do," said Snape.

Val sighed impatiently. "Yes, you're probably right. But you know as well as I do why those religious sites had to go. For too long, Muggles have thrown their lives away, praying to imaginary friends instead of working their hardest to improve the world. And those superstitous faiths are the real reason our kind stayed hidden for so long!" Val let out a derisive snort, then went on. "Well, that'll all change. The religious always say their gods don't dwell in anything worldly, that destroying something here on Earth won't shake their faith. We both know we'll soon see that's a lie. And once all the Muggles become just like us, their faith will shatter completely. Why bother believing in gods that never produce miracles and answer no prayers, when you suddenly have the power to make miracles happen yourself?"

"Not the main reason Lily wanted all the Muggles to be like us, though," Snape pointed out delicately. Val rolled her eyes. "But Val...there's another thing. This claim of Aran and Potter's, that your virus may be lethal to a small percentage of Muggles...."

"I told you already, Sev!" snapped Val. "This is nothing but a cheap ploy! You poured over all the research logs yourself! You know how thoroughly the virus was tested before Petunia breathed in a single one!"

"But what Petunia told us, how sick she was until she got hold of her special weed again...." Snape went on.

Val gritted her teeth, then said, "Very well, Sev. I'll have a look at her before we move out, if it'll make you feel better. But I can promise you now, we won't find anything that'll complicate our plans for Kor-Zor's dark energy. There can't be. I've waited too long for this. I've left my promise unkept for far too long."

"If I may play devil's advocate, Val, you _DID_ make that promise when we were still children," said Snape. "And Lily wanted to share magic with the rest of the world, not radically and violently change it."

"Radical change can't be avoided if everyone suddenly becomes like us," Val replied. "Besides, let it be radically changed. It's the only way to ensure monsters like Scrimgeour, Voldemort and the communist pigs that ran North Korea never crawl out from under a rock again, by changing the world that tolerates them. My real parents, the Asaras, Lily, our unborn baby, and then Albus...I won't let anyone in future generations suffer that kind of loss!"

"Speaking of the late headmaster, boys and girls, he'd like to have a word with both of you," came a gravelly voice from behind them. Snape saw Val's eyes widen with surprise as they turned around. They just passed the small gargoyle guarding the entrance to the headmaster's office without realizing it. Suddenly, the stairway leading up revealing itself without any password being given.

Snape stared at it, rooted to the spot. The way back into the workplace of the one man he had confided in for so long, who he was forced to kill...even the thought of trekking through there again made him ill. But when he turned to Val, he saw she was filled with even more self-loathing. "Severus, go on up. See what his portrait has to say. Toward the end of his life, no one got to know Albus better than you," she said in a hushed voice.

With Val at his side, the thought of facing Dumbledore's portrait was almost bearable. Without her, he would surely cave. "Val, you won't go in!?" he demanded.

"I have no right. I'm just as responsible for his fate as you are. Even more so," said Val, turning her back to him.

"Val, seriously, you MUST stop acting as if every disaster that's struck everyone we've ever cared about is somehow your fault," said Snape.

"In Albus's case, can't I?" asked Val delicately. "I stayed hidden in Inferno for so long, didn't devote any serious resources to thwarting a resurgent Voldemort, let him run around hunting Horcruxes while I didn't even bother hunting for a way to cure that fatal curse. I became what I loathe most, Sev, someone who didn't act. And Albus paid for it," she said, turning her head slightly to reveal tears streaming down her cheeks. But they vaporized off her skin as Val's eyes glowed with sizzling Phazon energy, her teeth gritted again. "Make it quick, then meet me in the Astronomy Tower so we can get out of here. It's our job to bring the Day of Reckoning now, and that'll punish everyone that still scoffs at what the man stood for."

Without another word, Val strolled away, leaving Snape alone by the staircase. Gulping, he looked up, now tempted to simply follow Val, but some inner voice seemed to urge him on, bestowing a sort of courage he didn't think possible. Slowly and arduously, Snape climbed the stairs. Snape wondered if Potter ever felt this way, dreading to face the headmaster. Of course, in the case of the reopened Chamber of Secrets and the bamboozled Goblet of Fire, the boy was completely innocent, guilty of nothing more than a swelled head. Not so in his case. Snape knew exactly what Dumbledore wanted to say to him.

At last, Snape shuffled into the headmaster's office and made his way to the desk, standing before it as he and Potter had done so often. WIth some effort, Snape lifted his head up. Dumbledore's face looked back down at him from the huge portrait frame, and to Snape's astonishment, he was smiling. "You've been busy these past few days, old friend," he said airily.

"Yes, yes I have," Snape managed to get out. "Believe it or not, sir, I thought working with Val...it made more sense than gambling on Potter and the Dark Lord sharing a connection through the boy's blood. That fighting the Dark Lord this way, the boy is certain to live...."

"Not to mention fulfilling the wild hope that Lily only shared with the two of you, dishing out the vengeance you never could as a triple-agent, and being reunited with the woman that loves you for the things that drove others away," Dumbledore continued for him. "Severus, I can easily understand why you've chosen this path. It's impossible for anyone who knows you as I do...not to empathize with you. But you mentioned Harry's blood, and the power of Lily's sacrifice that it holds. Then there's Val, who willingly took into her blood an otherworldy, corrupting power. Consider that a moment...."

Severus hung his head, carefully pondering those words. In a flash, Dumbledore's meaning came to him. "Potter's blood, it represents how Lily was willing to lay down her life to protect, while Val's determined to destroy in order to create," he muttered under his breath. At length, eyes full of tears, he looked back to the portrait. "Headmaster, what am I to do!?"

"That's a choice I cannot make for you, my friend," said Dumbledore kindly. "As I always told Harry, that's the sort of choice that will define who you are."

xxxxxx

Samus took off her helmet as she looked over the railing of the upper deck, breathing deeply as she watched the sun peer over the horizon. The tranquil beauty of the sight helped assuage Samus's anxiety, and the crushing sense of defeat over having to flee Hogwarts. This was why she hated how Harry and his friends showed such unwavering faith in her. Despite all her power, all her knowledge, at the end of the day she was just one fighter, one who worked best alone. Helping coordinate a defense against a siege just wasn't her forte. She kept thinking back to the battle, wondering what she could have done differently....

A writhing, creaking noise from below made Samus glance down at the side of Maxime's ship. Devil's Snare held some of the Royal Air Force's choppers fast against the ship, since none had enough fuel to reach their rendezvous point. On the other hand, Samus saw some Harriers zoom by. No doubt they would reach where their forces were amassing for the attack on Inferno's Norwegian base before they did. _Hopefully, the coronal ejection will screw up satellite imagery so bad, Asara can't track us any better than we can track them,_ Samus mused.

Sighing, Samus turned from the sunrise and walked along the length of the ship. _All's not lost yet. The simulatneous blitz on all of Inferno's outposts...it looks like it'll happen soon. And there's only one weapon piece left._ Samus looked down, wondering how her suit would adapt. _The only uncertainty is whether or not we can keep Valkyrie from dispersing her virus before I get it._

Not looking where she was going, Samus's shoulder bumped into a landing strut on her ship, safely docked on the deck. _Something on your mind, Lady?_ came Adam's synthesized voice, drawing confused looks from several young witches in Beauxbatons uniforms.

"Just worried about if we can keep Valkyrie from releasing a biological holocaust before we have all four pieces," said Samus matter-of-factly.

"In that case, I suggest you make your way to the helm, at the very front of the deck," said Adam. "Captain Granger's superiors managed to send him some pertinent intel before the coronal ejection caused a worldwide communication blackout. He can better explain the situation. He's probably discussing it with this Olympe Maxime."

"Thanks Adam," Samus said quickly, about to walk off. Then, suddenly, she realized the main deck was so expansive, she lost track of which end was the front. Fortunately, a young Beauxbatons witch, no older than a Hogwarts first-year, sauntered up to her.

"Excuse me, are you the bounty hunter my sister keeps talking about?" said the girl in a thick French accent.

"Errr, yeah, I guess that's me. But who's...." As Samus took in the eerie perfection in the cute girl's face, the answer soon became clear. "You're Fleur Delacour's little sister, aren't you?" When the girl nodded excitedly, she then asked, "So...you must be familiar with this ship, being in Beauxbatons. Care to show me where the helm is?"

Gabrielle nodded eagerly again, then hooked her arm around Samus's, taking care not to cut herself on her fins while she dragged her along the deck. It wasn't long before they came across where the Ford Anglia was parked on deck. Several more Beauxbatons students were crowded around it, and Samus couldn't supress a smirk when she saw them fawning all over the Etecoons and the baby Dachora. The adult Dachora, meanwhile, stood nobly among the girls, staring down at them curiously as they stared agape at it, hardly believing this bird hailed from another planet. But soon, Samus's amusement gave way to shame. In all the chaos, she had forgotten all about her old companions yet again, only to be rescued by them at the last minute like on the B.S.L.. Could it be any plainer no one could ever fully rely on her?

Gabrielle and Samus walked farther along the deck, and Samus took in all the activity going on. Many injured house-elves from the kitchens were being tended to by other Beauxbatons witches. Dobby was among them, sporting a reddened dressing on his left leg. He waved enthusiastically as Samus as they passed by, but Samus could only wave back weakly. Also, British soldiers and pilots were talking with French troops assigned to Maxime's ship. It was clear many were old friends delighted to see each other, but the air of tension and gloom still lingered over them. Many of them did double-takes as she and Gabrielle passed by, not sure what to make of her. Samus just sighed to herself. Many of the GF Marines treated her the same way, with suspicion and doubt. Why should she expect any better from human soldiers of this era?

At last, Gabrielle led Samus to the ship's helm. Despite all the advanced armaments from this era grafted onto it, it resembled the wooden steering apparatus from ancient sailing vessels. Olympe Maxime stood proudly at it, deftly manipulating the massive wheel with her massive, powerful hands. Samus saw Gabrielle's face light up again when they saw her sister standing beside her former headmistress. Hagrid stood close by as well, along with J.B., who looked more anxious than any of the soldiers and pilots she passed by. Samus was glad to see Harry, Ron and Hermione were there, still decked out in full armor, but her face fell when she saw Voldemort. The Dark wizard stood aloofly apart from the others, but it was obvious he was listening in.

"I can't get over how you got this ship here at the perfect time, miss," said J.B.. "We couldn't hold the lake anymore, launch any more ships...."

"Over half a century ago, the British evacuated my countrymen from Dunkirk, and then yours poured onto our beaches to free the rest. Today, we return the favor," said Olympe, proudly but kindly.

"Yeah, this baby'll sure help put a hurtin' on their Norway base," said Hagrid with an air of dark satisfaction. "But I jes' don' get it, how'd Beautbaxons and the French get a ship like this slapped tergether in jes' a few days?"

"This was something Beauxbatons was working on for a while, thanks to _my_ old headmaster," said another voice proudly. Samus watched a tall, thin young man with thick eyebrows and long, scraggly black hair walk up to the helm. "Karkaroff had been designing such a ship to be used by Durmstrang for years, to replace the smaller waterbound ship we took for the Triwizard Tournament. When he came to Madame Maxime, begging for help with hiding from Lord Voldemort, the designs were his bargaining chip," he explained, casting a nasty sideways glance at Voldemort. Voldemort looked mutinous, but said nothing.

"Victor Krum?" gasped Hermione. "You're here too?" Hermione's expression brightened, but Ron's flustered look was what caught Samus's eye.

"Along with all the volunteers Durmstrang could spare," said Olmype. "Yes, Krum is quite correct. How else do you think Igor stayed in the shadows for so long? At any rate, after this Dr. Asara all but uprooted France's magical society, I offered this ship to my Muggle countrymen, and here we have the end result."

"Are you sure this'll give us any tactical advantage against that Norwegian base?" asked Samus, making Olympe's head jerk back to look at her. "I barely infiltrated it with McGonagall's help. It's deep in those fjords, hard to reach...."

"Worry not, Aran," she replied shortly. "You have yet to see this ship's full destructive power. I held back before, not wishing to accidently damage Hogwarts. Against Asara's land bases, however...." Olympe let the sentence dangle, a venomous air in the silence that followed.

"Sorry, didn't mean any disrespect," said Samus quickly. Her eyes then fell on Hagrid, who stood beside the helm. "Let me guess, Hagrid told you all about the first time we met?" she asked sardonically.

"It came up frequently while we were on our trek across Europe, yes," said Olympe dismissively. "But watching you fight Wildflower...it cannot be plainer you're a fighter of the highest caliber, and for that you have my respect, Samus Aran."

Samus nodded dully, glad she dodged that incoming missile. But the mention of that bruising battle with Wildflower reminded her of how Olympe literally jumped right into it, and the exchange between the two of them. "Err, Madame Maxime, about what happened back there in Hogwarts...." Samus began, choosing her words carefully. "We've known about Wildflower's real name for a while now, we tried to get Hagrid and Fleur to get in touch with you, to find out what we could. Please, we need to know everything you can tell us about Wildflower."

Olympe's hands suddenly tightened on the helm so hard, her knuckles went white. For a moment, it looked like it would snap off. "That's...a very personal matter, Aran. Something about my life I'd rather...forget."

"I can understand where you're coming from, Madame Maxime, I really can. One of the Reformers is my aunt, and their boss was my mother's best friend. This has become _VERY_ personal for me, too," said Harry suddenly, stepping up to the helm. "We've trounced the other three in a head-on fight, but Wildflower somehow stays one step ahead of us. She stomped all over me, Samus, Ron and Hermione right before you dropped in to bail us out. So please, if there's anything you can tell us, it could make all the difference next time she shows."

Once Harry was done, Olympe turned away and faced front, concentrating on steering the ship. A moment later, however, she shut her eyes and hung her head, as if catipulating to the inevitable.

"Thanks, Madame Maxime," said Ron. "So...what is Wildflower anyway? A half-sister? A cousin? A...."

"She is my grandmother," said Olympe suddenly, her voice cracking.

Of all the shocking revelations to hit Samus since returning to the past, this was surely one of the biggest. Harry and his friends always spoke highly of Olympe; after all, she frequently came up in conversation, always comparing Olympe's height to hers. To learn she had such close ties to one of her fiercest new enemies....

Silence lingered around the helm until Voldemort, showing his usual brazen disregard for tact, spoke up. "Many of my Death Eaters spoke of old French legends, of a baroness who once stood up for pureblood nobility, but then faded into the shadows after becoming a creature of the night."

"Hardly a shock such legends have formed after only a few decades," said Olympe testily. "Indeed, Isobel Maxime was once a baroness, a respected part of France's priveleged nobility. And yes, she was just as fanatical about the purity of magical blood as any of your genocidal servants. All this happened during the time of Grindelwald's reign of terror, and though she never actively worked for him, she made no secret of her approval of his goals. So, you can imagine her reaction when my father ran off with a giantess, and later sired what you see today."

"Doesn't take a quantum physicist to guess," J.B. mused.

"At first, the world never saw her for the monster she was," Olympe went on. "Isobel always gave an outward appearance of fairness and nobility, aging gracefully even before turning into an undead abomination, instantly commanding respect. The fact she had the patience and discipline to use a staff instead of a wand helped in that regard, too. And somehow, despite the ugliness in her soul, she had a talent for gardening, setting up breathtaking sights within the walls of the Maxime manors, flowers everywhere....

"So, she had my father cast out and disowned after he eloped with my mother," said Olympe bitterly, realizing she was getting off-track. Samus saw Harry's jaw tightened, no doubt thinking about how Sirius Black went through the same thing. "It was only a few years later, however, when my grandmother learned the hard way, what it means to be branded an outcast."

"Getting bit by a vampire," said Hermione.

"One disgruntled vampire who had had enough of her constant pressuring for vampire hunters to cleanse our countryside, and decided she needed to be taught a lesson," said Olympe, nodding. "After that, the rest of the Maxime family cast her out as she had cast my father out. Isobel then had the gall to come to my father, soon after I was born. He was mourning my mother's death, hunted and slaughtered like an animal by cowardly wizards in a nearby village. Isobel claimed she saw the error of her ways, and wanted nothing more to protect my father and I. To spite the rest of the family, Isobel chose one of the Maxime manors, tossed all the servants out, and took his as her own, saying she had every right to lay claim to at least one and dared the rest of the family to try taking it back."

"The slaughter referred to in the legends, is that what unfolded next?" asked Voldemort shortly.

Olympe shook her head. "No, that came later. But Isobel brutally defended the manor when the rest of the Maximes brought together a fearful rabble to overrun it. The fools attacked under the light of a full moon, and that's when the world learned a vengeful witch with both vampirism and a staff is a frightful combination. She dispatched them all, sending them limping home with broken, mutilated bodies...but alive. So the three of us lived together in that mansion in peace for many years, after Isobel practically took back part of the Maxime fortune by force."

Olympe shut her eyes tightly, tears beginning to form. "We were a happy family once. Much of my magical education, Isobel started early with me in that manor, determined to make me every bit as skilled as she was. Growing up, I would never have guessed what kind of vengeful monster was helping to bring me up. It was a frightful time, what with Grindelwald's rise and that world war raging in the Muggle world. But not once was there ever a whisper of a vampire attack. I always admired how Isobel only fed off of wild game and livestock. Isobel said she was determined to hold onto her humanity, never hunting them. But now it's obvious it was out of pride, not any sense of morality.

"A decade passed, and as you can imagine, I had grown much," Olympe went on, smirking. "By then, I towered over both my father and grandmother by half a meter, and I was all set for my first year at Beauxbatons. I was positively giddy, convinced nothing could bring me down...until I awoke one morning and found my father murdered in his bed, a wooden stake run through his heart."

"Oh no, someone killed him, thinking he was your grandmother?" gasped Hermione, taken aback from the shock,

"And Isobel instantly laid the blame at the feet of the rest of our family," said Olympe. "I'll never forget that look on her face as she stared at that blood-stained bed. The grandmother that raised me vanished, finally giving in to the darkness that dwelled inside all along. We buried him that afternoon in Isobel's garden. I remember he would have wanted that, laid to rest in such a beautiful place that Isobel helped create. But that night, everything beautiful about her vanished. By the time the full moon was out and I noticed she was nowhere in our manor, it was too late. I ran out to where I knew most of the Maxime family was staying for the summer, and...a-and...."

Olympe choked on her words, unable to continue. There was no need. It was all too clear what Wildflower had done on the night in question, finally giving in to her vampiric bloodlust for the first time.

"After I finally saw my grandmother for what she was, I told her I never wanted to see her again, that I was ashamed to say she was the one who raised me," said Olympe bitterly. "She begged and pleaded with me, promised that would be the first and last time she lost control of her bloodlust, that she only wanted to avenge my father. I would hear none of it. I could not bear having ties to such a monster. So that night, Isobel relented, left most of the family fortune and the manor to me, and disappeared into the night. We never saw each other again until this morning. But as the years passed, on chilly nights, I could almost feel her eyes watching me from afar. I always heard stories of a lone vampiress with a staff traveling across Europe, doing detective work and other things, as if trying to redeem herself. At times, I was tempted to believe such stories, that Isobel was sincere about atoning. But after the rise of this Inferno, how Isobel commands its armies...it cannot be plainer that Isobel has not changed one bit."

Several moments passed in silence once again. Hagrid and Fleur, in particular, looked thunderstruck, and were quick to approach the helm, their faces showing the most sincere empathy. "Madamoiselle," breathed Fleur, right before spluttering something in French, while Hagrid put a reassuring hand on Olympe's shoulder. Olympe tried to keep up her stoic veneer, but after explaining her early childhood...Samus could see her composure slipping. Samus couldn't blame her. After what she suffered at a terribly young age on K2L, Samus could understand what it meant to have your peaceful life, surrounded by those you loved, shattered like that.

"Madame Maxime, w-w-we're so sorry, we had no idea," said Ron apologetically.

"You all said you needed to know about Wildflower, so I told you all I could," said Olympe dismissively. "I can only hope it proves useful, somehow."

"You sure there isn't anything else you can tell us?" asked Hermione delicately. "Did she always know how to use her staff itself as a weapon? And every time Dr. Asara sics the Razor Knight on us...Wildflower's usually the one piloting it. Did she ever learn that when you were together?"

Olympe shook her head. "No, my grandmother knew next to nothing of Muggle ways before we parted. What new skills she has now, I cannot say. No doubt Asara taught her some new tricks, helped her further hone her powers of darkness, ever since they started this Inferno."

"In that regard, we may have one up on Wildflower," said Hermione brightly, glancing at her uncle. "Uncle J's been studying piloting all his life. Next time Samus's ship comes across Wildflower and her Razor Knight...I'd put all my Galleons on him."

J.B. smirked as Olympe looked over to him. "Ah yes, the son of the General Granger I've heard so much about," she said approvingly. "Many Muggles here have told me stories about him, how he led the bloody invasions of France's beaches. You have no idea how lucky you are, Miss Granger, to have a family legacy you can be proud of...."

"If it helps any, Olympe, next time we run across Wildflower, we'll be sure to make her pay for everything she's done," said Samus vehemently, unable to keep silent any longer. "If the Reformers keep following the pattern we've seen, the bloodsucker'll take a shot at us while we're hunting down Gryffindor's piece. When that happens, we'll be ready."

"Samus, somehow I really doubt that," Ron interjected. "I mean, when the other three had a go at us, it was where they had the advantage. Dursley was close to water, Myrtle buzzed around metal towers in the sky, Faction was deep underground and could tunnel everywhere. But how's a vampire supposed to fight inside a volcano?"

"He's got a point, Samus," Harry added. "We both saw fire's probably the only thing Wildflower fears. We know she's bloodthirsty and insanely loyal to Valkyrie, but she's definitely not THAT stupid and crazy."

"I suppose we shall soon see," Voldemort said coldly to Harry. "While I do appreciate the insight into Asara's deadliest servant, obtaining Gryffindor's piece should be our main worry, not when we fight Wildflower again."

"Voldemort's right, for once," said Hermione. "We spared all the time we could, helping fight Inferno at Hogwarts. Hopefully it'll prove to be a Phyrric victory for them. For now, we better get that last piece and then concentrate on finding Kor-Zor."

"Hermione, we may not have time," said J.B. suddenly. "Amid all the chaos over the last few hours, there was no time to explain...."

"Explain what, Captain?" asked Samus anxiously. "Adam said you had some pertinent tactical information, straight from your government. What's the bad news?"

"Before the coronal ejection screwed up all our satellite feeds, NASA was about to make out and spot some strange craft heading out into a far orbit. They launched at regular intervals over the last two weeks, their trajectory originating from somewhere in the middle of the Pacific. They just made sense of all the data right before the CME hit and sent it over to me. On top of that, whatever these craft are, they stopped heading into orbit about two days ago. It's not exactly rocket science to put this all together...."

Harry was the first to ask the obvious. "You're thinking it's the Ragnarok virus that Inferno's shipped to some hidden satellite in orbit, aren't you?"

"And if the shipments have stopped, they've got all the germs they need and are ready to launch," added Ron.

"The Day of Reckoning...Asara's planning to go through with it soon. REAL soon," said Hermione. "And consider the date, the eve of the Fourth. Oh that sounds like her, one last big 'eff you' to spite her old country...."

"Then a change in plans is indeed in order," Voldemort relented. "Wherever this hidden satellite is, we must find it at once and destroy it. Since Aran's ship is the only one capable of such a flight, the responsibility falls squarely with our ragtag little group."

"Still, even if we wipe out her stockpiles of Ragnarok, what's to stop Valkyrie from making more? Suppose we can't set up those giant crystals in time to bottle up Inferno, and she has a backup platform in orbit to launch their missiles?" Hermione pointed out. "Wiping out this satellite might prove to be only a delaying tactic. Even if we do that and quarantine Inferno, Valkyrie could then somehow use Kor-Zor's dark power to break through the quarantine...no, until Kor-Zor's finally gone, there'll be no end to this."

"Looks like we better make a decision, and fast," said Ron. He fidgeted with his helment, clearly at a loss for any input, and eventually his eyes fell expectantly on Samus. Samus caught on instantly. Her friends were counting on her to decide on their next move. But with two separate objectives that had to be met at once, what was there to do? The team she had put together couldn't be in two places at once, and without the luxury of time, Samus had to assume Valkyrie was only hours away from launching the Ragnarok virus.

Samus looked from one person to the next, several scenarios and ideas going through her head all at once, before at last and with a heavy heart, she made her fateful decision. "Since we've got two separate missions, it looks like we have no choice but to split this team up."

Harry stared at her, eyes wide. "Samus, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you and I go to this Mount Fuji by ourselves," explained Samus. "You've got Hufflepuff's piece, so you can probably find the way in and open it. J.B. and George will take Adam and the ship into orbit to track down this orbital weapon platform, get Ron, Hermione and Voldemort inside, and then the three of them tear it inside-out."

Her three friends all looked at each other anxiously. After being stuck with only Voldemort to rely on in Ravenclaw's sanctum, Harry clearly wouldn't go along with putting his best friends in that same situation. Likewise, Ron and Hermione looked less than pleased at the idea.

"Why them? Why those three only?" J.B. protested vehemently, glancing sideways at Voldemort.

"Because Ron and your niece have the gear and the firepower to fend off any troops Valkyrie has stationed in orbit, and can move quicker than a big team of Aurors and Death Eaters," said Samus evenly. "Plus, Voldemort's the only other wizard we've got with any hope of surviving in deep space. Like it or not, he's got the raw magical firepower. We need him for this, we've got no idea what Valkyrie has in store up there. I don't like it any more than you do, but Voldemort knows that if they die, the Founders' weapon is useless and Valkyrie wins." J.B. still looked mutinous, but whatever Voldemort was thinking, he hid it well behind a mask of stony indifference.

"What about Gryffindor's lair?" asked Voldemort. "Won't all four of you be needed to reach the last piece?"

"It was Slytherin and Ravenclaw's that were like that," Ron pointed out. "Hufflepuff's didn't really need all four of us, it just made it a hell of a lot easier. These last two are supposed to be different from the first two, remember? Hopefully that means there's no puzzles that need all four of us to put our heads together."

"I'm with Ron and Samus. Gryffindor's will probably be all about brute force tactics, so Harry and Samus can probably blast through it alone," said Hermione. "And Samus's right, that stockpile of Ragnarok virus has to go, now. Me, Ron and Voldemort are our best bet."

"Then I suppose it is decided," said Voldemort snidely. Samus had no doubt Voldemort resented his next course of action being decided for him, but she wondered if he felt disappointed about missing out on Gryffindor's sanctuary. After all, Voldemort most likely never had the chance to turn anything of Gryffindor's into a Horcrux.

"Just one little problem. How're Harry and Samus supposed to get to Japan if we're taking the ship?" Ron pointed out.

"One of my flying carriages is still on board. Perhaps it can be of use?" suggested Olympe.

"If I remember right, this volcano is on the other side of the planet, so I doubt your horses could make it," said Samus. Then she looked far back along the deck. "No, I've got a better idea...."

xxxxxx

**July 3, 1997 A.D., 4:55 PM Japan Standard Time  
approxomately 50 kilometers off the east coast of Japan**

The constant chittering from the Etecoons was beginning to wear on Harry. Unlike their usual carefree, cheerful noises, the trio of cute aliens were clearly frustrated, stuffed into the back seat of the Weasleys' Ford Anglia, where the adult Dachora took up most of the space. As Samus's alien friends shoved and screeched at each other, Harry's hands tightened against the steering wheel. He glanced over at Samus, who looked completely indifferent. Harry wasn't sure if she was just covering up her embarassment, or was utterly ambivalent about the racket.

Harry felt his anxiety grow as he looked back ahead. They were approaching Japan's east coast, and unless he was mistaken, Tokyo Bay was now just visible over the horizon, and coming up fast. "Lady, we're close enough to the coast," came Adam's voice from over his external speakers. Harry looked up, seeing the spidery docking clamps still held fast to the car's roof. "Should the ship get any closer, we run the risk of detection by the Japanese, which could in turn alert Inferno to our approach of this country. I am preparing to disengage the docking clamps and release the...flying car, so get ready, Harry. Come back alive, both of you."

"Same goes for you, and everyone you're hauling, Adam," said Harry anxiously. With that, Adam retracted the clamps, releasing the Ford Anglia from the underside of Samus's ship. For a moment, the car went into a dive, prompting Harry to grip the wheel even more tightly. It only took a few moments to calm himself, though, and grab the gear shift. Soon, he had the car pull out of its dive, and was soaring right for Japan.

"Harry, isn't this car supposed to have a stealth field as well?" Samus inquired delicately. "A flying car will create as much of as fuss as...what do people call spaceships in this era? UFOs?"

"Uh, yeah. Right on both counts," said Harry quickly, hitting the button that rendered the car invisible. Samus's reminder came just in time, for the cars was zooming over the roofs of the bay's skyscrapers a minute later. Though still nervous about driving a car that had become wild and sentient, Harry found the nerve to poke his head out the window. Everything looked peaceful in the Muggle city as nightfall crept ever closer, but Harry couldn't help but wonder what sort of chaos and confusion Inferno had caused in Japan. He already knew of the Shinto shrines that were burned down, but how far did Inferno really go? Valkyrie had stricken at the country she was born in. Did she do anything here personally, since it was so conveniently close? As Harry surveyed the cityscape, he thought he spotted something odd. "Wait a minute...are those people _jumping_ from roof to roof...from _skyscrapers_!? Who else can jump like we can!?"

"What, what are you talking about?" asked Samus.

"I dunno. Looks like there's about five or six of them, wearing mostly white. Wait, I think there's one wearing black, has a cape from the looks of it...."

"Harry, forget about it. Whatever's going on, we can't get involved. Our mission's to retrieve that last weapon piece, so concentrate on flying. Or driving, or...whatever, just keep your eyes on what's in front of us," said Samus sternly.

"Yeah, sure, anything you say," said Harry quickly, looking back ahead. At that point, they were flying over Tokyo itself. Filled with curiosity, Harry was tempted to look down again, but Samus had a point. Better to concentrate on flying the Ford Anglia, even if it filled him with anxiousness to no end. "Err, Samus, sure you don't want to switch seats? You're the one with pilot training, after all."

"True, but what do I know about flying cars?" asked Samus innocently. "You have more experience with this car, you're the obvious choice."

"I didn't fly this car, though. That was mostly Ron," Harry pointed out.

"Still, if you can handle a broom and play Seeker, you can manage this," said Samus confidently. "At the very least, you'll do better behind the wheel of a car than Hermione," she added ruefully.

Harry shuddered as he gazed over at Mount Fuji, now in plain sight beyond the skyscrapers. "There it is...hopefully this'll only take a few hours. No telling how long it'll take Adam and J.B. to find that weapon platform...."

Samus placed a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder. "Ron and Hermione will make it back, Harry. They've helped us get this far, after all. We just need to carry the torch the rest of the way ourselves. Looks like it's just you and me again," she said, flashing an encouraging smile. Harry felt himself relax a little as Mount Fuji loomed nearer. As they neared the volcano, Harry pulled the Ford Anglia up sharply, and the car flew up at angle along Mount Fuji's sloping surface. Harry felt a chill as the temperature dropped, despite the protection from his varia upgrade. Soon, the Ford Anglia was idly hovering a few dozen feet above the snowy cap of the volcano.

"Well, we've finally made it. Now all we have to do is find the way in," said Harry warily, staring down at the volcano. From the air, the view of Mount Fuji's snowy heights was so serene and breathtaking, it took some time to remind himself that whatever was hidden inside would be anything but. Taking a deep breath, Harry opened his door, leaning out to get a better look. "Damn, this volcano's wider than I thought. Don't tell me we'll have to go over every square foot in the Ford Anglia until...." His words trailed off as he heard strange chittering in his ear...and it wasn't the Etecoons'. Eyes widening, he glanced at his shoulder, noticing how the metal badger relief had just come to life, prying itself off his armor. Before Harry could say anything, it launched itself off of him, and the other three yellow badgers followed. Four yellow streaks dived down into the snowy depths below, prompting Harry to get back in and grab the wheel. "Never mind, those little buggers just found it for us," he said as he made the Ford Anglia dive.

Once Harry brought the car down along a snowy mountain ridge, he and Samus could hear a low rumbling. Harry's first, foolish thought was that Mount Fuji was about to erupt, but a geyser-like plume of snow a few yards away made Harry realize something else was going on. He opened the door again, and after taking a deep breath, jumped down onto the volcano. After picking himself up out of the snow, Harry saw the four metal badgers scurrying back toward him. They leaped at Harry and reattached themselves to his armor. After staring down at his armor for a moment, Harry finally looked up. Eventually, Harry noticed something had risen, something massive and white, difficult to make out against the snow covering the volcano. Soon enough, Harry understood what it was supposed to be: a huge replica of the skull of some animal. As Harry squinted at it, he realized it sort of resembled a cat's skull...or rather, a lion's....

Harry heard Samus drop down beside him. "A giant skull? What's this supposed to do?" she asked. Harry shrugged his shoulders, just as clueless. Suddenly, the skull tilted back, opening its jaw, as if beckoning them to step inside.

"Oh, don't tell me we're expected to...." Harry began, but fell silent as Samus nudged him forward.

"Yes, we are. Let's go," Samus said as she stepped over a row of sharp teeth. Breathing deeply, Harry did the same. Once both of them were inside, the skull's jaw clamped shut, and Harry was immediately overhwhelmed by a rushing sensation, as if he were falling to his doom....

After getting over the disorientation from blood rushing to his head, Harry's vision began to clear. He noticed some condensation forming along his visor's edges, and the pale light from the setting sun was replaced by an ominous orange glow that enveloped everything. Seeing that the skull's jaw was open again, Harry stepped out with Samus and looked back at it. He noticed a column right behind it, like a long vertebral column....

"It was another elevator," said Samus. "And where it's taken us...oh, doesn't this just bring back warm, fuzzy memories...."

Harry turned around to see what Samus was talking about. Wherever they were, the skull elevator had dropped them off atop some sort of meticulously-carved stone pillar, which was in the middle of some sea of clear, sallow liquid that constantly bubbled and frothed. Steamlike vapor rose from everywhere, slightly distorting their vision. Harry got the sense it was insufferably hot here, once again making him grafteful for his varia armor. It looked like they were in some subterrainean tunnel half-flooded with the noxious stuff, and to the left and right, more pillars jutted out from the liquid. Some were low enough to use as platforms, while others resembled totem poles, likenesses of lions carved into them, staring at the duo as if daring them to venture on. The reflective glow from the liquid that danced along the carvings...it almost made them seem alive....

"Boiling acid, and a ceiling with stalactites too low to make space jumping comfortable," Samus noted as they took in their surroundings. "Well, let's pick a direction and move out."

They decided to take the tunnel off to the right of the lion skull elevator, carefully hopping from pillar to pillar. Occassionally, a burst of acid would fountain up across their path. One nicked Harry in the foot, and nearly caused him to take an acid bath. Luckily, Samus snagged him with her grapple beam and swung him up onto the pillar with her. "Whew, that was close," huffed Harry.

"More trouble's coming up, though," said Samus, looking back down and aiming her arm cannon. Harry glanced over his shoulder, noticing what looked like a huge, purple seahorse. Once its head surfaced from the acid pool, it immediately began breathing fireballs up at them. Yelping, Harry rolled aside as Samus fired down at it. She kept hopping around to avoid the creature's fireballs. Harry was about to lend a hand, but then he saw icy fog form on his visor.

"What the...HERE!?" cried Harry, looking up and spotting two dementors ready to swoop down on him. "Oh, how I kingdom for a screw attack," he muttered as he aimed a missile at one of them. It exploded in a flurry of ice, and a few quick beam shots made short work of the other one. What was left of both dementors, they seemed to ripple and distort. "Wait a minute, where have I seen that before...." Harry thought aloud, right before the haunting memories swept over him.

"Harry...." came Samus's fearful voice. No doubt she finished off the giant seahorse thing, and noticed the same thing he had.

The enemies they thought they just killed turned into what were unmistakably free-floating X parasites.

xxxxxx

Have I mastered the art of assholey cliffhangers or what? :P

So long,  
Grey-X


	39. Level Four

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning  
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover  
Chapter 39: Level Four  
3-30-2010  
by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

His mind numb with confusion and terror, Harry could only stare blankly up at the free-floating, sallow blobs, bobbing up and down idly in the tunnel's acidic mist. _It can't really be them,_ Harry kept thinking to himself. _Samus and I saw Voldemort blow the station, kill all the X parasites. There's just no way...._

Whether or not they were the genuine article, the stunned X suddenly showed signs of life again. In the blink of an eye, both X parasites morphed into doxies and immediately spewed venom down at Harry. Still too flummoxed to react, the poison doused Harry's chest plate, making some suit energy seep away. Harry screwed his eyes shut and shook his head, finally spurred to action.

Howling with confusion and rage, he aimed up at the doxies and fired wildly. As swift as they were, they couldn't escape Harry's wide barrage, and quickly reverted to their natural form. He was getting over his fear, and instinct was taking over. "_Accio X!_" Harry bellowed as he aimed at them again. Just as on Voldemort's station, they zoomed toward him and were absorbed through his suit. At first, Harry feared he made a horrible mistake, that they would infect this Marine suit. Instead, he saw most of the energy lost to the doxies was replenished. "Hold it, these were reverse-engineered to mimic your suit and absorb energy," Harry thought aloud. "But I guess the GF's scientists couldn't figure out any other way to do that besides putting Metroid tissue into the organic bits...."

"Good to know some good came out of the GF studying them," Samus remarked darkly. Harry turned to see her leaning over the platform, a yellow-green glow from her suit starting to ebb. "That takes care of my X host," she said. "Now, all we have to figure out is how the X invaded this sanctum. I mean, Voldemort didn't even know about this place until a few days ago. How could he have possibly bred them here?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," said Harry breathlessly, warily watching for any more X-hosts. "Maybe there's another reason. Think maybe the Chozo purposely put them here as part of the sanctum? Think the Founders' suit had Metroid tissue, like mine seems to?"

"I doubt it. The whole reason the Chozo took such a risk with creating the Metroids was to contain the X. No chance they would let the X endanger another world," Samus replied. "Besides, I'm pretty sure the Chozo discovered the X _well after_ Kor-Zor was sealed away."

"So if it wasn't Voldemort, and it wasn't the Chozo...." Harry kept looking around for other X-hosts. As his gaze swept over the river of acid, his eyes fell on the stone totem pole of lions' head carvings. The carvings seemed to stare right back at him, almost alive, as if watching to see what the duo would do next. Suddenly, the answer became clear to Harry. "Then they're not really X parasites at all."

"Come again?" Samus quickly demanded.

"This is Gryffindor's sanctuary, don't forget. Courage is his number one qualifier, what he'd want to test. I'm betting his place is loaded with nothing but some special kind of boggart, something that won't be flicked away by something like Riddikulus, to be sure," Harry explained. "Out of everything we've faced together, those virus buggers have spawned plenty of nightmares between the two of us."

Harry watched Samus's piercing eyes study him carefully from behind her visor. "I...suppose that makes sense. I can't think of any other explanation," Samus said in an exasperated voice. "But seriously, after what I had to do to make that relic cough up coordinates...I've _ALREADY_ proved I can face my ultimate fear!"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "That's right, you never did tell us what the artifact put you through...."

"Another time, Harry," Samus said quickly. "Now that we're fairly certain we don't have to worry about an X plague, let's get back to keeping Valkyrie from unleashing hers." With that, Samus jumped over to the next rocky platform, soaring over more geysering plumes of boiling acid. Harry shook his head, still horribly curious about what Samus endured, his instincts telling him it was important to know. But he knew Samus too well, and realized prying right now would get him nowhere. With a heavy sigh, Harry cautiously jumped across the acid river after her.

Eventually, they reached a bubble door. After going through, Samus and Harry found themselves at the bottom of what looked like the inside of a gigantic, narrow tower. A stairwell leading up was only a few yards away, but the floors had caved in in many places, allowing an easy way to simply jump up, which they did. However, since they still lacked the screw attack, they only jumped up one level at a time, not knowing what they would comes across.

A few floors up, their prudence proved to be a good idea. Kihunters descended down from gaping holes in the crumbling ceiling above and immediately dived at them, their scythe-like arms reared back to strike. Samus impaled the one coming for her with her extended fins, and promptly finished it off with a charged blast to its face. Harry dived aside to avoid the two Kihunters closing on him, quickly retaliating by aiming a missile at one and a triple blast of poison water at the other. Harry kept them both at bay, mercilessly pulverizing the alien-mimicking boggarts, but just as one began to turn into free X parasites, he noticed something breaking through the wall beside him. As he quickly Summoned the freed X to him and fired another missile at the remaining Kihunter, Harry turned to face the new threat, receiving another shock.

"Blast-Ended Skrewts!?" he cried upon seeing the ten-foot long, armored creature that he had sincerly hoped to never lay eyes on again. It propelled itself forward, rearing back its scorpion-like tail. Harry jumped aside, then knocked it silly for a moment with a missile, but the other Kihunter used that opening to strike with its scythe arm, knocking Harry flat on his back. Forced to look up, Harry noticed more Blast-Ended Skrewts crawling through the hole above them.

"Can't decide whether or not it's a good idea to tell Hagrid about these," he heard Samus bark, right before a charged blast ripped through the Kihunter, finally releasing its X parasites. Before they could get away, Harry Summoned them to him, but in the split-second it took to do that, yet another Skrewt moved in, pinning Harry to the ground with its stinger. Harry screeched as the crushing pain overwhelmed him, the Skrewt's venom taking a further toll on his suit.

Fighting back the pain, Harry brought up his left arm and fired a missile right into the Skrewt's face. He succeeding in forcing it back, the impact making it rear back on its hind legs. Seeing his chance, Harry used the spazer to fling three Blasting Curses at its underbelly, releasing its X parasites. After Summoning them, Harry stood up, ready to help Samus fend off the rest. But the flash of a power bomb told Harry that she had the situation well in hand.

"Really Harry,_ THOSE _were the things Hagrid bred? Looks more like something you'd find on Tallon IV, not Hogwarts," Samus said after she drew the remaining X parasites to her. "Seriously, Gryffindor wasn't fooling around. We haven't even been here for fifteen minutes and already were getting manhandled. Even worse, now our power sources'll get away if we're not fast enough. Anyway, how are you doing on energy?"

"About two and a half tanks gone," Harry replied, looking down at where the venomous stinger nearly ran him through. Then he looked over to where the first Skrewt emerged from. "But hey, maybe there's something in there that'll fill them back up." Without waiting for Samus, Harry went into morph ball mode and rolled into the exposed tunnel. Within seconds, Harry felt more energy tick away as he rolled over small puddles of acid. However, his determination to be thorough paid off; after some careful searching using his bombs and boost ball, Harry found an area where he could dart up a quarter-pipe and snag an extra missile expansion. _Nice, I've been using up way too many of that too, _Harry thought as he rolled back out.

It wasn't long before Harry and Samus were ascending the tower-like chamber again, but Harry's discovery coaxed Samus into searching for more passages to bomb open. Soon, her efforts yielded yet another missile expansion, along with another power bomb expansion. Harry's anxiety was easing a little; more crucial ammo was theirs, and if these last two ambushes were any indication, they desperately needed as much as they could get.

They spent another half-hour carefully exploring the acid-soaked regions of the sanctum's entrance, scouring every square inch. The tower-like area had bubble doors on many floors, leading to tunnels that branched out into a complex maze. Everywhere they went, they found more of those totem-like pillars of lion heads, eerily staring at them as the glow from boiling acid shone off of them. Aside from being unnerving, it made keeping track of things difficult, as many areas started to look the same....

Thankfully, with their x-ray visors, they at least had a chance of navigating the complex labyrinth. For one thing, one rocky cavern filled with bubbling acid pools had another power bomb expansion nestled deep into the ceiling high above. It took some time, but eventually Samus and Harry were able to clear a path in the adjacent tunnel, letting Samus build up enough speed to activate the spinespark, rocketing up into the stone to grab it. Furthermore, with the x-ray visor, Harry was able to faintly see the outlines of pipes snaking underneath those acid pools.

That gave Samus the clue she needed. With her past experiences dealing with Chozo architecture, it didn't take Samus long to find a bombable opening in the floor, which eventually led them into that array of pipes Harry spotted. Samus rolled on ahead of him, while Harry eagerly trailed behind. The sheer terror from facing the X parasites again was wearing off, replaced by an eagerness to uncover everything Godric Gryffindor left for them. This was, after all, the sanctum dreamed up by his House's founder. Samus would claim his weapon piece, but at least Harry still had this chance to see into Gryffindor's head.

_Too bad Ron and Hermione had to miss out,_ Harry thought to himself, his mood suddenly darkening. Were they any closer to finding Inferno's orbital weapon station? Could he really rely on Voldemort to back up his best friends? Anxious questions began to gnaw at Harry again as Samus cleared a path with bombs, allowing them to keep on rolling.

With one last bomb blast, Samus blew an opening in a pipe, and they emerged at the end of another long tunnel. But after unrolling, Harry noticed the decor was vastly different. Just like in Hufflepuff's tunnels, sconches shaped like the head of this Founder's favorite animal adorned the walls. These cast a pernicious, blood-red glow everywhere. Plus, these lion heads had eyes that glowed with fiery intensity, and Harry swore they followed them as they ran down the tunnel. Harry also noticed the cave walls looked carved out, more rounded, and soon they came across machinery worked into the walls. Arrays of spinning gears were housed behind thick glass panels and in the ceiling, pistons turned and pumped furiously...but what were they pumping?

"Samus, all this machinery...think we're heading in the right direction?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Judging by the resistance we're about to encounter, I'd say so," replied Samus, pointing down the tunnel. Harry looked ahead, stiffening when he saw Desgeegas hopping along the ceiling and Manticores charging at them.

"Time to get to work," muttered Harry as he jumped up, firing a triple blast of poison water that knocked three Desgeegas off the ceiling. As he landed, he saw Samus slice off a Manticore's incoming tail with her fin slasher, right before she unleashed a charged shot in its face. Another one was charging ahead, though, forcing Harry to drive it back with Torrentus. He succeeded in holding it off long enough for Samus to finish off the first Manticore. She quickly opened fire on the second. Both reverted to X parasites that Samus promptly absorbed. By the time the Desgeegas regrouped to pounce of the pair, they were ready with charged blasts that instantly felled them.

"So much for the first wave, but Gryffindor's not letting us off that easily. Here come more Manticores," warned Samus, pointing ahead. Harry watched four more Manticores charge, deadly venom dripping from stingers they were eager to run their prey through with.

It took several more minutes to wipe out all the Manticores, and in that time, they managed to land several hits with their deadly stingers. Once it was over, Harry glanced at his HUD. A third of his enengy was gone, he'd already used up about thirty missiles, and he knew full well they hadn't even scratched the surface of Gryffindor's lair....

At last, the duo reached the end of the tunnel, blocked off by a red door. Samus quickly blasted off the shield with five missiles, then ran inside, Harry following close behind. They found themselves in a huge, cubelike chamber that, at first glance, looked like some sort of pumping station. Vats were worked right into the ground, half-filled with acid. However, the arrays of pistons and gears lining the station...only a paucity of them were moving. On the whole, the entire pumping station had a dead, ghostly feel.

"Think we're supposed to get this stuff working again?" asked Harry. "I mean, this looks more like something Ravenclaw would...."

An insect-like chirp cut Harry off, and a buzzing noise prompted him to flatten himself against the ground. A Kihunter sailed over Harry as he did so, nearly hitting him with its scythe arms. Harry got right back up, keeping it back with beam shots. But more buzzing noises told him more Kihunters were closing in, and the sound of acid spit let Harry know they meant business. Thankfully, Samus was already on top of things, skillfully cutting loose with charged shots that all found their mark. "Hang on, Harry, I'll be with you in a minute," said Samus as her charged shots ripped apart another Kihunter.

At that moment, another Kihunter tried to zoom in and ram Harry, but he caught it off-guard with a sharp uppercut. While it was grounded, Harry blasted its head off with Aguamenti at point-blank range. "I appreciate the thought, Samus, but I'm doing OK so far."

Once again, it wasn't long before the area was clear, and some of their power was restored by the X their enemies gave up. This gave Samus and Harry ample time to inspect the pumping station uninterrupted. "Geez, looking at those gears and pistons again, their color...you think all this stuff we're seeing is really solid gold?" Harry asked, noticing how the machinery looked like Gryffindor's metal of choice. "Come to think of it, I think those pipes we went through were the same color, too."

"More likely it's a gold alloy. Gold is remarkably resistant to corrosion, after all," said Samus. "Of course, that won't do us any good unless we can get these pumps activated. I'm betting those gold lion heads high in the corners have something to do with it," she added, pointing at a far corner. Harry saw where she was pointing; indeed, another lion head, which looked to be forged of solid gold, adorned the far corner. Without thinking, Harry began to space jump over to it. When nothing happened, Harry was encouraged. However, when he closed in on it, the lion head suddenly sprang to life, biting down on Harry's arm as he reached out for it. It swung Harry about for a moment, like a dog messing with a chew toy, before it flung him back down to the floor.

"Ugh, should've known it wouldn't be that easy," grumbled Harry as Samus helped him back up.

"Yeah. It was stupid of us to think Gryffindor wouldn't leave a puzzle or two of his own," said Samus in agreement. She then fell silent, and Harry just watched Samus closely survey the pumping station. "Notice all the pipes crisscrossing the station? If the metal all that gold is mixed with is magnetic...maybe we're supposed to use the spider ball to approach those lion heads. Then we use the boost ball to launch ourselves inside their mouths before they can do anything."

"I got a feeling you're on to something, and Gryffindor's android knows it. Look what's coming out of the walls," said Harry, pointing at a crack near a sheaf of pipes fixed into a wall. Gleaming, jewel-like sparkles moved along the walls, and Harry knew they had to be Fire Crabs, fanning out and ready to blast off anyone using the spider ball.

"Sometimes I hate being right. Anyway, there's four lion heads, and only two of us. This may take a while, so let's get started." With that, Samus went into morph ball mode and rolled over to the nearest collection of pipes jutting up from the floor. Harry saw Samus's ball shape attract itself to the metal in the pipes, as she expected. Encouraged, he went into morph ball mode himself, boosting toward the nearest pipe. Harry quickly learned it wasn't just the Fire Crabs they had to worry about. As soon as Samus and Harry attached themselves to pipes, steam started to shoot out of certain parts, just like in Hufflepuff's mine chambers.

Luckily, these had more of a predictable pattern, and even though the steam bursts barely registered with Harry's sonar, he was able to make his way through. Eventually, Harry made it to the wall, where he occassionally had to hitch a ride on a gear flush with the wall, then lay a bomb at just the right time to propel himself up to another row of pipes. At first, avoiding the chemical bursts from the Fire Crabs was simple, but after a while they got more aggressive, and tried to physically block his path. Undaunted, Harry quickly rolled in, dropped some bombs, and ducked away, his sonar usually picking up how their jewelled shells were blasted clean off. Upon reaching a row of pipes hanging from the ceiling, just in front of a lion head, he let his boost ball build up power, then fired himself into its open maw.

Almost immediately, Harry felt the lion's jaws clamp down on him. His suit wasn't damaged, but Harry knew the lion head was liable to spit him out any moment. Panicking, Harry instinctively laid a bomb. That automatically caused the lion head to expel him with a gagging cough. Harry bounced painfully on the floor for a moment before unrolling. He looked up, convinced he had messed up horribly, but one glance at the lion head told him laying a bomb in it was precisely what he had to do. An onimous glow issued from its eyes and mouth, and far in the distance, behind the walls, Harry could hear machinery springing to life.

Another gagging noise made Harry look behind him. One of the other lion heads had just spit Samus out, and she rolled to a stop right at his feet. She unrolled right there, a please look behind her visor. "Well, that takes care of the other three. Looks like you picked the one that took the longest to reach," she commented, right before taking another look around. More humming was echoing throughout the pumping station. Soon, everything sprang back to life. Gear arrays were starting to turn machinery and pistons began to pump furiously.

"So, we got everything working again," said Harry. "But what's all this supposed to do?" At that moment, he felt horribly disappointed. All that hard work and it didn't look like they had anything to show for it. It wasn't long, however, before the pumping station quaked violently, knocking both Harry and Samus off their feet. Then the tremor only got worse.

xxxxxx

The quaking was so powerful and devastating, Samus felt it right through her suit, rattling her to the very marrow of her bones. Samus had no idea how long the tremor lasted, but as soon as it had begun, the quaking ceased. Slowly and gingerly, Samus picked herself up off the pumping station floor. "Urgh, my head...what was t-that earthquake all about? Did a-anything happen in the p-pump station?" she heard Harry ask.

Samus gave the pump station a once over, but at first glance, nothing had changed. The movement of the pistons and gears had mostly ceased. It looked just as it had when the pair entered. "Nothing, from the looks of it," Samus replied glumly.

"WHAT!? We go through all the trouble clearing the pump station, switching on those lion heads, and for what!?" cried Harry vehemently.

"Unless what's changed wasn't here in this pumping station," Samus thought aloud as she continued racking her brains. As she tried to make sense of it all, a nagging feeling bit at the back of her brain, as if there was something she was supposed to remember. When she thought back to the tremor that rocked the sanctum, a possibility came to her. "We have to backtrack, Harry. We have to get back to the sanctum's entrance," she told Harry.

"Huh? What for?" Harry asked as he followed Samus out, his confusion evident.

"You'll see when we get there...hopefully," replied Samus, leading the charge back to where they started. Which was easier said than done, as the path back was once again crawling with boggarts mimicking the X, which in turn mimicked some of most dangerous creatures she and Samus ever faced. Samus hoped they found Gryffindor soon, so she could give him a piece of her mind about that....

After several long, agonizing minutes, the pair finally stepped back through the first bubble door they went through. As soon as they had, Samus found her suspicions confirmed: the river of acid that half-flooded the entrance tunnel had been drained away.

Harry stared down in amazement at the dried-up tunnel, which was far deeper than either of them had guessed. "Samus, I don't get it. How'd you know the pumps did their work over here?"

"That tremor clued me in," replied Samus as she surveyed the new path to take. "It reminded me of the mini-quakes that always rocked SR388. The Metroids there...it was almost as if their life force was linked to the planet somehow. Whenever I killed enough of them, a quake would drain poison water in some areas."

"Oh yeah," was all Harry could say. Samus jumped down into the tunnel, weaving in between the huge pillars and keeping her arm cannon raised, not knowing what new forms the boggarts would take next. She heard Harry following close behind, watching her back. Instead of making her feel anxious, worried about having to protect him, it helped shore up her confidence now. Harry had proven himself capable many times over...and was about to do so again. "Oh no, Samus...Metroids...hold it, there's something I forgot to tell you! In all the excitement after Maxime rescued us, I-I-I...."

Samus spun around, now filled with anxiety. "What, Harry? Is your Metroid DNA being active again...manifesting more strange symptoms? What's...."

"Oh no, Samus, nothing like that!" Harry said quickly. "I meant Valkyrie's Metroids. I...think I know what she's really using them for."

"We know she's probably using them in her siege campaigns, like we saw back at Hogwarts," said Samus.

"On top of helping to keep her practically immortal, just like Voldemort's Horcruxes," Harry added.

Samus's eyes widened. "What are you talking about, Harry?"

"Back at Hogwarts, when Voldemort tried pummeling Valkyrie with Avada Kedavra...I noticed how her Metroids reacted each time she got hit," explained Harry. "They were completely paralyzed, as if they were linked somehow."

"Oh no. Harry, don't tell me you mean every single one of her Metroids is a Horcrux!" cried Samus, now horrified beyond belief.

"Not quite like that, Samus. Remember how Valkyrie told us there were 'better, less drastic means' than making Horcruxes?" Harry reminded her. "That must be the real reason Valkyrie spliced herself with our Metroid DNA. Somehow, they're all linked. That's _GOT_ to be why both her and her Metroids are immune to Avada Kedavra!"

Samus forced herself to breathe deeply and calm her thoughts, but it took every ounce of discipline she possessed. This new revelation changed everything. "So, unless we find all her Metroids and destroy them the old-fashioned way...."

"Valkyrie will come back just like Voldemort did, even if we destroy her body," Harry finished. "Sealing up Inferno with one big Quarantine Charm...it won't do any good if she'll just come back and smashes through it."

"And _THAT'S_ where her Metroids will be, safe from anyone who figures it out!" spat Samus. "That means Inferno can't be quarantined until we find a way in!"

"So we'd better hurry and get to Gryffindor, so we can get the word out," said Harry. "But how are _we_ supposed to get in when the Americans got nowhere, knocking on Valkyrie's door with a shit-ton of nukes!?"

"We'll worry about that later," Samus said quickly, hoping she sounded confident. In truth, she was now more fearful than ever, but self-loathing and disgust mingled with her terror. Her disgust was mostly aimed at Valkyrie; despite all her preaching about being the antithesis to Voldemort, she tried to escape death in almost the exact same way. But her self-loathing was due to how she kept missing these crucial details. Doping out Valkyrie's goal of forcing all humans down the same evolutionary path, the only hope for bottling up Inferno...that was all Harry. _Could be any plainer how badly I really need him?_ she thought to herself.

A dreadful silence hanging between them now, Samus and Harry ran down the dried-up tunnel. The dried-up tunnel bed sloped down on an incline, and they carefully checking everything with their x-ray visors. However, nothing unusual came up, and eventually they reached a bubble door with a yellow blast shield. One power bomb, though, took care of that. Beyond it was a very narrow tunnel, just wide enough for the two of them. The walls were made up of more of that gold alloy, and far down the tunnel, Samus thought she saw a collection of blob-shaped rocks blocking it off.

Harry turned to Samus expectantly. "Speed booster?" he asked.

"Speed booster," replied Samus with a nod.

And so, while leaving the bubble door open, Samus and Harry ran back to the other edge of the acid-free tunnel. They looked at each other again, nodded, then broke into a run. It only took a few seconds for their speed boosters to kick in. Samus ran ahead of Harry slightly, going through the open door first. Her blazing body plowed through one side of the tunnel, obliterating all the rocks in her path. Samus glanced behind her. Beyond the four ghostly silheouttes of herself, Samus saw Harry smash through the rest. Looking back ahead, she saw a bubble door coming up fast. Samus skillfully skidded to a halt, but Harry careened past her, slamming into the bubble door.

"Ack, just can't quite get the hang of that," growled Harry as he picked himself up, sounding mortified. Samus fought down a chuckle. Harry was picking up all the clues she missed, but he still looked to her for guidance, and didn't need her laughing at him. Wanting to forget about it, Harry shot the bubble door open. Samus looked past him, and immediately knew something was different. The air coming from the doorway caused even more condensation to form on their visor than the acidic mist. After she followed Harry inside, she saw why. They stepped out onto an isthmus; on either side of them were huge pools of burbling magma, fed by huge lion heads mounted on the walls that constantly spewed the stuff. "OK, this is more like what I expected to see on Gryffindor's turf," said Harry as he looked around.

Looking across the isthmus, Samus saw that there was no bubble door there. In fact, there were no other doors anywhere. "OK, it's obvious there's something in there that we need to snag. But what...."

Her unfinished question was answered when something dropped down from the ceiling, knocking both of them off their feet. When Samus sat up, she spotted what looked like a huge, metallic-grey ball sitting in a freshly-formed crater at the other side of the isthmus. It quickly unrolled, revealing a Torizo statue.

"Fun time," muttered Harry dejectly as he got to his feet. He opened up with a barrage of beam shots, but they all ricocheted harmlessly off the Torizo's metal hide, doing nothing to impede its advance. It charged right for them, and while doing so opened its beak. An intense, continuous heat beam lanced out toward the pair, scorching the ground it touched. Samus and Harry leaped aside in opposite directions. Samus tried firing missiles while Harry kept up his barrage. "Myabe that means it's got the plasma beam!" Harry exclaimed hopefully.

"Hopefully, but first we have to get it off of it!" cried Samus as she kept firing missiles. Ice coated the Torizo's chest as the missile impacts forced it back, but otherwise, it didn't appear to be taking any damage. Desperation was starting to get to Samus as she fired another missile, but the Torizo caught it and flung it back. Samus dashed aside, but it impacted the ground near her, almost knocking her into the magma pit. "Great, it's impervious to damage like the last one!" Samus cried as she got back up. "But I don't see any traps it can be lured into! What are we to do!?"

"What else!? Knock it into the lava!" Harry replied vehemently. He went into morph ball mode, rolling in between its legs. The Torizo clumsily reached down to grab him but missed, and when Harry unrolled, the Torizo stood in between him and a magma pool. Harry summoned the most powerful winds he could muster, but all it did was keep the Torizo from advancing any further. Samus saw Harry grit his teeth behind his visor. Knowing the effort would soon take its toll, Samus lashed out on instinct, jumping at the Torizo. She planted a kick onto its beak that sent it careening back, and as it lost its footing, Harry's wind finally drove it backward. It teetered on the edge of the isthmus for a moment, and a missile to its face knocked it into the magma at last.

Samus kept her arm cannon trained on where the Torizo had gone under, and Harry did the same with his wand. Many moments passed in silence, the surface of the magma eerily still, but then the Torizo sprang out, its body spinning and blazing. It tried to crash down on the pair, but once again, they proved far too swift for the Torizo. However, the Torizo wasn't done yet. Its body continue to spin and blaze, speeding right along the isthmus. Samus couldn't duck away in time, and the impact knocked her off the side. Desperately fighting against the pain as the magma engulfed her, Samus lashed out with her left arm, hoping to find purchase on the part of the land pass submersed in molten rock. She was close enough so that she could, and as Samus pulled herself over to it, she found footholds secure enough to let herself jump off out of the magma.

As she sailed up and out of the molten rock, she saw the Torizo was still spinning back and forth along the isthmus. However, Harry kept on jumping over it every time. As Samus touched back down on the isthmus, the Torizo finally ground to a halt and unrolled, its body still glowing white-hot after its magma bath. Seeing his chance, Harry charged a shot. Frost built up all along his right arm before he shouted, "_Bombarda Maxima!_" The explosive flurry of ice smacked into the Torizo, rapidly cooling its outer shell. Samus heard it crack, and began pelting it with ice beam shots. Harry kept up the assault with Glacius, and eventually, its armor cracked off completely, revealing the Torizo's glowing weak point on its chest.

After that, it didn't take long to bring the Torizo down for good. Harry and Samus kept up a non-stop barrage of beam shots, and eventually its central body started to smoke and sputter. It collapsed to its knees right before falling face-first onto the isthmus, its body falling apart and exploding as it did so. When the haze and sparks cleared, Samus saw it had left something behind, but it wasn't a plasma beam module. Instead, it was a metallic orb with a sculpting of a lightning-bolt shape welded onto it. "The screw attack," said Samus flatly.

"Which can burrow through certain types of rock, right? Which I bet is what we'll need to do," said Harry. The two approached it, then knelt and absorbed it power at the same time. Samus sighed in relief as the confirmation message flashed on her HUD. Almost every bit of gear that Moaning Myrtle robbed her of had been recovered. Only the most integral beam and armor upgrades remained. Harry then interrupted Samus's train of thought. "Hey, Samus, think that wall right across from the door is a good place to start trying?"

Samus looked up to where Harry was pointing. A portion of the wall he indicated looked to be made up of loose, brown sheets of sediment, a start constrast to the blood-red igneous rock that made up the rest of the magma chamber. "As good a place as any to start," said Samus, jumping toward it. As her body began to spin, Samus felt that familiar, energized sensation as her suit gave off deadly energy that could rip through most anything. However, when she touched the strange wall, instead of burrowing into it, she rebounded off of it. "Ack, what was that all about?" Samus asked dejected as she picked herself off the isthmus.

"You knocked those rocks away instead of plowing through them, and look what you revealed," said Harry. Samus looked up and gasped when she noticed a shimmering, rippling Chozo tapestry. Harry was already scanning it, and Samus did the same, reading the Chozo text aloud as her systems recorded the data.

_It was no accident that we, the four Founders of Hogwarts, decided that the sites of our sanctuaries would be spread all across the globe. In what will hoepfully be centuries that will pass before our darkest creation is needed, evolution and human societies will march on, and the cultures of the lands where our respective sanctuaries rest will flourish. By traveling to all these distant lands, it is our wish that this will grant those of this generation an invaluable perspective. It is not just our old homeland of Great Britain that you safeguard. It is all life on this world, Muggle and wizard alike, that you are fighting so bravely to protect. And by using the weapons and equipment left behind by our otherworldly friends, the Chozo, you will hopefully also realize that what happens here on Earth has consequences for the entire universe. You have fought valiantly and bravely to make it this far. Remember what it is you fight for as your mission comes to a close!_

"Godric was righter than he knew," said Harry somberly. "If we let Valkyrie use Kor-Zor's power, there's no telling what it'd mean for the universe." Samus couldn't think of anything to say, but she acknowledged that Gryffindor's wisdom must've been deeper than Wizarding historians gave him credit for. In her time spent in this era, Samus had learned more about her homeworld and its history than in all her time being taught by the Chozo. Like the evolutionary history of any race, humans had bright spots and dark spots in their legacy. Valkyrie was right about how the dark spots should never be ignored, but to lose all hope and strive to reboot humanity's development like so many computer programs....

It made Samus realize how much Valkyrie was without hope or any optimism, letting herself be fueled by hate and bitterness, which was what drove her to destroy before she created. It was then that Samus decided that Valkyrie wasn't to be hated. She was to be pitied.

Pitied, but ultimately, she had to be stopped. By any means necessary.

As Samus and Harry made their way back through the tunnel, they caught something they missed before. Running through the tunnel with the speed booster revealed another bubble door along the side. Samus and Harry ran through, finding themselves in a small, dark room, where the only light came from a hologram that flittered over the outstretched, cupped hands of a Godric Gryffindor statue. "The map data," said Harry dully. "Hopefully this'll give us a better idea of where we have to go."

Both of them quickly downloaded the data, and Samus brought it up on her HUD. "OK, the other side of that entrance tunnel we never went down...looks like it leads to a series of small caverns that lead the first of three big open areas, each with some sort of central structure," Samus told Harry. "That first one, there's a bit of gear we need deep under that structure. The second structure has something in the middle, and the last one...has a red lion's head marking something on its basement level. That's where we'll find Gryffindor."

"Right after we fight through hell...literally. Something tells me we'll be seeing magma everywhere from here on out," said Harry darkly.

"Which we should be able to withstand once we find the gravity suit, which has to be one of the two upgrades still here," Samus reminded him. "That acid...that'll keep hurting us no matter what."

"Well, let's go see if that first big cavern has it," said Harry. And with that, they ran back to the rest of the tunnel and briskly space jumped up to the unexplored end of the entrance. When they went through the bubble door there, it wasn't long before they came upon what looked like a dead-end. Samus and Harry tried laying some bombs, then a power bomb, but nothing seemed to work. "Not enough running space for the speed booster, bombs don't work...so how do we get through?"

Samus stared at the rocky walls for a minute, finally noticing that the coloration and overall texture of the rock in front of her looked slightly off. The answer coming to her, Samus hopped back a little, then sprang forward, going into a spinning jump. Her blazing body ripped the rocky barrier to shreds, and with the space jump, she kept on going, forging a path onward.

With the screw attack now theirs, the pair cleared a tunnel that sloped upward, leading to a small cavern with a low ceiling, lined by sharp, spiky stalactites. A pool of flowing magma stretched out before them, and there was too little space between it and the spiked ceiling to make space jumping preferable. Luckily, Samus saw a Squeept propel itself out of the magma. Looking past it, Samus spotted more and more Squeepts splashed up out the magma and diving back in.

"There we go," Samus said to Harry, certain he was just as nervous about using the space jump. She aimed at the spot where the closest Squeept emerged and waited patiently. The instant Samus saw it shoot out of the magma, she fired and froze it solid. "Come on Harry, hurry! That ice won't hold long in this environment!" Slowly but surely, Samus made a series of improvised platforms by freezing the Squeepts. Within minutes, they had reached the other side. After that, the process repeated for several long minutes: breaking through a wall with the screw attack, freezing Squeepts and using them to jump across pools of molten rock, and so forth.

After many long, agonizing, minutes, Samus and Harry finally reached a bubble door. On the other side was the first of the three wide-open areas the map indicated. Thye stepped out onto a low, rocky ledged that rose only a few meters over a huge lake of magma. A bridge of metal gratings, composed of Gryffindor's gold alloy, stretched out from the ledge, connecting it to a central island where the main structure was. Like the four bridges in Ravenclaw's sanctum, this bridge was adorned with statues symbolizing Gryffindor's most favored animal. Golden statues of lions reared back on their hind legs lined the sides of the bridge, white-hot flames pouring out of their mouths, their faces turned skyward. Samus looked past the statues to where the bridge led, noting that whatever the structure was supposed to resemble, it had at least seven floors and covered at least two hundred square meters. She had no clue what it was supposed to be, but Harry evidently had an idea.

"Looks like one _REALLY_ big pagoda," said Harry in a serious tone. "Looks like Gryffindor was serious about driving home that it's not just England that'd be royally screwed if Kor-Zor got free."

"Whatever it is, our next target is somewhere under it," said Samus. "Let's move across that bridge."

Harry obediently followed Samus across the bridge, but still asked, "Why bother using the bridge when we've got the screw attack now?"

Once they were halfway across the bridge, Magmoors suddenly sprang out from the magma on both sides, and wasted no time spewing fireballs at the duo. "That's why. No telling what would've tried blasting us out of the air," Samus replied as she got to work, blasting away at the Magmoors flanking the bridge's right side. Harry took the ones on the left, blowing their heads off and sucking in the X parasites they gave off. At first, it looked like everything was under control, but once again more visitors decided to drop in. Samus's first warning was a frosty fog forming on her visor's edges. She didn't even notice it at first, but after she became aware of the frost, she craned her head up. As she feared, dementors were swooping down, flanked by hippogriphs.

"Yay, more playmates," growled Harry as he finished off another Magmoor. Once he absorbed the X parasite it gave off, he jumped straight up, slicing apart two dementors fixing to dive at him. He broke his spin in midair, and as he fell straight down, he aimed at another pair of dementors and shouted "_Expecto Patronum!_" The stag's antlers impaled two dementors in the torso, causing them to ignite. Harry absorbed the X given off by the first pair as he fell, and simply Summoned the ones released by the other.

Unfortunately, Samus wasn't faring as well. Most of the hippogriphs had gone for her. She fended off the first two with missiles, but a third struck with its talons, rattling Samus to the bone and knocking her into a lion statue. This gave a surviving Magmoor an opening, and it spewed fire all over Samus while she was stunned. Samus watched an entire tank drain away. More frustrated than anything else, Samus aimed over her shoulder and fired a charged blast while the hippogriph moved in again. As Samus heard the Magmoor's head explode, she angled her extended fins so that they plunged up through the hippogriph's neck as it lunged at her.

It wasn't much longer before their welcoming committee was finally dealt with, and even though both she and Harry had lost at least one energy tank each, Samus felt hopeful. Another crucial piece of equipment was still within reach, so they went through the one bubble-door leading into the pagoda. On the other side was a square room where the stone walls were an eerie, blood-red color. The entry into a long hallway was on the other side, but what caught Samus's eye was a bubble door fixed into the floor. Convinced that it led to their next upgrade, Samus shot it open and jumped in. After a good fifty meter drop down a vertical chasm, she and Harry landed at the end of another long hallway, this one lined by another type of statue. Samus guess these statues were meant to resemble ancient Japanese warriors, complete with strange, ornate face masks. But the overflowing manes of lions spilled out from their headgear, and their hands were much bigger and denser than human hands, and the tips of claws even poked out from the fingertips.

When they went through the bubble door on the other side, the entire layout changed. It was another wide-open cavern like the magma-filled one with the isthmus, only the stone walls were like those in the acid-soaked region they first arrived in. Furthermore, instead of magma, boiling acid once again filled the area, spewed out by golden lion heads. More totem-like pillars of lion-carvings dotted the acid lake, but thankfully, Samus and Harry had ample space to stand on, as most of the cavern's center was solid land.

Samus looked from one totem pillar to the next, wondering if any housed the upgrade they were after. "Great, once again there's only one door leading in and out, but no Chozo artifacter statue or anything. Are we supposed to fight something again?" Samus thought aloud.

"I think so, Samus. Isn't that what I think it is?" Harry suddenly asked. Samus whirled around to see Harry pointing at something up on the wall above the bubble door. Samus craned her neck up, and received yet another shock. A grotesque, fat-looking creature with four stubby legs, a pair of spindly, bony arms and a head with a long snout, on which either side was adorned with a row of four bulbous, yellow, pupilless eyes, stared down at them. Its thick hide looked to be nothing more than some sticky, viscous red glop that looked liable to burn to the touch. Samus recognized it at once: the Crocomire that once ruled the caverns of Norfair.

Crocomire reared its head back, letting out its usual sonorous howl of rage, right before jumping out of its niche in the rocky wall. The booming tremor from its landing almost made Samus and Harry lose their footing. It slowly started lumbering toward Harry, who was far closer. Undaunted, Harry aimed his wand, charged an ice beam shot, and yelled, "_Glacius!_" The frosty stream struck its midsection, and for a moment, the Crocomire stopped. At first, Samus dared to hope Harry's magic was actually working, because none of her weapons could ever hurt the Crocomire. But her hopefulness was short-lived, for the Crocomire suddenly lunged forward, swiping at Harry with its claws. Its ridiculously thin arms proved much stronger than they appeared, for one blow tossed Harry aside, sending him skidding across the floor until he plunged into the acid lake.

"Oh no, HARRY!" Samus cried out, about to run after him. But another howl from the Crocomire forced Samus to face forward. Samus noticed its eight eyes were now glowing with a white-hot intensity. It was the only warning Samus got. Eight tightly-focused beams of intense heat shot out at her, which she barely jumped over. She landed right in front of it, and jumped up as the Crocomire tried to take a swipe at her, hoping to get behind it. But with a burst of unexpected speed, the Crocomire reached up and snagged Samus in midair, right over its head. The next thing she knew, the Crocomire slammed her against the wall, pinning her against it. And judging from the noxious sizzling noise she heard, it was about to fire those heat beams again.

Before it could, however, Samus heard Harry shout "_Glacius!_" again. As before, the Crocomire didn't seem to be hurt, merely stunned, but at the very least, Harry coaxed the Crocomire into dropping her. Samus heard the Crocomire howl, and at once she picked herself up off the ground and armed her missiles. She fired as many as she could into the Crocomire's open mouth before it snapped shut, forcing it to back off a good distance.

Seeing his chance, Harry quickly jumped over to Samus to help her back onto her feet. "Samus, you OK? How'd you beat this wanker last time? What works on it?"

"Nothing. Nothing I know of can seriously hurt the Crocomire," said Samus. "The only way to beat it is to fire into its open mouth, force it into the acid."

As soon as Samus finished explaining, the Crocomire howled again. Getting the hint, Harry fired a missile and a charged ice shot into the roof of its mouth, driving it back even more. The Crocomire leered down at them for a moment, looking from one hunter to the other, before its eyes turned white-hot again. Harry had no idea what this meant, requiring Samus to pull him toward her and jump back, right before its heat beams lanced out and scorched the ground.

"Well, that's answers your question about where our new gizmo is," said Harry dryly as they landed. "The plasma beam's got to be in that thick skull of his."

"Then once it takes a nice hot bath in some acid, it'll be no problem to dig it out!" cried Samus as she charged a shot, waiting for the right moment to fire. The Crocomire took a few cautious, lumbering steps forward, but eventually it howled again. Samus unleashed her charged blast, while Harry cut loose with Bombarda Maxima combined with his ice beam and power bombs, and it staggered back four times the distance it advanced. It took several more minutes of cautious, split-second timing, often only getting a clear shot right after dodging its octuple blast of plasma beams, but eventually, Samus and Harry forced the Crocomire to the very edge of the ledge.

In desperation, the Crocomire lashed out with its plasma beams again, howling with fury when Samus and Harry smoothly dodged them. Seeing her opening, Samus fired one last missile into its mouth. Crocomire howled once more as it teetered backward over the edge, and a triple barrage of Blasting Curses into its mouth from Harry was finally enough to make it lose its footing. A plume of gurgling acid rose up as the Crocomire splashed into it, its hideous death-cry filling the cavern a second later. Samus saw its snout bob up and down in the acid for a few moment, but each time it emerged, she saw more and more of its sticky skin melt clean off the bone. The exposed skull lurched up one last time, showing an empty row of eye sockets, before it slowly sank again.

Harry stood at the edge, gazing down into the burbling acid as the Crocomire's skeleton sank. "Well, when you're right, you're right," said Harry, sounding a little shaky after watching such a gruesome death. Samus walked up to him, looking down into the acid herself, finally realizing that the Crocomire's remains probably wouldn't miraculously reappear like last time. After several moments passed, Harry timidly asked, "Uh, Samus, do we actually have to go in there and fish the plasma beam out of its skull?"

"Not if you can levitate the whole thing onto land," Samus suggested.

Harry took a deep breath, switched on his x-ray visor to get a fix on the skull, and cried, "_Wingardium Leviosa!_" A few seconds passed, and nothing broke through the surface of the acid lake, but the look of concentration on Harry's face let Samus know it was probably working. Then, at last, the Crocomire's huge skull rose up out of the acid, and Harry willed it to slowly levitate over onto dry land. When Harry finally dropped the skull, it immediately snapped back, exposing its maw. However, there was no plasma beam module inside.

"WHAT!? We saw the Crocomire use the plasma beam against us! It HAS to be in here!" cried Samus in exasperation, sticking her head inside the skull. But there was no beam module anywhere inside its skull. The only thing Samus found out of the ordinary was a row of Chozo runes along the inside of its jawbone. Samus gave it a once-over. It looked more like a Chozo translation of some Wizarding spell, but before she could dwell on it, Harry stuck his head inside the skull.

"Great, it's not here, is it?" Harry asked dejectedly. "So what do we do...." Harry was cut off by a sparking, popping noise coming from his left shoulder. Harry and Samus took their heads out of the skull and looked at his shoulder, where red-hot sparks were flying from. "What the...I wasn't in the acid THAT long, and there's nothing on my HUD about any serious damage."

Samus stared at Harry's suit a moment, then reached into his shoulder unit. She felt her fingertips brush against something that, to her knowledge, didn't belong there. Getting a good grip on it, she plucked it out. It was a small, black pod that kept on sparking and sputtering. "Looks like some sort of homing beacon," said Samus. "Hold on a moment, could this be how the Reformers always seem to track us down!?"

"No way, Samus. Don't forget, Adam always disassembled my suit and does repairs on it. He would've spotted that easily," said Harry.

"He did that while I was out cold after using the Chozo relic for the last time, right?" asked Samus. Harry quickly nodded. "Well, who could have possibly had a chance to put a bug on you since then?"

"Oh no, there's only one," said Harry. Samus could sense the brewing horror behind his words.

A moment later, Samus heard something burst out of the acid behind them. They whirled around to see a human figure spinning in midair. It deftly touched down onto a totem pillar, crouching. As the acid washed off, Samus saw that whoever it was, it was wearing one of those radiation-resistant dragon-hide suits she saw in the Pensieve. When Samus spotted the staff stowed away on this person's back, however, it left no doubt in her mind _WHO_ was wearing it. "Well, Harry, you were wondering how a vampire could survive in here. There's your answer."

Wildflower slowly stood up, revealing that some modifications had been made to her old suit. Armor plating was welded on in several places, namely the boots, forearms, shoulders, and torso. Chest plating complete with the Inferno insignia emblazoned onto it completed the new look. From across the acid lake, Samus caught the malevolent glint in the blood-red eyes behind the Unmentionable suit visor. "Hello Samus, Harry," she said evenly. "I believe you two were looking for this?" Wildflower asked sardonically, holding up a glass cylinder in which billowing, fiery orange liquid churned.

xxxxxx

Finally, more than just two chapters churned out in a month. About fucking time. Go me! :P

Turns out that _Metroid: Other M_ is set to be released at the very end of June (at least in America) . Good news for me, because that's exactly when I should have this entire fic finally, FINALLY wrapped up if I keep up this rate of progress. So once _Fusion of Destinies II _runs its course, I'll be able to immediately indulge my Metroid obsession again and hopefully get more ideas for how _Fusion of Destinies III_ will progress. But this time, I DEFINITELY want to wait for a post-_Fusion_ game before I make the attempt.

So long,  
Grey-X


	40. Approaching the Boiling Point

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning  
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover  
Chapter 40: Approaching the Boiling Point  
4-10-2010  
by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

The sight of Wildflower's smirking face behind that faceplate made Harry's blood boil. It wasn't just how she placed a bug on him during their last scuffle, without him suspecting a thing. It wasn't how, just like her three partners, Wildflower stole a beam module at the last second from right under their noses. No, after seeing the memories Dumbledore left for him, and then hearing about Olympe Maxime's ealry life...his loathing for Valkyrie's very first recruit had reached a whole new level. He took a step forward, ready to blast the Reformer away, but Samus held him back.

"I should've guessed you hung onto that suit, Maxime," Samus beamed at Wildflower. "After all, you used that to transform Asara into the monster she is today. You freely admitted you're to her what Bellatrix is to Voldemort, so no wonder it holds some sick significance for you."

Harry didn't think Wildflower could be fazed by Samus's taunting, but amazingly, he saw that the vampiress's face fell behind that glass. "How is it you know about that!? Surely the likes of Scrimgeour and Umbridge wouldn't simply admit to their crimes."

"They didn't. Dumbledore only got Umbridge to cough memories up due to her wizard's debt," said Harry.

"Ah, of course. I should have suspected," said Wildflower. "And tell me, you still side with the Ministry, knowing what horrors came because of their experiments, all the lives they destroyed!?"

"It's not our place to judge all the witches and wizards of an entire nation based on the crimes of two politicians," Samus shot back.

"Odd sentiments, coming from you," Wildflower replied silkily. "If you saw Umbridge's memories, then you must know of how they got the Phazon in the first place...and Dr. Kasumi Hinada, the radiologist from your time. Her stories about you, namely you quitting the GF Marines and becoming a bounty hunter, always fascinated Val. She saw herself in you. Part of the reason she made you those offers."

There was a pregnant pause before Samus shot back at her. "There are some lines even I'm not willing to cross. Asara's idea of rewriting centuries of history is one of them."

"Not to mention the ends don't justify the means," added Harry. "The wars Asara's started, this virus of hers, how she's so glib about inventing new Dark Magic.... I'm sorry, that last bit alone made me distrust your boss before we ever met face-to-face. My family died fighting against the Dark Arts, don't forget."

"And Val never hesitated to use the Dark Arts to fight those hunting your parents, up to and including the duel with Voldemort that cost her her arm," scoffed Wildflower, pointing at him. As she spoke, Harry noticed she was twirling her staff. But as far as he could tell, Wildflower wasn't casting any spells. "Besides, you're not one to talk about honoring family," Wildflower went on with a contemptuous sneer. "Not after your aunt came to you in good faith, begging and pleading with you, only for you to strike her down and later let her be violated by Voldemort."

"And you're not one to talk about family, either!" roared Samus. "Your granddaughter told us everything before we came here! Told us you're nothing but a prideful, imperious, vengeful killer."

Harry saw Wildflower's expression sour behind that glass plate again. "Again, that's quite ironic coming from you, one who trained all throughout her childhood for hunting down the species that decimated her childhood home. What was that you said earlier, about not judging an entire group due to the atrocities of a handful?" she asked snidely.

Now it was Samus who was at a loss for words. Seeing the wounded look in Samus's eyes, Harry picked up the slack. "Whatever Samus has done with her life, it doesn't change how you slaughtered most of your family. Did you have any proof they were responsible for your son's death? Or was it a convenient excuse to wipe out the ones who turned their backs on you?"

With that, Harry saw more of the vampiric rage, the dark passion, show in Wildflower's face. "Even if they didn't conspire against me that day, their fearmongering certainly led to someone coming after me, only to slaughter my son!"

"So that justified feeding on them?" Harry asked delicately.

"You want to know how I feel about that now!? I'll let how I've upheld my conviction to avoid feasting on the living whenever possible speak for itself!" spat Wildflower, still twirling her staff around. "And you want to talk about Olympe? Just know this, Harry: Petunia and I are alike in many ways. I acknowledge I wronged my granddaughter just as Petunia admits she wronged you. Forgiveness is out of the question for both of us, no matter how much we try to change. Our only choice is to try changing the world. Petunia wants to make sure no other Muggle makes the same mistakes she did. And I want a world where, among other things, non-humans like myself and part-humans like my granddaughter need not live in fear, are never persecuted...."

"No wonder Valkyrie convinced you to be her very first recruit in the first place," said Samus. It sounded like she hissed through gritted teeth. "She told you everything you wanted to hear."

"If you want to view it as such, fine," snorted Wildflower. "In a way, you're right. I spent decades on my own, shunned and feared, forced to lurk in the shadows. No matter how hard I tried, no one was willing to trust me...until Val came along. She was the first one in decades to show me empathy and any trust. Can you not relate, Samus Aran? Wasn't it refreshing to be embraced by Harry, his friends and the Order?"

"You got me there, Wildflower. The difference between us, however, is that my partnership with Harry is all about stopping those seeking to abuse power and impose their will on others. You and Valkyrie are the opposite," replied Samus. Harry noticed for the first time that her arm cannon was aimed at Wildflower. As he saw this, his own instincts were kicking in, as if warning of a trap ready to be sprung.

"So you say. That just proves you still can't comprehend what Inferno is all about," said Wildflower. "About providing a new home and livelihoods for those rejected by this world...and eventually returning to the surface and sweeping away such injustice forever. Naturally, those you side with, those desperate to keep the status quo, would be quick to try and brand us as the evil ones. Much like the brand of religious fanatic that first raised Val. That's where the name of our home comes from. I suggested it to Val as a joke. A play on how many would view us. As demons nurtured in the fiery depths of Hell, which translates into Italian as Inferno, part of Dante's _Divine Comedy_. It stuck, and now it's a name we proudly bear."

Harry and Samus kept aiming at Wildflower, waiting for the right time to strike. But past experience taught them Wildflower could deflect just about anything with her staff. _Best to let her rant, get overconfident, before we make any moves, _Harry reasoned. He stared at the plasma beam module, still clutched securely in her left hand. "Samus, in a moment, open fire, distract Wildflower," Harry whispered to Samus. "Maybe then I can Summon the module away and...."

"I DON'T THINK SO, HARRY!" Wildflower suddenly boomed, slashing her staff through the air. "And all this talk about hellish depths...how ironic that's where you'll find yourselves!" Suddenly, a dozen or so rocks, glowing a pulsing orange-red, rose from the acid behind her. Their trajectory arced over the totem pillar Wildflower stood on, rocketing toward the strip of land Harry and Samus stood on.

"Move move move!" shouted Samus, pulling Harry aside just as a rock, oozing with seething magma, crashed right into the spot where they stood. A few well-placed charms deflected any more coming at them, albeit at the last possible second.

"You think all I was doing here was using this opportunity to vent!?" sneered Wildflower. "Oh no. You see, the beauty of using a staff instead of a wand is not greater raw power as some suspect. Indeed, in a contest of pure power with Voldemort, I would surely lose. No, the advantage is greater _focus_. A focus that let me divert some of the channeling magma right underneath this chamber, and breaking off chunks of rocks under the acid to use as ammunition." Wildflower then looked up, a strange look on her face, as if savoring something. "But I guess I have the advantage of power here, too. Night has long since fallen outside," Wildflower said quietly, her voice still audible over the burbling acid. "Even deep in this volcano, in this suit, I can feel the night's power...."

Wildflower raised her staff and twirled it over her head. Far smaller chunks of rock rose around her pillar, forming a ring. Suddenly, the bits of rocks began to glow with white-hot intensity, and Harry watched as they took the shape of bats. Wildflower flung her staff forward, pointing at the pair, and one by one the fiery rock-bats dived at them. Harry blew one apart with Glacius, but another one followed it and collided with his chest plate. He was knocked down, skidding along the narrow strip of land. When Harry finally came to a halt, inches from the acid, he saw yet another rock-bat dive at him, and he only rolled out of its way at the last possible second.

Gritting his teeth, Harry sprang back up, charging up his spazer by itself. Samus was deftly dodging the last of the bats while continuously firing at Wildflower. But just as he expected, Wildflower was twirling and waving her staff with blinding speed, deflecting all her shots. Incensed, Harry fired a missile and shouted the first incantation that came to mind: "_Aguavenenumenti!_" One of the water blasts curved around Wildflower and knocked her silly, allowing his missile to strike dead-center, knocking the vampire off the pillar and into the acid. Unfortunately, she held onto the module.

"That won't stop her for very long, Harry," Samus warned as she swept the acid lake before her with her arm cannon. Harry did the same with his wand, knowing Wildflower could surface anywhere.

"Indeed it won't!" came Wildflower's taunting voice, right before she burst out of the acid, gracefully landing on a different pillar. She twirled her staff overhead again. This time, more of those larger chunks of rock levitated out of the acid, once again pulsing with molten rock. One by one, they shot out at the pair. Some barreled straight for them, while others blew apart, sending out sharp chunks of burning rock. "You must realize this suit can stand the ultra-low pH, unlike the organic components of yours! Oh, and without your gravity suits, I doubt you can stand the lava either!"

Harry ignored Wildflower's taunts, too busy ducking and dodging the barrage of lava bombs and shrapnel-like shards. Samus, on the other hand, kept finding opportunities to fire back while avoiding the lava bombs. For the most part, Wildflower kept on blocking her shots, but at one point, Wildflower took the time to Banish a missile back at her. That gave Samus an opportunity to land a fully charged shot, but without the plasma beam, it didn't rip through Wildflower's suit. As it was, she barely seemed to feel it, but she was still wide open. Harry followed up with a trio of Blasting Curses and a missile. All of them connected, but Wildflower stood her ground this time, remaining on her lofty perch.

By then, Wildflower had used up all her lava bombs, and there was nothing to keep Samus and Harry from attacking together. They both cut loose with charged blasts, but Wildflower gracefully jumped and flipped to the side, deftly landing on another pillar. As soon as she did, she slashed her wand downward. A torrent of acid shot toward them, forcing Samus and Harry to scatter as it washed over their land strip. "You know, I wasn't enthralled with the idea of doing battle in a volcano, but it looks like I have the advantage so far!" jeered Wildflower. "But let's see what else I can do to turn up the heat!!"

Harry caught the gleeful expression behind her faceplate right before Wildflower tossed the plasma beam module into the air. Picking himself off the ground, he raised his wand to Summon it, but before he could utter the incantation, he saw it plant itself on Wildflower's right forearm. It attached to some mechanical array, and wires snaked out, clinging to her staff. Wildflower aimed her staff straight up, and a bright, orange beam shot out of the flower tip.

The next thing Harry knew, streaks of white-hot plasma were raining down all over the chamber. One of them struck Harry in the leg, making him cry out. Another came down on Samus's back, flattening her against the ground. Both recovered quickly enough, but Wildflower was on the attack again. She aimed her staff at the land strip, and a continuous beam of plasma lanced out, scouring the ground.

"If using the ice beam and Glacius hurts us, shouldn't using the plasma beam hurt _her_!?" spat Harry as he ducked under Wildflower's scorching ray.

"Someone should try telling her that!" snapped Samus, right before she used the screw roll to barrel forward, away from the beam. She launched herself off the land strip at the last minute, going into a space jump that took her over to a pillar near Wildflower's. Wildflower waved her staff, sending up a geyser of acid that curved and smashed into the pillar, but Samus launched herself off right before it was doused. She tackled Wildflower down onto her pillar, nearly sending them both off the edge. Samus raised her fins and extended them, ready to try running Wildflower's suit through. Wildflower kicked her off before she could, then sprang up, flaming staff reared back to strike. A charged shot and missile to her back from Harry kept the vampiress from doing so, giving Samus another opening. Her wisp whip lanced out, slicing right through Wildflower's suit and ripping a scream from her lungs.

_Of course! That's the one fire-based weapon we still have!_ Harry realized as he jumped to the nearest pillar. He made his way over to Samus and Wildflower. Wildflower ducked and swept Samus's legs, instantly toppling her. Samus brought up her fins to parry the flaming staff coming down at her, then rolled backward. Springing back up, Samus flung her wisp whip forward again, but Wildflower brought up her staff, and it merely coiled around it. Wildflower pulled Samus forward, allowing her to plant a kick in the bounty hunter's midsection, nearly sending her careening off the pillar.

By then, Harry had jumped onto it, and immediately darted toward the vampiress, fist cocked back. Wildflower turned in time to see Harry's fist coming at her. It smacked into her faceplate with a satisfying crunch, and Harry saw some small cracks form. But Wildflower was only dazed for a moment, and swiftly struck back, bludgeoning Harry with her flaming staff so hard, it floored him instantly.

With her back turned to Samus, however, the bounty huntress saw her opening, swinging her wisp whip in a horizontal arc with all the force she could muster. It ripped through Wildflower once again, and the chamber echoed with her screams. But just as before, Wildflower recovered in record time. As Samus reared back for another whip strike, Wildflower forced her back with a single burst of plasma, then came at Samus with her staff. Samus caught it in between two of her extended fins, but Wildflower brought her knee up into Samus's midsection, then backhanded the side of her helmet, dazing her.

At this point, Harry could finally block out the burning pain, and stood up, firing a Blasting Curse at Wildflower. Samus and Wildflower finally broke apart as Harry armed his missiles. Wildflower swung her staff at him, forcing Harry to swerve backward, right before he came back with a kick to her gut, followed by a missile to her face. Wildflower careened backward just as Samus made an upward slash with the wisp whip. The vampiress howled with fury again, but as expected, she retaliated at once, knocking Samus down with a roundhouse kick. Frustrated and infuriated, Harry came at her with another punch, which Wildflower parried. A second later, Samus tried her fins again, but Wildflower parried that with her staff as well.

Even with them double-teaming Wildflower atop that pillar, they quickly found the vampiress far too fast and crafty for them. They couldn't land another hit with magic or any weapons, and every other time Samus and Harry tried fighting hand-to-hand, Wildflower parried everything they threw at her. They often got knocked silly for their efforts, Wildflower's brute strength easily equaling their own.

Eventually, Harry caught Wildflower off-guard with a sudden burst of light to her face. Harry reared his head back, smacking his helmet right into her glass plate. More cracking sounds filled Harry's ears. This was quickly followed by more screams from Wildflower, as Samus tore through her with her wisp whip once again. This time, however, it proved too much for Wildflower, and she toppled over the pillar's edge. Samus and Harry looked over the side, just in time to see Wildflower plunge into the acid.

Harry watched as all traces of Wildflower's body disappeared beneath the churning, bubbling acid. "You...you think it's over?" Harry asked hopefully. Wildflower had quickly proven to be every bit as lethal as her boss. Not only that, unlike her three partners, Wildflower was dangerous well before Valkyrie molded her into a Reformer. Harry was already tiring from the fight and prayed it was over. "I mean, those cracks in her glass. Did I hit her hard enough? Think maybe the acid seeped in and...."

They got their answer when another geyser of burning acid shot up and curved to come down on them. "MOVE!" cried Samus, jumping away. Harry did the same, feeling acid sprinkles pepper the back of his armor as he soared away. A quick check of his HUD data showed only five tanks were left. He landed on another pillar, turning around to see another geyser coming for him. Yelping in surprise, Harry barely jumped away in time. He tumbled onto the land strip again, wondering if that made him a harder or easier target while Wildflower was submerged under the acid.

Harry ran to the edge, desperately hoping to spot the vampiress, but the bubbles and the mist rising from the acid lake made it impossible. Looking back up, he saw another geyser going for a pillar Samus was perched on. Samus space jumped away, but another geyser caught her in midair. Harry cried out to her as she tumbled onto another pillar. Samus staggered to her feet, but otherwise she looked fine. She glanced down at the acid again, and immediately stiffened, as if something had occurred to her.

"Harry, use a charm on the acid itself!" Samus called out to him. "Acid's an _aqueous_ solution! If you can churn it up enough, the flowing water particles may disorient Wildflower, drive her out!"

Wildflower's conversation with Valkyrie that they saw in the Pensieve came rushing back to Harry. _How could I forget such basic Defense lessons!?_ Harry thought silently, chiding himself. He pointed his wand at the acid lake and shouted, "_Permovoneo!_" Concentrating with all his might, he willed a current to form, and slowly it picked up speed.

At first, Harry wondered if it was doing any good, but then he realized no more geysers of acid had shot up since he started. Moments later, he heard something shoot up behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Wildflower standing on a pillar on the opposite side of the chamber, but she looked horribly dizzy and tipsy.

"GOT HER!" cried Harry as he aimed his wand, thinking their luck was turning. But before he could fire his charged shot, Wildflower did the unexpected. In one swift motion, she pulled her headpiece off just as she tossed her staff away.

"What the...why'd she...." Samus began, but fell silent upon noticing how the staff was spinning across the chamber, ricocheting off pillars as white-hot flames billowed from it. Harry swerved his body around just in time, letting it sail past him, but he caught a glimpse of white, opaque mist billowing out from Wildflower's suit. The staff struck Samus just as she landed on another pillar, nearly knocking her into the acid, and barely ducking it as it came back around. Harry watched helplessly as Samus did her best to avoid the ricocheting staff, and when he noticed the plume of mist coming at him, it was too late. He thought he could see the faint outline of Wildflower's body, as if diving at him for a headbutt, right before she connected. Her mist form struck with astonishing force, enough to knock him into the acid.

All Harry could hear was a loud gurgling, and all he felt was a searing sensation all over his skin, his suit unable to cope with the feedback. He flailed desperately, quickly remembering how useless most of his gear was in a liquid environment. Fortunately, his feet soon found purchase on some solid ground under the acid; there, the acid was shallow enough to let Harry jump right out. He burst back out of the acid, a shot charged, noting he had only three tanks left.

Harry spotted Samus on one of the pillars near where Wildflower had billowed out of her suit. No doubt she was trying to reach the plasma beam module. But Wildflower's spinning staff came back at her, forcing her to duck, then Wildflower's mist form barreled past, and Samus had to jump to another pillar. Harry tried using Torrentus to keep Wildflower back, but the mist plume was too swift, and quickly poured back into the abandoned suit. Wildflower caught her staff as it boomeranged back to her, just as she finished refastening the headpiece.

"I know I'm getting to both of you. I can practically hear suit parts sizzling from the acid and the heat," Wildflower said gravely, her tone delicately inflected to suggest surrender. "You won't last much longer, and I'm far from exhausting all my little tricks."

With that, Wildflower twirled her wand overhead again. More chunks of stone rose and revolved around her pillar, once more transfiguring into fiery rock-bats. It wasn't long before they flew out at the two of them, ready for kamikaze dives.

The first few went for Samus, forcing her to jump back to yet another pillar. It wasn't long before Harry found himself needing to duck and dodge the dive-bombing bats. One sailed right past his helmet, missing him by inches. A sudden instinct taking hold, Harry aimed behind him and cried, "_Carpe Retractum!_" His golden snare snagged the rock-bat in midair, and with all his strength, Harry flung it back forward.

It shot back at Wildflower even faster than a missile, and Harry caught Wildflower's dumbfounded look right before it crashed into her chest plate, spreading molten rock everywhere. Her expression instantly changed from one of shock to pain, and Harry realized some of the oppressive heat must have seeped through. Even better, Wildflower had just sent the last few bats out at Samus; catching on to Harry's plan, she used her grapple beam to fling another bat at Wildflower just as she got back up. The vampiress stumbled again, letting Samus move in with the space jump. She came down onto Wildflower with the screw attack, eliciting more screams, and then struck with the wisp whip as the vampiress tried to get back up.

As Samus reared back for another whip strike, Wildflower lashed out with a kick to her midsection, then knocked Samus off the pillar with a single hit from her staff. Luckily, Samus grabbed hold of the open mouth of a lion carving, and only her legs touched the acid. Samus quickly pulled her legs out and jumped to an adjacent pillar, while Wildflower jumped over to the one in the farthest corner. She immediately twirled her staff again, levitating more massive balls of magma out of the acid. One by one, Wildflower flung them across the chamber.

But Harry was no longer wary of Wildflower's manipulation of the sanctum's fiery power. As one came right at him, Harry raised his wand and shouted, "_Depulso!_" For a moment, the lava bomb simply hovered a few inches in front of Harry. A few seconds later, though, his Banishing Charm did its work, sending the heavy mass of molten rock right back at Wildflower. However, he did this just as another lava bomb was coming for him. Molten rock seared his leg as he darted away, but Harry caught a glimpse of Wildflower jumping onto another pillar, half-covered with magma. At least she hadn't escaped unscathed either.

Samus jumped over to Harry to avoid the very last of the magma chunks. "Good work, Harry. Let her try using those damn bats and rocks now!"

"Samus, please. Those two little tricks aren't the only ones I've set up in advance," barked Wildflower from across the acid lake. "But first, let's level the playing field...by leveling it!"

Wildflower held her staff with both hands, like a rifle, and a tightly-focused heat beam shot out, slicing into the land strip and effectively cutting it in half. Samus fired missiles and charged shots from across the lake, but Wildflower contemptuously knocked them away with swipes from her staff. Then she went on slicing up the narrow land strip more and more, occassionally waving her staff to will torrents of acid to come break it apart even further.

Within minutes, hardly anything remained of the land strip, forcing Harry and Samus to leap onto the nearest totem pillars. Wildflower kept them on the move, firing one intense burst of plasma after another. One eventually nicked Samus in the shoulder. Another scoured across Harry's thigh, everything on his HUD flashing red as his energy stock dipped to under two tanks.

"Not good, Samus, not good," said Samus, trying to convey how much trouble he was in.

"Urgh, if we'd only gotten hold of that plasma beam! That'd easily rip through that suit and be the end of her!" cried Samus. As Harry considered this, a wild, desperate hope took hold. If only they could survive long enough until Wildflower tried that particular attack again....

As fate would have it, Wildflower's next move was completely new and unexpected. She slammed the rose tip of her staff onto the pillar she stood on, shouting, "GO!" At once, the entire chamber quaked, and moments later, something sprang up out of the acid, right next to the pillar Harry was on. At first, Harry thought it was some sort of giant snake, but after getting a better look, he saw it was seething magma molded into the shape of a rose, attached to a long, snaking stem. The flaming flower rose up and lunged at Harry.

Harry deftly jumped up, and the magma rose sailed underneath him, diving back into the acid, but the winding stem traced its path. It sported sharp, white-hot spikes, and its segments span. These 'thorns' grazed Harry's side as he landed, finally taking his energy stock to under one tank. A quick glance around showed these thorny vines had sprung up everywhere. Samus had avoided one of the roses, landed safely way from its thorns, but then was slammed into by another rose, and it took her down into the acid.

Having had enough, Harry switched off his wave beam and spazer. Using the 'Glacius Beam', he made short work of the rock vines, often reducing them to powder with one hit. He had targeted the one that took Samus first, and hoped he freed her in time.

Several moments passed before she finally burst out of the acid, her body language betraying fatigue and agony. But now that Harry was taking care of the rock flowers, Samus pushed everything else aside and fired at Wildflower. Having to concentrate on deflecting her fire, Wildflower finally quit controlling the rock flowers. Harry tried to get to her pillar, but plasma shots kept him at bay.

After seeing how desperately he avoided her shots, it was as if Wildflower could sense Harry's suit couldn't withstand another serious hit, and Harry himself had a horrible suspicion that it was the same story for Samus. Harry saw the look of sadistic glee behind Wildflower's cracked faceplate, but when she raised her staff high, his terror turned to jubilation. Plasma energy fountained up, and a moment later her deadly rain was about to come down.

"Checkmate, Maxime," beamed Harry, silently hoping his gamble would pay off. If it didn't, he and Samus were both dead. As he saw streaks of plasma coming down at his pillar, he raised his wand and yelled, "_Lambasplendolio!_"

Harry saw Wildflower's eyes widen with shock. "What in...that's one of Val's custom spells! How did...."

In that split-second that Wildflower hesitated, Harry's wand absorbed all the deadly heat, the radiant energyh she tried to rain down onto them. Before she could regather her wits, Harry aimed his wand and released all the pent-up power in one explosive burst. It effortlessly ripped right through Wildflower's suit, coaxing the most horrific scream yet out of her.

And all the while, Samus had made her way over to Wildflower's pillar. As Wildflower sank to her knees, Samus landed behind her and wrested her staff away. Wires still attached it to the plasma beam module, so Samus planted the rose tip against Wildflower's chest plate and willed it to fire. Another burst of plasma ripped through the vampiress. Samus then struck Wildflower's head with her staff, using it like a cricket bat, and the faceplate finally shattered.

Exhausted, weak and badly burned, Wildflower crumpled unceremoniously onto the pillar. Harry hurriedly space jumped over to the pillar, not willing to believe it was over. When his feet safely touched down, he noticed that Samus's last move might've been a mistake. As Wildflower's blood-red eyes slid out of focus, her face began to dissolve into mist, and Harry saw that the staff in Samus's hands was doing the same. The white, opaque mist rose up through the cracked faceplate with frightening speed, and continued to rise toward the chamber's ceiling until it disappeared completely.

Both Harry and Samus watched the mist fade away, not sure what to do. It was a long while before Harry dared to break the silence. "You think we, y'know, got her for good?"

Samus shook her head. "I'd like to think that acidic mist will mix with what's left of her and finish her. I'd love to go tell Olympe that her grandmother will never menace anyone again, but...my instincts tell me otherwise," said Samus evenly. "At least it should be a while before Wildflower puts herself back together. By the way, that spell...it's a Half-Blood Prince spell, isn't it?"

"One of the ones he got from Valkyrie, yeah," said Harry. "I figured it would work on the plasma beam when it's used by itself, in that weird way Wildflower tried it. It was a bit of a gamble, though...."

"A gamble that paid off. Good thing you poured over more of that Potions book. I...know how much you must've hated using that book again," said Samus.

"Hey, if Valkyrie can be all about doing whatever it takes to win, so can I," said Harry coldly. "I'm tired of her trying to manipulate all of us. Time we used more of her own weapons against her."

"Well, in the meantime, we've got one of our old weapons back. Wildflower didn't escape with the goods," said Samus, pointing down at Wildflower's empty suit. The plasma beam module was till attached to the right forearm. They knelt down and absorbed it into their suit's systems at the same time. Harry looked down at his wand, relieved to see white-hot flames dancing across his wand without burning it. "Just about every bit of gear's been recovered, and now all four Reformers are out of commission," Samus said confidently. "After we get Gryffindor's piece, hopefully all we have to do is take the fight to Valkyrie and wipe out Kor-Zor."

"Provided Ron and Hermione can wipe out her virus stock," Harry reminded her. He looked back down at his flaming wand. Their progress through this last sanctuary was trying enough as it was, but Harry couldn't help wondering what his best friends were going through.

xxxxxx

Ron pressed his face against the glass, glaring down at Earth. The European continent was slowly coming into view again. He could never forget that tour Samus gave him of the entire solar system, how humbling and awe-inspiring it was, and seeing the England from this perspective...it certainly put a lot of things into perspective. But this was the third time Europe had come up. J.B. had spent hours flying the ship in orbit as Adam scanned for anything unusual, but so far, they had nothing to show for it. Ron was tired of sitting on his arse and sightseeing. It was time for some action.

"This is intolerable!" barked Voldemort irascibly. "With each passing second, Valkyrie gets closer to mutating all those Muggles below! It's been hours since we dropped off Potter and Aran, and we have nothing to show for our efforts!"

"Pray tell, what do you mean by '_our _efforts?" Adam replied smoothly. "J.B. has been handling the piloting duties, while I've been processing terabytes of sensor data. If you've taken any action to speak of, do fill us poor souls in."

Despite himself, Ron had to force back a chuckle. Watching Voldemort pace about impatiently had been nerve-racking, but now it was just annoying. It was refreshing to hear the Dark wizard told off by a computer program. It was still hard to believe they were allies now, and being stuck in this ship together yet again...it was easy to forget why. A scything gaze from Voldemort quickly wiped the smirk off Ron's face, reminding him just who he was dealing with. Ron regained his composure, though, and scowled back, but refastened his helmet just in case Voldemort tried anything else.

"Maybe Adam has a point, Voldemort. If he can't reveal Valkyrie's weapon platform through technical means, then maybe some magic is needed. And you're probably the only one powerful enough to weave those kind of charms in space," suggested Hermione.

_She's right, as usual. Amazing how even next to Voldemort, her brains put his to shame by comparison,_ Ron thought to himself. He was certain Voldemort would use the opportunity to boast that he could succeed where a Muggle and a computer program couldn't. To his amazement, Voldemort lashed out at Hermione.

"Don't you think if I thought my magic would be of any use, I would have done so already!?" Voldemort demanded. "No, I was foolish enough to actually put faith in a Muggle and Muggle technology. One has to wonder...perhaps you all wish to see Valkyrie succeed, transform all the unworthy Muggles!? That, and keep me occupied up here so your friends can move in on what remains of my Death Eaters!" Voldemort finished roughly.

Ron felt his temper flare up, but Hermione just rolled her eyes. "Yes, Voldemort, Uncle J and I are hatching plans. We're laying plans within plans. And when this is all over, I'll use all my Bene Gesserit training to uproot your slimy Harkonnen agents from Arrakis," she said, a sarcastic bite in her voice.

Ron had absolutely no clue what Hermione was talking about, and judging from the look on Voldemort's face, neither did he. J.B., however, had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing hysterically. _Must be a Muggle thing_, he reasoned.

Suddenly, a blip from the cockpit console made Ron's head turn. "Might wanna keep your crysknife to yourself a bit longer, Hermione. I think we finally found something," said J.B..

"Hold it, that's for communications, right?" asked George. "Y'mean we're picking up an Inferno radio signal or something?"

"That's the general idea, yes," said Adam. "The signal is incredibly faint, virtually undetectable. Whatever means Inferno is using to mask this carrier wave, it is most certainly thorough. Luckily, I believe with these readings...yes, it may be possible to move in on its target. Captain, I'm displaying the heading for you now."

J.B. immediately went to work with practiced skill, and the ship turned to head for a new destination. Silence lingered in the ship a moment longer, until Ron finally asked, "Uh, any chance we can find out what's _IN_ that signal heading for their weapon base?"

"Oh no, it could be orders to prepare to launch!" Hermione cried out. The alarm in her voice unnerved Ron far worse than anything Voldemort had recently done. "Adam, please, is any of it...decryptable?"

"I'm still woefully unversed in the encryption methods used by Inferno. However, I can already hazard a guess," Adam informed them. "I have already deciphered portions of several sentences. From what I can tell, it's a simple message relaying that Isobel Maxime has failed in her latest mission."

"So, did Wildflower track Potter and Aran to Gryffindor's sanctuary after all?" asked Voldemort.

"And if so...did they finish her for good?" Ron chimed in. "Please, Adam, say 'yes'."

"I cannot tell from what I have deciphered thus far," said Adam. "All I can say for certain is that Wildflower failed, and that everyone on Valkyrie's orbital platform is to remain on high alert."

"Well, if she did track Samus and Harry down, at least we know they steamrolled right over her, and probably'll have that last piece soon enough," said Ron.

"But if she's alive, she'll probably be well enough to still pilot that goddamn Razor Knight. She could still make our lives miserable, especially up here," Hermione pointed out, making Ron sigh.

"In any case, we've reached the coordinates Adam gave me," J.B. told them. "Now all we have to do is somehow make this sucker visible, and find a way in."

"Don't talk as if you're going with us," Hermione said roughly. "We need you here to pilot the ship and you know it."

"Relax, Hermione. Much as I'd love some action, I know my place is here. Won't betray Samus's trust," said J.B.. "But that doesn't change the fact we still need to get yout three in somehow."

"Perhaps it's time to apply some magic after all," said Voldemort coolly. He pointed his wand straight up, and screwed his eyes shut. Moments passed in silence as Voldemort concentrated, and no one dared disturbed him. Ron just sat back down and rolled his eyes, thinking there was no way Valkyrie would let Voldemort be able to barge into her weapon platform. Amazingly, a few moments later, Adam's voice rang out through the ship.

"I do believe Voldemort had succeeded in partially lifting whatever stealth field is shrouding their orbital platform. Indeed, a small portion right above us is fully visible and registered on sensors, and looks like there's a port where the ship can dock!" Adam proudly reported. "I believe, with Voldemort's assistance, I can temporarily dock the ship so he, Ron and Hermione can slip in unnoticed."

"Sounds good. But...what the bloody hell do we do once we're inside?" Ron asked gravely.

All of a sudden, two robotic arms slid out from the roof of the cockpit. They held small, strange-looking, curving pieces of plastic, and at the ends, Ron swore they had what he Muggles called 'microphones'. "Quickly, remove your helmets. These communicators can be fastened behind your ears as well as hardwired into your suit's systems. The platform itself is cloaked with some form of stealth, but I can pick up some communications traffic from within. I don't believe there will be anything to keep us from contacting each other once inside, and I should be able to keep the platform's operators from picking up our signal traffic. Furthermore, if you can access terminals on the platform, you can relay data about the schematics back to me, and perhaps I can put together a plan of attack."

Hermione had already removed her helmet, and Adam was busily wiring her microphone thing to her suit. Ron quickly did the same, and allowed Adam's robotic arms to do their work. _Well, you wanted some action, Ron. You're about to get it, _he thought to himself anxiously as Adam slid the device around his ear. For the first time, the gravity of what Samus wanted him to do hit him. This was the sort of thing Samus did on a near daily basis, just like raiding those sanctuaries. But now, they were without her leadership. And he suddenly realized Harry was usually with him and Hermione when they did something like this. Granted, Voldemort had the raw power they needed, but there were things about Samus and Harry that he could never hope to match.

"Grafting is now complete, as is Voldemort's spellweaving and my preparations for the ship," Adam informed them. "Captain, go ahead and link the top hatch of the ship with the weapon platform's exposed underside."

"Will do," J.B. said encouragingly as his hands deftly flew over the controls. Ron felt the thrusters under the ship kick in. As J.B. took the ship up, Voldemort felt Ron's scarlet eyes bore into the back of his head. Ron gulped, glad that most of Voldemort's mind games required eye contact. Ron was about to put his helmet back on, but the ship suddenly jerked as the top hatch connected with the platform.

"You're all set, you three," said J.B.. "But Hermione, before you put that helmet back on, there's...something I want you to have." J.B. took his hands off the controls and removed something from his neck. It looked like two necklaces made up of small, metal beads, which had some sort of flat, shiny plates on the ends. "Here, put these on, Hermione. This is assurance for me, 'cause I want 'em back."

Ron caught the flummoxed look on Hermione's face, as if some great honor was bestowed on her. "Hermione, I...don't get it."

"Th-these are his dog tags," said Hermione in a hushed voice. "He...wants me to wear these on this mission."

"Not just mine. Take a look at the second set," said J.B. brightly.

Hermione pushed one set of tags aside with her thumb. When she saw what was stamped on the other set, she let out a elated, surprised gasp. "Grandpa's tags!?"

"You bet. I was with Dad in the hospital the night he died, and he handed them over to me. Been wearing them ever since," J.B. explained. "But now...I think they belong with you."

Hermione couldn't think of anything to say, so she reached forward to embrace her uncle. "I'll bring these back, Uncle J. I promise," she whispered to him, just as the ship's top hatch hissed open. Voldemort wasted no time on words and immediately conjured a gust to take him up into the orbital platform. Ron turned to go just as J.B. pried his niece off of him. Hermione stepped under the hatch as she slung the dog tags around her neck. As she was about to pull her helmet back on, she suddenly hesitated, turning to Ron. Then she took off one of the dog tags and held it in front of Ron's face. "Here, you take this one."

"What in...Hermione, I couldn't! That...that's like a family heirloom or something, right!? I can't be responsible for something like that!" Ron protested.

"Yes you can, Ron," said Hermione sternly. "Think of being given these as a symbol of respect more than anything. I mean, my grandfather...I always hoped he could meet you and your family one day. But still...I'm sure he would've liked to see you take these. He stormed Normandy, remember? You're about to do something like that."

Ron was about to protest again, but one look in Hermione's cold, determined eyes told him there was no way out of this. With trembling fingers, he took the dog tags and slung them over his neck. He snapped his helmet back on just as Hermione jumped up through the hatch, and Ron followed a second later.

xxxxxx

Samus laid another bomb to blow apart a rock chunk blocking the tunnel, and sensed Harry was rolling close behind. Eventually, they rolled out the other side, into a little niche deep inside Gryffindor's second pagoda. Their map data indicated a bubble door would be worked into the floor here, but in the center of the niche there was was a flat, dull grey, metal sheet spread out over it.

"Here we go again, Harry. Get yourself ready," Samus told him as he aimed her arm cannon down. After switching off all her other weapons, Samus continuously fired her plasma beam at the metal sheet. It wasn't long before it glowed with red-hot intensity, and moments later, it gave off blinding, white-hot incandescence. Still, it didn't melt, but that wasn't Samus's aim. "Now, Harry!" cried Samus, realizing she couldn't get the sheet any hotter.

Samus caught the hesitant look in Harry's eyes right before he aimed his wand down and shouted, "_Glacius!_" The entire metal sheet cracked apart almost as soon as the freezing mist spread over it, cooling it rapidly. Harry cleared away the mangled bits of shrapnel with a wave of his wand, revealing there was indeed a bubble door underneath. He then shot it open, peering down into the tunnel below and the long drop down.

Ever since reclaiming the plasma beam from Wildflower, they had run into many of these metal barriers in the pagodas. In fact, the magma-infested tunnels leading from the chamber with the first pagoda to the second had many points blocked off by these sheets. It would have been impossible to go any further without the plasma beam. Careful searching of the first pagoda had yielded many more missiles, and a double-check of the topmost room revealed an energy tank nestled in the roof; there was always an energy tank in a ceiling somewhere, it seemed. It had taken a while to fight their way into the heart of this pagoda, but at last, it looked like the gravity suit was almost theirs.

"Boy, will it be a relief to get this last bit of gear," gasped Harry, still weak from using Glacius. "Not as if I'm looking forward to a lava bath any more than an acid bath, mind you."

Samus didn't reply, still lost in her own thoughts. Wildflower's snippy rejoinders cut her deeper than she was willing to admit. She didn't need any reminders of how similar she was to Valkyrie and her lieutenants. It also brought all the SA-X's headgames back to the forefront of her memory....

Sighing, she jumped down into the vertical tunnel. Seconds later, Samus dropped down onto a narrow bridge made up of wire grating that lined a long tunnel, one that had magma flowing through it. Samus rose and stepped forward, letting Harry drop down behind her. She anxiously took a few more steps. Samus sensed Harry was even more anxious, ready to push past her, but she held out her arm, urging him back after hearing a gurgling noise. Her instincts kicked in not a moment too soon, for a torrent of magma suddenly poured down from a pipe in the ceiling. Harry was clear of it, but Samus was still far too close. She felt the searing heat seep through her suit and singe her skin. Looking down, she saw magma streak past the tips of her boots, making sparks fly everywhere. Yelping, she stepped back, patiently waiting for the cascade of magma to stop.

Eventually, it did, and Samus and Harry cautiously kept on going. It wasn't long before they had to stop and wait for another magma cascade to halt, but this time, Samus caught some other movement out the corner of her eye. A Blast-Ended Skrewt was crawling along the walls around the cascade, and immediately lashed out with its stinger tail. Samus pushed Harry further back as she ducked backwards, letting its tail sail harmlessly over her. She switched her ice beam back on and fired at what looked like its face. It squealed in pain, then jumped off the wall and onto the wire bridge. More ice beam shots kept it at bay, but she heard Harry say, "Samus, we got more Skrewts moving in behind us!"

"What are you telling me for? You know what to do!" cried Samus as she targeted another Skrewt crawling around the magma cascade. Wanting to conserve their missiles now, they settled for whittling the Skrewts down with beams and charms. It took much longer to defeat them, and gave them more opportunities to ram them and use their stingers. But at last, they felled all the Skrewts, the X parasites they gave up refilling more of their missile stock. Still wary of the cascades of magma, the pair made their way further across the tunnel, until they finally reached a bubble door at the other end.

On the other side was an indoor magma pool. The walls were lined with pillars, on which were perched more golden sculptures of lions. Another bridge of wire grating led to a wide pillar in the center, one flush with the level of the door, and on it sat another Chozo statue holding a sphere. Samus and Harry carefully made their way across the bridge, surveying the chamber with their x-ray visors the whole time.

Once they were confident they wouldn't spring any traps, Samus shot the orb. As she had hoped, the gravity suit was there, ripe for the taking. Samus and Harry touched it at the same time, and at once their suits gave off a dazzling glow. When it abated, Samus looked to Harry, seeing how drastically his suit had changed. The badger reliefs clinging to his suit were a bright yellow, but the armor that had taken on a sallow tinge were now a lusterous, ebony black. Samus looked down at herself, noticing that the navy-blue membraneous coverings were now a deep purple, and the solid bits of underlying armor took on a fiery, orange-red shade.

"Well, that does it. We've found everything we really needed in here," Samus declared confidently. "Now all that's left to do is find the way to Gryffindor."

Harry slowly turned his gaze over to some of the pillars jutting from the magma. "Maybe not, Samus. I think...I'm pretty sure I saw something fishy with the x-ray visor over there."

Samus raised an eyebrow. "Thought you weren't in any mood for a dip in lava."

"I'm not really in the mood for any of this, period, no matter what Snape always said," said Harry. "It just has to be done." With that, Harry leaped off the central pillar and over to the walls, going into morph ball mode right before he plunged into the magma. Samus watched the sphere slowly sink into the magma, and with a sigh, she jumped in after him.

Switching on her x-ray visor, she looked around the bottoms of the pillars, until she finally saw Harry's morph ball form nestled against one of them, laying some bombs. A grate was blown off its base, and Harry rolled through. Samus then rolled up herself and took off after him. After rolling into the hole Harry made, she felt herself drop a good ten meters or so, until she landed in another narrow tunnel. Sensing Harry rolling on ahead, she followed closely. Eventually, the tunnel sloped upward, and soon Samus rolled out of the magma. As she kept rolling, a strange sensation overtook her. It took Samus a while to process what was going on, but eventually she realized Harry found a passage to one of the other sanctums.

Hearing bombs go off ahead, Samus kept rolling at top speed. She finally rolled out the other end and landed with a thud. Judging from the echo, they were in an extremely wide open area. Unrolling, she saw Harry looking over a discordant array of blob-like rocks. Samus instantly knew where they were: back in the tunnels they chased Helga Hufflepuff down in.

"Ah, you were right. This was a waste of time. This is probably too far away from any place we can put the screw attack and plasma beam to any use. Let's head back," said Harry, sounding disappointed.

Samus's ears pricked up suddenly, picking up bits of conversation beyond where they carved paths with the speed booster days ago. Not only that, it sounded like something was digging into the cave walls. "Not just yet, Harry. Something's going on in here. Let's check it out," Samus whipsered, urging Harry to be silent. Harry got the message, and stealthily followed her. It wasn't long before they stepped out from the speed booster path and came across a sharp corner in the cave.

By now, Samus could clearly hear indistinct, garbled bits of conversation up ahead, along with clumsy footsteps. _Whoever they are, subtlety isn't their strong suit,_ thought Samus, fearing the worst and thinking Inferno agents were up to something. Ready for the worst, Samus prepped her arm cannon and rounded the corner. She almost fired on instinct when she saw a woman staring back at her, but luckily she stopped herself upon noticing violently pink hair. "What the...TONKS!?"

"Put that thing away before you hurt someone, Samus!" demanded Tonks, throwing her hands up. "Merlin's beard, what're you _doing _here, anyway!? We all thought you and Harry were heading off for Japan!"

"All four sanctums are interconnected. We just found the path in Gryffindor's that led back here," said Harry, coming up behind Samus. "What're _you _doing here?"

"Doing what you ordered our master to do, boy!" came a barking voice from behind Tonks. Samus looked over Tonks's shoulder to see Augustus Rookwood, his ugly, pockmarked face covered with dirt and sweat. "You wanted more of those giants' crystals to seal Valkyrie's city. That's what we're getting!"

Samus then got a good look around the caverns. Everywhere she looked, people were busily digging into the cave walls, either using wands or crude machinery. Long shafts of the desired green crystals were being pried out of the walls and loaded onto carts. Some were wearing Ministry attire or Death Eater robes, but most looked to be people from this part of the world. She also noticed with dismay how many house-elves were doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Were any of these house-elves ones from the Hogwarts kitchens? Was Dobby anywhere around here? She was so terrible about keeping track of those who befriended her, felt ashamed of how she hardly talked to the house-elf since returning....

"Yeah. It was bloody murder getting through those Erumpents and big hopping bug thingies to get to these tunnels. Good thing all these house-elves can just Apparate us in and out now, and we're churning out plenty of these crystal slabs. We may just have enough to make Harry's crazy plan work," said Tonks. "So...you got any good news for us? I mean, how's it going over on Gryffindor's end?"

"Well, we just fried Wildflower's sorry butt a short while ago," said Harry proudly. "Don't think she's gone for good, but...we've also got just about everything we needed in there. Once we go back, shouldn't be much longer until we get to Gryffindor." He looked past Tonks and over at Rookwood, and Samus saw his eyes narrow. "What about you, Rookwood? Any word from your boss? Have J.B. and Adam found that orbital weapon platform yet?"

Rookwood glowered at Harry and shook his head. "We've received no word from the Dark Lord since he departed with the rest of your group. If he's found this weapon stockpile, he must have good reasons for not alerting us."

"We can't keep dwelling on whether or not they've found it, Harry," Samus reminded him. "We've got our job, and they've got theirs."

"Either way, all of you better finish up pretty soon," Tonks said gravely. "We've got some bad news, too."

"Uh-oh, let's hear it," said Harry.

"All of Inferno's topside bases, they're still fixing to strike all of them at once, since most of their forces seem to be recalled, stationed at them. Hit 'em fast and hard when it'll hurt the most," said Tonks. "But...it looks like they've marshaled enough forces to stay on the move for one last push."

"Does that mean what I think it means?" asked Samus.

"Yeah. They're amassing for one _**BIG**_ strike against America real soon. And I got a bad feeling too much was diverted for the outpost strikes to protect it," replied Tonks.

xxxxxx

Making original characters is never easy, but damn, in Valkyrie's case, I dodged one huge-ass bullet only to get popped by another. Many ideas of how to do this sequel came and went before I settled on this. One bare outline of an idea had something that's automatically spat on nowadays: the whole 'Voldemort's daughter' routine. Granted, it had her out to axe dear ol' dad, but still. Obviously, I tossed it out, but I liked certain character aspects so much (flippant attitude, martial arts mastery) , they eventually found their way into Valkyrie. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found I avoided that fanfiction no-no altogether...only to discover I committed another: the whole 'mysterious student from America' thing that readers loathe. Oops.

Oh, and if you understood Hermione's little in-joke that she spouted at Voldemort, congratulations. You're officially in the top-tier of science-fiction nerds. And let's face it, if any of the Harry Potter girls just _SCREAM_ Bene Gesserit, it's Hermione. :P

So long,  
Grey-X


	41. Divided We Stand

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning  
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover  
Chapter 41: Divided We Stand  
4-19-2010  
by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

Hermione felt the heavy footfalls of Inferno troopers and engineers storming across a walkway made of metal grating as she and Ron rolled under it. It was odd how, despite everything she had learned as part of the Wizarding world, using this alien technology still felt so odd. Rolling around as a big ball, flying as long as she wanted by continuously jumping and spinning...it was all so bizarre, not to mention it still took some getting used to. Harry and Samus knew exactly how to use most of this gear, but now, they weren't here....

Thankfully, the Inferno personnel were walking in the opposite direction. Hermione felt the vibrations coming down through the walkway grow fainter and fainter. She and Ron rolled out from underneath a staircase and promptly transformed back. "Feels weird, sneaking around instead of blowing these blokes to bloody chunks, like what's been the norm for us for so long," Ron whispered, sounding anxious for some action.

"This isn't like those sanctums. No point in exposing ourselves until we have to," Hermione sternly reminded him, looking around. They were still in the underside of the orbital platform. It was dark and dreary, with steamy mist and oily grime everywhere, no doubt where some of the low-level engineers came to do the dirty work. But over the last few minutes, Ron and Hermione had to evade troopers as well as the workers. "The fact that troops were ordered to come down here, though...it must mean whoever's in charge suspects we're here. We'll have to be extra careful if we want to stay hidden."

"Come now, Granger. You're with one who has made a career of working in the shadows," came a high, cold, confident voice from above, one that seemed to go directly into their ears. Ron and Hermione craned their heads up to see Voldemort standing halfway up an array of stairs linked to some sort of fuel silo. His black, flowing robes let him blend perfectly with the dark, foreboding 's head snapped to the right, as if spotting someone coming, then leaped off, using conjured winds to gently flutter down to them.

"No trouble so far?" Hermione asked directly.

"Must you even ask?" Voldemort replied with a sneer. "So far, I have seen none of these missiles, or anything that looks like it houses Asara's abominable virus. I did, however, find what looks like another terminal. Follow me. If you can link up with Adam Malkovich, perhaps he can provide us with some direction," he finished bitterly.

Voldemort turned and ran, his robes fluttering dramatically. Ron and Hermione sighed, then followed. They went around the fuel silo, going through some narrow passageways lined with steaming pipes, and up to what looked like some sort of pump station. It was noisy, too, and Hermione hoped it would drown out any sounds they made. Voldemort led them around it, and sure enough, nestled along the bottom was a computer terminal that Hermione knew her suit should let her hack into, just like Samus's.

"Uh-oh," she heard Ron mutter. Her head jerked up, seeing that an Arab woman in an engineer's metallic-grey uniform on the level above had spotted them. Before she could make a noise, Voldemort swiftly aimed his wand up and cast the Imperius Curse. The engineer then went about her business as if nothing was amiss.

"Not the brightest move," huffed Hermione. "There's probably all sorts of sensory charms set up to detect those sort of things. It's the reason we're not using Disillusionment Charms and the like, remember?"

"Then I suggest you access that data and send it to Malkovich, so we can be on our way," said Voldemort coolly. "Since the wretch is merely going about her normal business, not much suspicion should be raised, so if you act swiftly we'll have no trouble."

Hermione snorted disdainfully, then turned to place her right hand on a scanning pad, while scanning the terminal screen with her visor at the same time. At once, the reverse-engineered systems of her suit punched through the Inferno firewalls. Data was pouring in onto her HUD, displaying a small map of the bottom section of the orbital platform. "Well done, Hermione," Adam's voice buzzed into her ear. "From what data you've gleamed here, I can confirm that a large portion of Valkyrie's missiles are in an adjacent section, and are already loaded with the virus. However, trying to disable each individual missile would not be an efficient strategy. There is no chance of putting all of them out of commission before you three are overwhelmed by the platform's forces."

"Then how do we stop them from launching? If going after the missiles themselves is no good, is there some way to, oh I dunno, blow the weapon platform itself?" Hermione asked hopefully. _That always seems to work in sci-fi movies,_ she added silently.

"There are too many firewalls preventing access into other portions of the platform. For a strategy like that, I cannot yet give you a target. However...." The display on Hermione's HUD zoomed out, and an indicator pointed out an area about a hundred meters above them. "My initial assessment of this platform's computer network indicates that the command for launching the virus must come from a command center in this general area. If you can uplink with the terminal there, I may be able to upload a malicious worm, and thus prevent any launch...if only for a time." Tunnels and passages close to their position then lit up. "The quickest way to reach these upper levels is to take a shortcut through this power relay station, then weave through a web of maintenance tunnels. Move swiftly, and keep yourselves alive, otherwise our fair Lady will surely plant a worm in my program instead."

Smirking, Hermione took her hand off the terminal and shut off her scan visor. After explaining Adam's plan to Ron and Voldemort, they stealthily made their way to the relay station Adam pointed out. When they reached it, however, they found it lined with relays of furiously pumping, crushing pistons. A quick recheck of the downloaded map data confirmed Hermione's fears about the quickest route to these maintenance tunnels being PAST those pistons.

"This...is going to be a problem," said Ron. "We use the space jump, we'll make noise and every Inferno wanker will blast us. Voldemort tries turning to smoke like Wildflower does, and conjures wind too strong...like Hermione said, these blokes'll be looking out for that. Same thing."

"Then the choice is painfully obvious," said Voldemort. "We make our way through by jumping." He sounded resolute, but Hermione couldn't help but notice that, unlike before, Voldemort seemed reluctant to take the lead.

"I'll go first," said Hermione, leaping off the staircase amd touching down onto the huge brass-colored, crackling cylinder. As soon as she touched down onto it, the mammoth piston shot straight up. Yelping in panic, Hermione leaped off onto the next one, careful to avoid the bursts of electricity traveling along grooves in the piston. Once again, it was a narrow miss as she jumped off and soared over to the next one. _Thank God for these bloody hi-jump boots,_ she thought to herself.

When Hermione reached the last one, the relay chamber made a 45 degree turn to the left. This next part had pistons arranged horizontally. Electrical bursts still traveled over them, and Hermione knew it would be ever tougher to keep her footing on these; the shafts they slid over were covered in slimy grease that she knew would make them slip right off. Taking a deep breath as the piston she stood on lurched up, Hermione jumped to the left, barely making it onto the edge of the horizontally-sliding piston. She quickly raised her foot as an electrical burst slid past her, and that, combined with the piston's slamming motion, almost made Hermione lose her balance.

After a desperate struggle, she managed to bound over to the next piston. There were two pistons after that one, one slightly higher and one slightly lower. Hermione gambled on jumping for the higher piston, and when she successfully planted her feet on it, she spotted a hatch beyond a small platform with railing worked into the chamber walls. Sparing a quick glance behind her, Hermione spotted Ron and Voldemort weren't far behind, almost as if they were competing for second place. After hopping over to the hatch, she twisted it open, nearly ripping it off by accident. She peered in and aimed her wand inside. The tunnels were lined with a light-bluish plating and were brightly lit, and Hermione couldn't see any sign of Inferno personnel.

"Excellent. The fools running this platform are still none the wiser," she heard Voldemort hiss over her shoulder. Hermione jumped a little, silently cursing how she let Voldemort sneak up on her like that. As much as they still needed each other, only a fool would trust Voldemort unconditionally. She wanted Voldemort where they could see him.

Voldemort imperiously swept past Hermione, aiming his wand down the tunnel as he walked on ahead. "Bloody git, storming on off without us," came Ron's breathless voice from behind her. They took off after him, and when they caught up, Ron immediately grabbed Voldemort by the shoulder. "Hey you, in these close quarters, _I_ take point."

Voldemort turned and glared at Ron contemptuously. "Come now, boy. We've seen I can survive anything these foolish Inferno sheep can throw at me."

"Yeah, and when they do their worst, you're left as weak as a Pygmy Puff," retorted Ron. "Remember what Snape did with just a _gun_? Hermione and I can take a beating and keep coming, so let me lead and she brings up the rear." Voldemort looked positively mutinous, as if ready to forget himself and turn on Ron. In the tense seconds that followed, Hermione feared exactly that. But when nothing happened after the two stared daggers at each other, Ron simply said, "I'll take that as silent agreement," in a very Dumbledore-esque manner and pushed past Voldemort. Voldemort glared at Ron's back, no doubt thinking of what curse to try, but the sound of Hermione's missile launcher arming coaxed him into keeping his cool.

Hermione breathed a tremendous sigh of relief as Voldemort simply followed Ron after that. She cursed Ron for egging Voldemort on like that, even though she knew he had a point. They continued to make their way through the tunnels, with Voldemort Imperiusing every stray engineer they came across. They moved through vertically-ascending tunnels lined with ladders that wove throughout the weapon platform, climbing closer and closer to where Adam said he could plant a worm.

As they ran down the last tunnel, nearing where they could get out of the maintenance tunnels, Hermione noticed windows were worked into its round walls. Looking through one, she couldn't help but let out a gasp. She saw a long row of huge missiles clamped down. Across from them were huge hatches that Valkyrie was just itching to order open, so the missiles could launch.

Hermione stared at the missiles for a moment as she ran on, thinking about their potentially deadly cargo. Even now, after all they knew, Valkyrie's ideas still had a seductive lure. Who knew if Valkyrie could eventually fix that flaw in her virus? If she could, would she really want to stop her then? How many of those engineers that Voldemort bewitched were once Muggles, hailing from places mired in war and poverty, that Valkyrie gave new lives and hope? She thought of what that virus could do for her parents, for her uncle. Give them a power she longed to share with them, make sure they could always stand up to scum like Voldemort and his lot....

All it took was the sight of Inferno soldiers patroling around the launch platform to make Hermione's doubts vanish in an instant. The same soldiers running rampant down on Earth, sowing chaos and confusion...and this virus was the last part in their commander's plan. No, whatever good Valkyrie had done, at the heart of everything, she was clearly motivated by hate and a thirst for revenge above all else! How she was willing to take such a gamble with millions of lives was the final proof of that! Despite how alike they were, despite how they wanted many of this same things, Hermione knew she could _**NEVER**_ stand with someone like Valkyrie. _Even if it means working with Voldemort for a while,_ Hermione thought glumly.

At last, the trio reached a hatch that, according to the layout Hermione downloaded, would lead to a command area. "Keep it quiet, Ron," hissed Hermione as Ron began twisting the hatch open. "If we play this smart, we can stay undetected until Adam plants that worm."

"Which will surely attract attention," said Voldemort, no doubt relishing the idea of a bloodbath. Hermione snorted, hating the reminder of just who she was siding with.

Ron finally got the hatch open and slowly swung it open. He stuck his head out, aiming his wand. "Whoa, at least three levels of computers and stuff...but I don't see anyone. I don't like this."

"Neither do I," said Voldemort. He got behind Ron, and the two stepped out, leaving Hermione behind. "Despite all our efforts, they must know we're here. This must be a trap," Voldemort went on.

"And thus, the hunters become the prey!" came an echoing, shrill voice that Hermione was now dreadfully familiar with.

"Petunia Dursley," growled Hermione. The instant she said that, the hatch was ripped off its hinges, and Hermione saw Voldemort magically hurl it at someone like a discus. He then lashed out with Killing Curses, while Hermione heard Ron's missiles firing. Hermione was about to rush out and give them a hand, but she heard reverberating floorboards behind her. She whirled around just in time to deflect a hail of curses from a squad of uniformed house-elves. In these close quarters, these small beings had the advantage, and drove Hermione toward the exit.

Eventually, Hermione's back was up to Ron and Voldemort's. Taking a good look around, she saw that whatever workstation this chamber was meant for, it had obviously been cleared out. They knew they were coming, and now Inferno troopers had poured in like army ants. Hermione noticed a few limp, lifeless bodies laying about, but for every one Ron and Voldemort struck down, a dozen more must've emerged. For now, they were holding back, but scores of guns and wands were trained on the three of them. Obviously, these soldiers were waiting for one last order.

And Hermione had a bad feeling about who could ultimately give it. Looking up again, Hermione saw the gloating face of Petunia Dursley's frog persona on every computer screen in the chamber, glaring out triumphantly. "You have to hand my boss one thing, she certainly knows how to bait a trap," beamed Ped. "Up here in orbit, it was just as impossible for us to track your concealed ship as it was for you to find our weapon platform. Dr. Asara figured sending a partially unconcealed signal would lead your ship here, and convince you a stealth operation could work."

"You continue to surprise me, Petunia Dursley," said Voldemort dangerously. "How can anyone consistently be such a fool? Every trap your master and you Reformers have tried to spring on us in those sanctums has backfired. What makes you think this ploy will end any differently?"

While Voldemort was ranting, Hermione whispered into her microphone. "Adam, can you track where Ped's sending that signal from?"

"If she rants and raves long enough, I should. From what Harry has always told us about her...." Adam replied.

"Good. Because she must have the launch codes. Valkyrie would only give something that important to her top lieutenants," Hermione whispered back. "Wherever she is now, that's got to be where the codes are put in. And where we can put the worm in."

"A brilliant deduction, Hermione. I will do what I can. Stand by...and again, keep yourself alive," said Adam.

While Hermione was talking with Adam, Ped had mostly laughed hysterically at Voldemort. "But also consider this, Riddle. Dr. Asara's forces smashed your headquarters, overran the Ministry of Magic, and then took Hogwarts for themselves. We've still clobbered you every time you lot had the home field advantage, and you all barely escaped each time. Now you're fighting on _OUR_ turf."

"And you must know why we're crazy enough to come here. We know all about what's really on this floating piece of tin," said Ron.

"And you must've figured out by now, it's what almost killed you while you were held at Hogwarts," added Hermione. "And it'll kill millions more if you let Valkyrie launch this poison and blanket Earth with all that dark energy."

"Wow, you agree with Voldemort about me being an idiot, do you?" Ped snapped back. "Who knows what you people afflicted me with while I was trussed up like a pig? I'm sure you hoped the doctor would be gullible enough, figured seeing her best friend's sister pushed to the brink of death by her life's work would somehow make her stop. Convince her that it's somehow too dangerous to tamper with human evolution. Sorry, but we all saw right through it."

"Well, this is certainly proof that some Muggles are incurably stupid, even after they gain magic artificially," jeered Voldemort.

"For once, he's right," Hermione called out to Ped. "Consider for a moment, Petunia, what _IF_ Valkyrie's virus really is imperfect? Could you live with yourself if millions got sick just like you did, and then die from this thing? You claimed you're doing all this to make things up to your dead sister, honor her memory. What would she think if you had a hand in the deaths of millions?"

For a moment, Ped didn't answer, her stony gaze leering at them from every computer screen. "A compelling speech about Lily, Hermione. Try it again when you're not working side-by-side with her murderer," she shot back. Hermione sheepishly glanced up at Voldemort, his face a hardened mask to cover up his cold fury. "Enough of this...everyone, Dr. Asara still wants the boy and girl alive, so rip that armor off one piece at a time until you get to them. As for Voldemort...doesn't matter how many pieces he's in." With that, all the computer screens went blank.

"Hermione, I deciphered Dursley's location just in time," came Adam's voice suddenly. "I'll send it to you and Ron once you've got some breathing room. My calculations show that things are actually in your favor, little Lady. So get to it." Hermione only half-heard him, the trio's backs still pressed against each other as they anxiously waited for the Inferno squadron to make the first move. In the seconds before the carnage broke out, Hermione nervously took in the data on her HUD, and her eyes eventually fell on her uncle's dog tags. That gave her a last-minute boost of inspiration right before bullets and curses rained down on them.

xxxxxx

Harry fought to maintain his balance as he walked around the outside of the first pagoda's fifth floor. He was going over it a second time, just to be sure nothing was overlooked, when suddenly he was ambushed again, having been tossed clean through the pagoda's wall.

_Was wondering when those damn boggarts would start mimicking these blokes,_ Harry thought sourly as Space Pirates swiftly dashed out of the hole after him. Naturally, their balance and agility far exceeded his, and soon found himself surrounded. Scraping, skittering noises told Harry that more Blast-Ended Skrewts were moving in as well.

Harry let out an annoyed sigh, trying to figure out how he let himself land in such hot water while off on his own. With the gravity suit theirs, Harry suggested that he and Samus split up to cover more ground, scouring the magma-filled areas for anything useful. He made sure to make his way back to the entrance in case he found what he desperately hoped to stumble across: a hidden path back into Slytherin's sanctum. Luckily, he quickly found it, deep under the Squeept-infested magma pools in the passage linking the acid-soaked entrance hall and the first pagoda. He hoped this last-minute idea of his wouldn't be needed, but knowing their luck, and knowing how deep Valkyrie's animosity ran....

Shrieks from the Space Pirates snapped back back to the present. He fired a missile at the nearest Pirate while blasting three other Pirates clear off the pagoda with a triple blast of Aguamenti. They fired back at the same time, with organic-based weapons fused into their forearms. Harry tried to swerve around and dodge as best he could, but some shots still found their mark. Grunting in pain, Harry leaped right over their heads, firing down on them before deftly landing on the edge of a sloping roof. It took a second to regain his balance, but managed to Summon some freed X to him in that time. But by then, the Skrewts had finally moved in.

_Definitely not telling Hagrid about these,_ Harry decided as a Skrewt shot forward along the roof, lashing out with its stinger. Harry ducked aside and simply grabbed its tail, then hurled the Skrewt at an advancing Pirate, knocking both off the pagoda. A second Skrewt then blasted itself at Harry, but Harry was ready with a charged ice shot, and his Glacius Beam forced it back. A few more ice beams shots froze it solid, and a single missile made it relinquish its X parasites.

As the fight wore on, Harry managed to whittle down his attackers' numbers. Soon, only one Skrewt remained, but it shot itself at Harry while he Summoned more X. Its insect-like legs latched onto him as they both tumbled off the pagoda, eventually falling into the magma surrounding it. Of course, the magma couldn't hurt Harry now, but the Skrewt also thrived in the stuff. Harry switched to his x-ray visor just in time, spotting the incoming stinger. "_Aquamenti!_" he quickly shouted, and the magma around its tail instantly cooled, trapping it in solid rock. Harry finally pried the Skrewt off of him after they both sank to the bottom, and while it was suspended in the magma, Harry cut loose with beam shots, and eventually the Skrewt dissolved away into X parasites.

Harry just stood there for a moment, completely submersed in magma, desperately trying to catch his breath. Going off on his own like this...it never occurred to him how it would bring back vivid memories of the nightmare he endured two years ago. Despite all the odds against them, Harry figured that on this second job with Samus, at least none of them would have to fight alone. He wondered if Samus was thinking along the same lines. Was she glad to be working on her own again, even if only for a time, or was she getting used to being part of a team?

Shaking his head, Harry looked around, wondering which way the pagoda was. The x-ray visor was still murder on his eyes. As he glanced over a stretch of solid wall in the distance, he noticed one spot registered a little lighter in the x-ray spectrum. And Harry couldn't be sure, but the shape of the stones in that spot...they looked suspiciously like the blocks that plugged up Hufflepuff's tunnels.

Smirking, Harry trotted backwards. Even with the gravity suit, moving through magma was still a chore. It felt like an all-emcompassing slush. Still, it afforded him enough freedom to run...and let the speed booster kick in. That's exactly what happened as he charged forward. His body blazed, glowing silheouttes of himself trailed behind him, and as he ran into that spot in the wall, it melted away.

The path before Harry sloped upward, and soon he ran clear out of the magma. Looking ahead, Harry noticed the sloping tunnel led to a dead end, but there was an overhanging ledge. Right before Harry would have crashed into the end of the tunnel, he ducked down, and felt his suit surge with pent-up power. He jumped up onto the overhanging ledge, then shot forward with the shinespark effect, once again moving at superspeed and plowing through obstructing blocks. On and on this pattern went, until he saw a tunnel leading straight up instead of an overhanging ledge. Harry ducked down right under it, building up power for the shinespark one last time, and his body rocketed straight up, crashing through layer after layer of volcanic rock.

Harry marveled at how none of this made his head ache in the least, not even when it crashed into the ceiling of another tunnel. As the shinespark effect faded away, Harry fell from the ceiling, nearly falling back down the hole he just made. He glanced down through it, wondering just how far up he just went. He glanced at Gryffindor's map, just realizing this part he just found hadn't originally been on it. Switching it off, he looked ahead. Another bridge made of gold-alloy wiry grating wound through it, but it went over acid instead of magma. On top of that, pillars of boiling, burbling acid occassionally shot up like geysers right under it.

"And here I was dumb enough to think there'd bo no more acid," Harry huffed as he charged on. Almost as soon as he set foot on the bridge, those seahorse-looking dragons poked their heads above the acid, spewing fireballs. Harry ducked and wove around the bridge, firing back with ice beam shots. It took a while, but eventually he froze them in place. Knowing the heat from the acid would quickly thaw them out, Harry marched on down the tunnel's snaking, twisty bridge.

As he ran on, Harry noticed a gap in the cavern wall off to his left. Looking down it, he saw a bubble door nestled into it, several dozen feet away. But gushes of acid erratically spurting from pipes weaving through the crack discouraged using the space jump. Since they were made of that gold alloy, it was impossible to weld those holes in the pipes shut, and plugging them with ice wouldn't help either. Harry glared over at the bubble door. Whatever was beyond it, Harry knew he had to get it. He then looked up along the narrow path. It was lined with wide stalactites.

Harry armed his missile launcher and fired at the closest one. At once, the stalactite cracked apart and fell into the acid with a splash, creating a perfect platform to jump on. Harry fired more missiles, bringing more stalactites down. As he jumped along the path he made, Harry used Glacius and waved his wand above him; whatever acid rained down froze before it could touch him. Upon reaching the bubble door, Harry immediately shot it open and jumped through. A cylindrical chamber awaited him, one with an energy tank sitting on a pillar in the center, ripe for the taking. Half of the chamber's wall also made Harry realize the effort was worth it: it shimmered and rippled, nearly obscuring the Chozo runes underlying it.

After grabbing the tank, Harry scanned the wall. It wasn't long before a translation streamed across his HUD to read. _It is no surprise that you have plumbed these deepest reaches of my sanctuary, considering that you have already conquered those erected in honor of my three colleagues. Nothing short of the sharpest wits, unfailing conviction and the drive to triumph at all costs would enable another quartet to make it this far. You undoubtedly proved you possess everything those three valued. Only one vital test remains for you. If you have read every other message we four left behind, you know how our battle with Kor-Zor tested us in ways we never dared imagine. Salazar coming to terms with how his will was subverted and then forced to turn on his brother, Rowena made to realize knowledge alone cannot bring peace, and kindly Helga having to decide what to do with thousands of souls left destitute! Just as Kor-Zor manipulates a mysterious, dark, invisible part of our universe, the fight against him forced us to confront the darkest parts of ourselves. I was no exception! Thus, my sanctum forces you to face your darkest fears. And when you find me, be ready to face your greatest fear of all. Then, and only then, can you face Kor-Zor with any hope of victory._

Harry switched off his scan visor, not sure what to make of Gryffindor's cryptic message. These messages the four Founders left behind, these glimpses into their fight with Kor-Zor, they raised more questions than they answered. How much did Kor-Zor really have to push Slytherin? What exactly did Kor-Zor do with the Mayans? Just what was that fight in America's desert like, when they finally sealed him? Not that any detailed info on Kor-Zor would've mattered anyway, since Valkyrie was pulling all the strings now. It was her twisted mind they had to outwit now. And even with the insight into her head that Dumbledore left for him, Harry still wasn't quite sure how.

Sighing, Harry left and jumped back over the downed stalactites, and continued on down the bridge, fighting past more of those seahorse-like dragons and now Space Pirates. Once he finally reached the end, there was nothing but a solid metal plate worked into the ground. Knowing exactly what to do, Harry fiddled with his suit's gauntlet. Soon enough, he was pouring superheated plasma onto the plate, and once it glowed white, Harry braced himself and cried, "_Glacius!_" It cracked apart, revealing a bubble door directly underneath, just as Harry figured. After opening it, he saw a long drop in a chasm awaited, lined with only a paucity of ledges to use as platforms. _It would've been impossible to superheat that plate from the other end, I bet,_ Harry thought as he jumped down.

Harry carefully hopped down from ledge to ledge, and it wasn't long before Kihunters and hippogriphs flew up, ready to take a swipe at him. Harry quickly downed one hippogriph, and turned to blast a Kihunter coming right for him. But before he could, a charged shot ripped right through it, and it reverted to X parasites. Another blast ripped apart both a hippogriph and a Kihunter seconds later.

"And here I thought I'd have trouble finding you!" Harry shouted down, certain Samus would hear him.

"Never hard to find me. Just follow the trail of exploding planets," came Samus's dark reply. Being on her own gave her too many opportunities to brood, Harry realized. Once all the boggarts were dealt with, Harry made a blind leap down, and soon found himself crouching next to Samus. "So...any good news to report?" she asked hastily.

"Found the way back into Slytherin's water resort, but didn't spend too much time in there," said Harry. "Once we're done here, that's probably where we'll need to go if Tonks was right."

"You still haven't told me what...."

"I'll explain it later. Just trust me for now," said Harry quickly. "Anyway, found a hidden path that went from that first pagoda and dropped me off here. Got another energy tank and Gryffindor's last message while I was up there. Not to mention plenty more missiles and power bombs. And you?"

"Got some more missiles and bombs, too," said Samus. "Combed Ravenclaw's sanctum as thoroughly as we did Hufflepuff's. Cleared most of the magma chambers that branched off from the second pagoda, too. We've only got a few more halls to fight through before we reach the one with Gryffindor himself."

"Oh, goody," muttered Harry, knowing Gryffindor wouldn't make this final run easy. He was getting so anxious about this last push, he almost didn't notice Samus holding out her hand. "Oh. Right," said Harry sheepishly. He clasped her hand, transferring the gear both acquired to the other. But the way in which she gestured to do it.... _Maybe she's getting more comfortable with leading a team than I thought._

After that was done, Samus shot open the bubble door at the bottom of the chasm. A long hallway stretched out before them. They saw and heard magma flowing under their feet, and the walls were lined with alcoves in which stood more of those lion statues, clad in samurai armor and shogun masks. On the walls in between alcoves, tapestries were hung, on which Japanese writing was written rather than Chozo runes. Harry took all this in at a glance, and paid them no mind afterwards, closely trailing Samus as they ran down the hall. So he was nonplussed when Samus suddenly turned around. As Harry skidded to a halt, Samus grabbed him and pulled him to the ground.

Harry felt the heat of some fiery blast sailing over them. Wondering what was going on, Harry looked back up. One of the lion statues had come to life, wielding some sort of staff with a huge, flaming spearhead. Looking past it, Harry saw more lion statues spring to life. These drew katanas that glowed with white-hot intensity. Rattling sounds from behind them let Harry know several of the statues ahead were magically coming to life, too. And all of them were closing in fast.

"Like I was saying," said Samus dryly as she got back up. She fired a missile into one statue's face, blowing off its mask. The steely gaze of a lion swept over Samus and Harry as moved forward, swinging its flaming spear. Samus grabbed it and planted a kick in the statue's belly, sending it flying away without its spear. After hurling it at its former holder, running it through and pinning it against the wall, Samus whirled around and fired on the statues behind them.

This left the katana-brandishing statues for Harry to deal with. They strode past their fallen comrade, and one swiftly moved in, swinging its deadly blades. Harry was almost blinded by the dizzying flashes left by the swift slashes of its katanas.

Keeping his focus, Harry waited for an opening. Once he noticed the statue made a clumsy lunge, he ducked and used the spazer to fire three Reductor Curses at its mask, smashing it to powder. In the split-second it was stunned, Harry followed Samus's lead. He wrested one of the katanas away, then swiftly backhanded the lion statue, flooring it. With the katana in his left hand, he brought it up as the other statue tried bringing both of its katanas down on him, parrying the attack. Knowing he wouldn't last long in a swordfight, Harry used Glacius, willing a sheet of ice to coat the statue's mask, blinding it. While it was disoriented, Harry quickly beheaded it. Noticing that the other statue was getting up, Harry drove the katana down through its chest, pinning it to the floor grating.

"Well, that wasn't so hard," Harry said confidently, even though he was still in the throes of an adrenaline rush. With all his statues dealt with, he turned to help Samus with hers. With their combined efforts, they were quickly beaten as well. In the long stretch that followed, more caverns awaited, filled with statues of samurai-lions itching for a piece of them. Even in huge caverns that led upward, where magma cascaded down like waterfalls, those statues were stationed on ledges, and had to be dealt with before they moved on. Otherwise, they ran the risk of being shot down while using the space jump, then getting swept away by the currents of magma.

Luckily, at least half the time, they were usually slow enough for one of them to slice apart with the screw attack while the other occupied them. And the enchanted constructs coughed up plenty of energy and missile refills every time they went down. Soon enough, Harry and Samus made it to the final pagoda with power to spare.

Again, it was in the middle of a wide open chamber, surrounded by flowing magma. But in other ways, this last chamber was entirely different. Instead of igneous rock, the walls were made up of puplish-green glass bubbles. Many pillars made up of these bubbles surrounded the pagoda, and on at least half of them, a lion statue made of that gold alloy was perched. Most of those pillars that had no statue were shaped more like stalagmites, and Harry noticed that those often had only one glass bubble to safely stand on. The pagoda itself covered less area and was far smaller, only about two or three floors. Harry could easily see the wall far beyond it, noticing that the glass bubbles there had a more reddish tint, forming the shape of a lion's head that continuously spewed a river of magma.

"Something tells me we're in the right place," said Samus suddenly. "Gryffindor's definitely in there somewhere." Harry watched her as she warily glanced at the bridge in front of them. "Should we walk, or fly?"

"There's been plenty of stuff keeping us from flying whenever we want. Best not take chances and keep our feet on the ground," suggested Harry. With that, the two began their track across the bridge. Harry kept his wand raised, expecting an ambush at any moment. Magmoors to rear their ugly heads, dementors to swoop in, something. But all they saw and heard was the plangent flow of magma as they forged on ahead. The lack of any resistance kept Harry on edge. They were only a dozen feet away from the pagoda, but Harry didn't see any bubble doors.

As Harry pondered this, he became dimly aware of a slight rumbling. It quickly picked up in intensity, and after glancing back at the pagoda, he realized it was sinking. On top of that, Harry heard something erupt from the magma with explosive force. Turning around, he gasped after seeing what could only be described as a gigantic griffin, made up entirely of molten rock. It swiftly glided around the chamber, eventually landing on the ledge where he and Samus came in. With a furious shriek, it drove its beak into the other end of the bridge, biting down hard. It jerked its head, effortlessly pulling it loose. Harry let out a startled cry as the bridge swayed and buckled, tossing them around.

"Hurry, Harry, JUMP!" Samus called out as the magma-griffin continued to rip the bridge apart. Out of desperation, Harry soared up to the pagoda's roof. Out the corner of his eye, he saw Samus perch herself on a stalagmite made of glass bubbles, her feet agilely balancing on a single bubble. Harry wasn't surprised when she made him think of a ninja, but at the moment, he was more focused on how the pagoda was still sinking.

Thankfully, it stopped short of submersing the roof...only a few inches short. Harry around the top of the sunken pagoda. It was utterly flat and featureless, save for more Japanese writing emblazoned onto it, which he couldn't read. After a while, it clicked for Harry: this flat space made for the perfect arena.

A rushing sound overhead made Harry look up. The magma-griffin was flying away, soaring directly into the maw of that lion head made up of glass bubbles. "What, we're not supposed to fight that thing!?" he thought aloud.

"If Gryffindor wasn't it that, then where is he!?" demanded Samus.

"Not far behind," came a booming, sonorous voice that echoed everywhere. Harry raised his wand and armed his missiles, desperately looking around for the source. But once again, nothing could be heard but the magma's incessant flow. The sight of the flow of molten rock tended to have a hynpotic effect, but its tranquil yet powerful pattern was abruptly broken when something else shot up out of it.

Whatever it was, it span rapidly as it shot up, a rocky, dark-brown blur. As its arc curved downward toward the pagoda's roof, it clicked in Harry's mind: a Chozo elder's robes. It ended up landing on one of the pillars, gracefully balancing atop it like Samus was, revealing itself to be exactly what Harry predicted.

There was Godric Gryffindor in a Chozo elder's robes, the biggest and most imposing of all the Founders. His fiery mane and beard swayed in the scorching breeze running through the chamber as his eyes fixated on Harry. Harry noticed two handles of some weapon behind Gryffindor's back. Everyone knew Gryffindor exceled at using a broadsword, but was his android self just as good with katanas?

Harry kept both his arms raised, ready to blow Gryffindor away at a moment's notice. Still, he felt a twinge of reluctance. He wasn't facing the personas of the founders of rival Houses anymore. This thing was created to think, talk and act like Godric Gryffindor himself, whose example he'd always been proud to follow. It essentially _WAS_ him!

It took a while for Gryffindor to finally speak. "I see you have made it all the way here in remarkably good shape, despite having only two of you left," he said calmly.

"Not that we had much of a choice about numbers. My best friends, the other two with suits...they're off somewhere else on another mission," said Harry, keeping a watchful eye on Gryffindor.

"Ah, yes. As you can imagine, I am now well aware of the machinations of the one who purposely freed Kor-Zor," replied Gryffindor. "You and these two friends of yours, you were all Sorted into my House, despite how all three of you claimed the pieces charged with my three comrades, no? Tell me, what is it they are daring to do, making your tasks here even more dangerous?"

_It's as if he admires how we stormed this place with our group split apart, and wants to know what was so important that we had to. He really does value courage above everything else,_ Harry realized. He looked back at Samus, wondering what they should do. Was Gryffindor stalling like Ravenclaw had? He already revealed that magma-griffin, but it had flown off without attacking them head-on. Samus merely assumed her usual, stoic posture, watchfully observing Gryffindor. Sighing, Harry said, "Off trying to find Valkyrie's space station. It's loaded with a virus that'll turn Muggles into wizards once she covers the world with Kor-Zor's dark energy. Millions probably won't survive the transformation, but she refuses to accept there'll be that much trouble after all her hard work. It has to be put out of commission _now_, not after we're done here."

Again, Gryffindor took his time before answering. "An otherwise noble goal sought after by someone so shortsighted. Few things can be more tragic," said Gryffindor somberly. "In many ways, you and your friends face a far more daunting task than we did. Kor-Zor represented unfathomable malevolence fueled by purely selfish desire. This Valkyrie, on the other hand, sounds like she truly wishes to change this world for the better, but refuses to accept that her schemes will have unforseen consequences."

"And some people think you were more of a fighter than a teacher," said Harry. "Yeah, you pretty much nailed it."

"And that is why the tale of your struggles is so much more profound, Harry Potter," said Gryffindor.

"Hey, how do you know his name!?" demanded Samus.

"I have the means of monitoring all forms of communication on this globe once awakened, both magical and technological," said Gryffindor. "Even among the fighting forces of the Muggles who've been let in on our world after centuries of secrecy...even they speak of a young wizard who spurned this despot's tempting offers. Who saw through her honeyed tales of making a better world, saw her for what she was. Salazar and Rowena...they had to awaken to learn their legends and Houses spawned madness instead of valor. But at least I can rest easy, knowing that at least one student bearing my colors possesses the most important courage of all: the courage to do what is right, instead of what is easy and desired." Gryffindor hung his head. "A courage you possess in even greater quantities than I did, Harry Potter."

Harry's eyes widened. "What in...what d'you mean by that!?"

"Kor-Zor tried many of the same tactics with us, Harry Potter. You already know of how Salazar was manipulated for so long, warping his fears and his desires to Kor-Zor's twisted ends," said Gryffindor. Harry wondered if Gryffindor ever knew how far Kor-Zor pushed Slytherin, if he knew the Chamber of Secrets was a dreadful reality. "But even after revealing what I knew to him, I myself was not yet convinced that Kor-Zor was wholly evil. Even as Salazar made the fateful, difficult choice of turning on his half-brother, I was still indecisive. We share many of the same hopes for Muggle and wizard alike, Harry Potter, and Kor-Zor played on that in the same way Valkyrie tried to play you. But you had the courage to stand up to such madness almost immediately, while I...wavered, and countless innocents paid the price."

Harry fell silent, completely nonplussed and flabbergasted. Like most other Gryffindors, he tended to regard his House's Founder with nothing short of hero worship. Now he found out Godric Gryffindor was just as human as everyone else, prone to the same flaws.

"That is why I designed my sanctuary this way," Gryffindor went on. "Not only did I wish to test how potential wielders of the Chozo's ultimate weapon would do when faced with their worst fears, I had to probe deeper. I had to ensure that the bearers could face these darkest parts of themselves, look into their own souls and realize the truth. We all are capable of freely choosing either good or evil, whether to create or destroy. So before conquering me, you must first prove you can conquer yourselves. Or in your cases, conquer yourselves once again."

"Hey, what d'you mean by 'once again'!?" Harry demanded, but Gryffindor suddenly drew his weapons, revealing that they were indeed katanas. Harry braced himself, but Gryffindor jumped backwards instead of right at them. Gryffindor spun around, and his katanas acted like propeller blades, carrying him up and over to the lava-spewing lion head.

"Just WHERE is he going!?" spat Samus. "This _is_ the Founder that craved combat and valued honor, right!?"

"Well, he said something about having to 'conquer ourselves'. But what could that possibly mean? And what did he mean about having it before? What could...." At once, Harry fell silent as a terrible possibility came to him.

"Heads up, Harry! Whatever's coming our way...it's here!" Samus warned him. Looking up, he saw two strange objects streak about the magma chamber. But whatever they were, they were horribly out of place. They were two blurs colored a resplendent, icy blue, and left trails of frigid mist. It took a while for Harry to figure out that his worst suspicions were indeed on the money....

One of them slammed down onto a bubble-pillar a few dozen feet away from Samus. It looked like a gelatenous blob, but quickly assumed a humanoid shape. Its color instantly shifted from a transparent, sky-blue to sold orange and yellow.

"No...damn you Gryffindor, not _again_!!" shrieked Samus as yellow-green eyes stared at her from behind a green visor. A perfect likeness of the SA-X now balanced itself on a pillar, watching Samus and waiting for the right time to strike.

_Then that means...._ Harry's thought was interrupted by a slamming noise behind him. The other icy blue mass dropped down onto one of the lion statues, and already started reforming itself. Black, spidery talons from both hands and feet clung to the statue's head, and a noxious, blueish-black skinsheath tightly clung to it. A set of dragonfly wings stretched out behind it, and a face pulled at by diseased, rootlike growths branching from its neck stared back at Harry. His own face, complete with the curse scar. And then the eyes glowed yellow-green.

"Here we go again," said Harry bitterly, staring back at the recreation of the HP-X.

xxxxxx

Draco watched the security monitor, cringing at the sight of the carnage unfolding. He'd already seen Voldemort use Avada Kedavra plenty of times before, but he still got a sickly chill whenever he saw his curse connect, even on a screen.

What shocked Draco even more, however, was seeing how ferociously Weasley and Granger were fighting. He used to dismiss Harry and his lot as soppy do-gooders, but those two were holding nothing back. Every curse they knew, every weapon their suits housed, every trick they picked up from the bounty hunter...they were carving an even bigger path of destruction through their platform than the Dark Lord was. They had already escaped from the workstations where they sprung their trap, and were now weaving their way further into the platform's heart, cutting down all opposition. It was as if they knew exactly where they were....

"Gotta give those two kids some credit," came a voice from over his shoulder. Draco turned to see Tesla's head hovering there. "Coming in here by themselves with only their worst enemy for backup. Yep, like you always said, only Gryffindors could be so stupidly brave." Draco looked back at the screen. Weasley and Granger had just doused a dozen of their soldiers with slimy, toxic water. That was one of Asara's special charms! Potter had somehow figured out the incantation and used it on his own aunt, and now his best friends had no scruples with using it on every troop in sight! What was possessing these three? What pushed them into crossing so many lines? Draco knew he had crossed plenty already, taking up causes that flew in the face of everything he was raised to believe. But these were things that should've appealed to those three idealistic thorns in his side! Why, when he wanted to simply end this rivalry with them, did they still want to screw up his life so badly!?

"Their stupid bravery is paying off. They're fighting out of desperation. We should've known, you don't corner a tiger, let alone three of them," came a voice from above. Draco looked up to see Ped there, squatting upside-down on the ceiling. He studied the former Muggle fate had stuck him with. At times she seemed meek and passive, even in that noxious frog-woman body, but other times she was dreadfully frigid, her face a blank slate. But Draco knew that plenty was on her mind. Was she agonizing over the same things? She wanted to end this stupid feud with Potter as much as he did, and her own nephew nearly killed her instead. Draco shuddered, knowing he could expect the same from Weasley and Granger. After what he'd said and done over the last six years, Draco didn't delude himself into thinking they would show any mercy. He found himself dreading them even more than his former master.

"Indeed. We underestimated just how powerful Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger's suits have become, not to mention Voldemort has adapted to our methods a lot quicker than I had hoped," came Valkyrie's voice from the terminal. All of a sudden, her face popped up on the screen, her eyes glowing pink and indigo. "Good thing for us, I try to foresee when I'll make a mistake and make sure it can be corrected."

"What is it, doctor?" asked Ped as she jumped down from the roof. "Are you coming over here to deal with this personally?" Draco couldn't tell whether Ped wanted that to happen or not.

Valkyrie shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. The buildup of dark energy and dark matter is reaching a critical point. I must stay here and continuously monitor them. Especially right now. I've decided that with Voldemort and Harry's friends running loose on the platform, we have no choice but to bring the Day of Reckoning now."

"Hold it, Doctor A. You sure you're far enough along to do that?" asked Tesla, sounding surprised. "Let us three have another crack at 'em. They'll be fighting on our terms now. This time, we'll definitely...."

"Patience, Tesla," said Valkyrie smoothly. "They'll be coming for you anyway. I've been watching their progress. Their pattern indicates that they're going for where the launch codes are to be put in. Clearly, Adam Malkovich is somehow guiding them, and if so, he must plan to upload a worm or virus through Ron Weasley or Hermione Granger. Therefore, we must input the codes now, then smash the terminal before that can happen."

Draco took a moment to let Valkyrie's plan sink in. "So, after that, it's all over? You mutate all the Muggles like Potter's mother always wanted? We win?"

Valkyrie flashed a thin smile. "Oh Draco, it'll be far from over. We'll still have plenty of work, surreptitiously nudging the rest of humanity along from Inferno. But after the Day of Reckoning, there won't be anything our enemies can do to stop the winds of change. Voldemort, and everything he represents, will be reduced to insignificance, and there won't be any Ministry to hound you. You and your family will be free."

Draco felt his hands clench around the edge of the terminal, thinking it was too good to be true. He thought of how everything he knew was about to change forever, how there was no turning back. His mind snapped back to the present by the sound of the metal hatch off to their left hissing shut. "They've almost reached this workstation!" cried Ped. "If we're going to do this, it has to be now!"

"Then get moving," said Valkyrie calmly before looking back to Draco. "Listen to me, Draco. I hoped I wouldn't have to place you in a situation like this again. But I knew they would eventually learn about this weapon platform, and some of them would try storming it. You know those three better than most. I'm counting on you to do what you have to after the launch codes are put in."

"I...I won't let you down," Draco said shakily.

"Glad to hear it," said Valkyrie. "I know I didn't err in picking my fifth Reformer. I'm sure Albus would've approved as well, seeing you turn on Lord Voldemort. In fact, he left something behind that only you could hope to use. It's part of the reason I chose you. One day, when you're ready...."

The hatch door suddenly shuddered violently. Draco knew Voldemort was forcing his way in, but strangely, he was still curious about what Valkyrie just said. "Doctor, what did...."

"There'll be time to explain later! For now, get after Petunia and Tesla! Buy them enough time to input the codes!" ordered Valkyrie. Then the screen blanked out. The hatch door shuddered again. In desperation, Draco whirled around and erected a web of protective charms over the hatch. But he had little time, and knew nothing he could conjure on such short notice would hinder Voldemort for long.

"That'll have to do!" shouted Tesla. "Follow us, Draco baby! It's time!" Draco turned around, seeing that Tesla was flying down the hallway, and Ped was following on all fours. He tailed them as best he could. The three ducked and wove through a series of hallways. Draco brought up the rear the whole time, expecting Voldemort to rush in any moment. Miraculously, there was no sign of pursuit, and they ducked into a chamber that Tesla said had the terminal they needed. It was incredibly spacious, like the inside of a big cylinder, arrays of machines he couldn't begin to describe lining the walls. A narrow bridge led to a small workstation in the center, dozens of feet away, and Draco gulped when he saw the chamber's bottom was at least a hundred feet below.

"Hurry, Malfoy! Barricade that hatch!" scream Ped as she and Tesla ran for the terminal. For a moment, Draco felt a surge of resentment. Someone who became a witch artificially, ordering him about? But remembering who was on their tail snapped him out of it. Draco turned and tried weaving a different series of protective charms. All the while, he stole quick glances behind him, listening in.

Draco watched as Tesla mentally commanded the binding around her left gauntlet to loosen. She pulled it off, then placed her palm on a square pad. "Identification: Myrtle Maxwell. Input code: Alpha One Seven X Zeta Three point Two Zero Five!"

Suddenly, a small, transparent, flittering image that looked like a redheaded woman appeared over the terminal's controls. "First launch code confirmed. Awaiting input of second Reformer launch code." Its voice was soft, gentle, mellifluous....

A sudden realization came to Draco. "Wait a minute. That voice, that image, is that really...."

"Lily Evans," said Ped flatly, staring intently at it. No doubt all sorts of conflicting thoughts were running through her mind. He heard what Hermione had tried to explain to her. Was she having second thoughts now?

A banging noise from the hatch made Draco turn back around. He could sense his web of charms was crumbling fast. "Uh, Dursley, whatever you're going to do, do it now!" he shouted, panicking.

For a moment, only silence came from the terminal. Draco raised his wand, trying to whip up more charms, but felt Voldemort's oppressive power pushing back hard. Then, just when he thought he would snap in half, he heard a wet hand slap down onto the terminal behind him. "Identification: Petunia Evans Dursley! Input code: Gamma Nine Eight H Omega Seven point Zero Zero Eight!"

"Second launch code confirmed. Final preparations for launch now set into motion. Targeting of planetary coordinates has been initiated. Countdown to missile launch: T minus thirty-five minutes." For someone reknowned for generosity, Draco thought Lily's voice was horribly cold and calculating just then. Then, a reddish shade enveloped the entire chamber, and some sort of alarm klaxon blared. A holographic screen popped up to his right, and he saw a Muggle timekeeping display of numbers pop up. It started at 35 minutes, and immediately started ticking down.

That lapse in his concentration afforded Voldemort a chance to finally break through. The hatch door snapped in half, the pieces flying right at Draco. Draoc Banished them back as he used the hi-jump boots stolen from Weasley to propel himself to the terminal. With the restrictive charms fading, Voldemort effortlessly melted the hatch parts into slag, and Hermione ran in next, sending out a triple blast of poison water.

"Not this time!" roared Ped as she and Draco conjured winds to disperse the toxic streams. Then, Draco heard horrible wretching and sparking sounds from behind him. He turned around, seeing that Tesla had magnetically pulled the entire terminal clean off the platform.

"Back off, you bossy bimbo! Draco's my man!" Tesla shouted at Granger. "Here, this is what you three were coming for, right?" With that, she magnetically hurled the terminal at the trio, who barely ducked out of the way in time.

"Oh bloody hell..._NOW_ how are we supposed to get Adam's worm in there!?" cried Ron.

"You don't! You were too late to do anything about the missiles anyway! Look!" Ped pointed at the holographic display, showing that only 34 minutes and 10 seconds were left before the launch. "We've got less than thirty-five minutes until those missiles launch, but Dr. Asara should be ready to unleash Kor-Zor's dark energy in less than fifteen!"

"This calls for a celebration, people!" jeered Tesla. "We're about to welcome about five and a half billion people into our little family! The Day of Reckoning is finally here, and there isn't a bloody thing you can do to stop it!"

xxxxxx

What can I say? I get a sick rush out of leaving you poor souls hanging.

So long,  
Grey-X


	42. The Battle To Conquer Yourself

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning  
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover  
Chapter 42: The Battle to Conquer Yourself  
4-29-2010  
by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

Ron stared across the metal bridge, mouth agape and mind blank. All that registered were Tesla and Ped's glib, triumphant faces, and sparks flying from where the command terminal once was. With that torn out, Adam had no way to plant that wormy thing of his to stop the missile launch. Ron glanced to his left, seeing the huge countdown timer in bold, red letters. Only thirty-four minutes until they launched, and twenty minutes before that, Kor-Zor's power would be cut loose. And still no word whether Samus got to Gryffindor's piece. Ron looked down at his suit, riddled with scorch marks from curses and bullet impacts, things he was still smarting from. They fought their absolute hardest to push through the Inferno army...and still they were too late.

Ron was no stranger to fear. He had faced it down plenty of times before. But this went beyond an aversion to spiders, or dueling a bunch of Death Eaters at once. Being forced to watch the countdown to their utter failure, despite all the hell they'd fought through, filled Ron with a crushing terror he'd never known before.

"I don't believe it. I always knew there was something dodgy about you two, but I just can't believe you two were psychotic enough to go through with Asara's insanity!" cried Hermione. Then she glared at Draco. "And I can't believe how you, of all people, just helped them do it!"

"And I can't believe how you and Weasley, of all people, are trying to stop it!" Draco shot back. "Always whining about how my parents and I looked down upon and abused Muggles, but in the end, who just helped make sure they'll be just like us?" Draco turned his anxious gaze to Voldemort. "And it's not like you should be complaining, either. By this time tomorrow, Mugglekind as we know it will be extinct. Everybody wins."

"Except for the millions that Valkyrie's virus is incompatible with. A pity the sounds of them dying in agony as their bodies self-destruct will never reach your ears. Alas, I must settle for tearing your death scream from your lungs, traitor!" roared Voldemort. He waved his wand, ready to strike, but Hermione held him back.

"Don't try to kill them, you bloody idiot!" she snapped. "You say you're the best Legilimens...then you better dig into their heads and find some way to...."

Hermione's voice was drowned out by Adam's computerized voice suddenly buzzing in Ron's ear. Judging by how Hermione suddenly relaxed her hold on Voldemort, he was also speaking to her. "No, do not bother gambling with any telepathy. The three of you must attack now, as viciously as you can, make it look like you've abandoned all rational thought."

"What in the...Adam, how'll that help?" Ron whispered in a demanding tone. "What's the point of beating each other's heads in while that clock's ticking down?"

"I foresaw this possibility, Ron Weasley, and formed a backup plan. For it to work, the Reformers must be distracted as long as possible," explained Adam. "For now, you must trust me. Hurry and take them head-on!"

Ron stood rooted to the spot, having no clue was Adam's scheme could possibly be. In stark contrast, Hermione looked ready to go along with it, charging a shot and arming her missiles. This did not go unnoticed. "Ooooh, why the sudden change of heart?" jeered Hermione.

"I intend to find out later. In the meantime, prepare yourselves. We took you and the toad apart before. We can do it again," hissed Voldemort.

"Ahh, but the last time your merry band had a go at either of us, my nephew was with you. Now, Harry's not here to bail your sorry arses out," retorted Ped. Those words hit home for Ron. Whenever they were faced with impossible odds, Harry always seemed to pull some last-minute miracle and save the day. Now, they were stuck up on this overgrown, orbital coffee pot without him, and the countdown toward Ragnarok was still ticking....

"We don't need the boy now that we know both your weaknesses!" cried Voldemort. With that, Voldemort conjured a thick plume of poisonous-looking, smoky wind that rushed toward the trio of Reformers. Draco was the first to react, conjuring a wind barrier that funneled the offending mist away from them. Hermione fired missiles through Voldemort's winds, but Draco's winds batted them away.

As Ron watched, terror gnawing at his brain and making him hesitate, he saw Tesla rise over the two wizards' magical winds, her entire body crackling with power. "You'll have to do better than that, Tommy! Tunes, you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this!" replied Ped. Ron saw Harry's aunt jump straight up, and Tesla caught her in her arms. Tesla held Ped in front of her just as she lashed out with her tongue. With one last push, Draco dispelled Voldemort's toxic winds, and suddenly the pair of Reformers spun down toward the bridge. Tesla's electricity flowed into Ped, and into her tongue. They spun all along the bridge like a deadly top, Ped's tongue now an electrified, razor-sharp whip.

Knowing it was useless to use magic directly, Voldemort conjured a silver shield as the pair span toward them. Ped's tongue couldn't slice through it, but the impact was enough to send Voldemort sailing off the bridge. He rose a second later, after Hermione and Ron desperately dove underneath the spinning tongue, but Draco was already heading for him, his spear having become a broom. He tried to impale Voldemort with its spear-end, but he deftly flew aside, casting Avada Kedavra after Draco rushed by. The curse struck Draco in the back, eliciting a howl of pain, but Draco effortlessly made an 180 degree turn and retaliated with missiles and plasma beam shots.

"No fair, letting Tommy hog all the fun!" came Tesla's maniacal voice. How the ghost-girl wasn't dizzy after all that spinning was beyond Ron. Suddenly, Tesla tilted her body at an angle, so that Ped's tongue sliced into the bridge, cutting it apart as they span across it. Ron could feel jolts of electricity nip at his armored legs, and then the whole bridge began to shake.

"Oh crap...move it, Ron!" cried Hermione. She grabbed Ron's arm and dashed toward the mangled command terminal. But the bridge crumbled beneath their feet, and the two found themselves in freefall. Terror once again threatened to take hold of Ron's mind, but one glimmer of hope shone through as he realized something.

"What're _we_ so worried about? We can fly too!" exclaimed Ron, willing his body to go into a spin. He bounded up a few times, but got a glimpse of Tesla, now by herself, zooming right for him, an instant before a bolt of lightning slammed him into the chamber's central pillar. "OwWwWwWwWw...oh, could've planned that better," muttered Ron dejectedly as he slid down the pillar, falling dozens of feet before colliding painfully with the floor below.

"Hurry, Ron! Back on your feet! Hermione and Voldemort are buying you the time you will need!" shrilled Adam's voice in Ron's ears.

Ron was amazed at how Adam, despite being nothing but a man's mind preserved in a computer, could exude such force of will, instantly getting him back on his feet. Craning his neck up, he saw that Hermione had tackled Tesla in midair, braving the suit-draining electricity that engulfed both of them. She punched and pummeled Tesla, and a split-second before they would've collided with the ground, Tesla kicked Hermione off of her. She slammed into the pillar next to Ron, steam rising from her sizzling suit as she glared back at Tesla. Ron readied himself to charge and give Hermione some breathing room, but she held him back.

"No, Ron! I want her for myself!" barked Hermione. The last time Ron heard that much venom in Hermione's voice, she was plotting what to do with Rita Skeeter. Hermione jumped at Tesla, avoiding another bolt of electricity, nearly connecting with a flying right cross.

At that moment, Ron saw Draco swooping down on his broom, and Hermione had yet to see him. Acting on instinct, Ron lobbed missile after missile at Draco. Draco took several in the chest, finally knocking him out of the air. Voldemort was diving in after him, but was blindsided by Ped. With a furious shriek, she came at Voldemort, rebounding off the wall like a rocket. Voldemort swerved in midair just in time to see Ped's huge feet smash into his torso. "Trick or treat, smell my feet!" she jeered as she slammed Voldemort into the floor. Voldemort's body skidded a good distance, upturning wires and metal plating.

Hermione was still getting up close and personal with Tesla, and Draco was only just starting to get up. For a moment, Ron's resentment overpowered his terror. Here was a perfect chance to rearrange Draco's face. But suddenly, Adam's voice rang in his ears again.

"No, Ron. Voldemort can handle both Draco Malfoy and Petunia Dursley, and that will provide enough distraction for you to slip away." Sensing Ron's confusion, Adam went on as an image of the platform's insides sprang up on his visor. "It is fortunate that Hermione took the time to download more data as we made our way here. We must now fall back on her earlier suggestion: set the platform to self-destruct." A particular chamber on his visor's map lit up, and from the looks of it, a tunnel from this command chamber was part of a path leading to it. "If you can slip away and reached this part of the platform's power core, I believe I can walk you through the steps necessary to start a chain reaction that will destroy the platform before its missiles launch. Hermione and Voldemort will cover you as long as they can."

By then, Draco was back on his feet. Beams of superheated plasma lanced out at Ron, who barely dodged in time. He charged the wave beam by itself and used Ferrusuelo, causing part of the floor's plating to burst apart and fly at Draco. As Draco ducked around and deflected bits of jagged steel, Ron switched to the spazer to keep up the pressure, sending out a triple blast of poison water. As he kept Draco at bay, Ron whispered back to Adam, "Adam, why me? Wouldn't Hermione be better for this job? She knows way more about this Muggle stuff, and...."

"Precisely. The Reformers would expect this sort of calculated approach from Hermione. That is why I instructed her to look like she's given in to her emotions. This will keep them guessing for the time being," explained Adam. "Worry not, Ron. Again, I can walk you through everything and plot an escape route."

At that moment, Hermione moved in and finally got a good, clean punch in on Tesla. In a flash, Hermione grabbed the staggered Reformer by the arm. "Hate to say it, but sometimes brute strength wins out over training and skill," she shouted, right as she hurled Tesla at Draco as he flew. Electricity arced over both of them as they floated clumsily to the ground. Meanwhile, Ped was swiftly running across the walls, avoiding all the curses Voldemort flung at her while flying, and retaliating with plenty of her own. On top of that, she was commanding laser turrets to pop out from the walls, all targeting Voldemort. Somehow, Voldemort somehow avoided getting pinned in the crossfire and wrested control of one turret away from Ped, turning it on her. The part of the wall her feet were planted on was blown clean off, and Ped tumbled to the ground.

"Ron, this your chance, while all three of them are distracted!" Adam ordered. The portion of the map depicting their chamber enlarged, and showed the position of a tunnel hatch in relation to where he was. Ron hesitated a moment before dashing toward the hatch. With all his strength, he pulled the hatch open and quickly shut it behind him. He felt like such a coward, abandoning Hermione like that, but again, Adam seemed to sense Ron's tumultuous thoughts. "Hermione has her role to play, Ron, as do you. Follow the route I've outlined for you. You should reach the power core in about three minutes, giving you about nine minutes to start a chain reaction before Kor-Zor's dark energy is deployed."

His mind still a mess of confused, terrorized thoughts, Ron simply obeyed, running down the tunnel until he reached a ladder going down. Finally finding the nerve to vent as he climbed down it, Ron said, "Damnit Adam, I was serious about Hermione being a better pick for this! These last few weeks, my head's been spinning while you and Samus and J.B. talked about these viruses and spaceships and whatever! I can barely use this effing suit right half the time! I haven't got a clue what I'm doing here! Even Voldemort's got a better idea of what to expect!"

It wasn't Adam's voice that came through his earpiece, but George's. "Relax, little brother. Adam helped Samus set that big station in the future to blow, then made sure she got out. He'll walk you through everything, so there's no need to be scared...."

"Easy for you to say!" Ron snapped back. "I've got plenty of reason to be scared. You're right, this is Samus's sort of job, and now, Harry's too. But they're not here, and I just know I'll screw it up. I'm scared that after everything we've been through, it'll all be for nothing!"

For a moment, Ron made his way through the tunnels leading to the power core in silence. When he was contacted again, it wasn't by Adam or George, but J.B.. "Hey Ron, dunno if this'll help but...remember that training Hermione joked about before you three took off?"

"Err, yeah. Figured it was some Muggle in-joke," said Ron.

"You could say that," said J.B.. "But there's a Bene Gesserit axiom that you should know about: fear is the mind-killer."

"Fear is the mind-killer?" repeated Ron.

"It's something I told Hermione when she was around eight, when she was ready to pilot my planes. Y'see, even back then flying scared her, so I made her train with me to get over her fear. I made her repeat the Bene Gesserit saying as she flew. And now, I want you to keep repeating it," said J.B., right before he took a deep breath and told it to Ron.

As he kept running, knocking a couple of engineers unconscious as he rushed past, Ron began to recite it back. ""I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer."

"Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration," J.B. chimed in.

"I must face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me," Ron went on.

"And when it has gone past you will turn to the Inner Eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing," said J.B., firmly but gently.

Ron didn't need any reminding about Divination, but he sternly repeated the last line. "And only I will remain."

xxxxxx

The HP-X sprang off the lion statue to pounce on Harry, talons outstretched, but Harry was ready. He grabbed his doppleganger's wrists as he closed in as he purposely fell onto his back, then shoved the HP-X over and behind them with a forceful kick. Harry got right back up, in time to see the HP-X's backside get slammed against a glass pillar. He cut loose with missiles and curses, but the HP-X flitted away, and Harry only succeeded in shattering the pillar. The HP-X began to circle the sunken pagoda. Harry aimed up at him but held back, warily watching for his next move.

As he watched, Harry saw the SA-X fire out the corner of his eye. It sounded like Samus jumped onto another pillar and return fire. Then the SA-X jumped out of view, and Harry heard them collide with each other with their screw attacks. This distracted him just long enough for the HP-X to send out a stream of Avada Kedavra curses down at him. Harry ran around the pagoda's roof to avoid them, finally firing back. A few charged plasma shots ripped through the HP-X, but he didn't lose any speed.

_Just wonderful, he's just a big a wanker as before,_ Harry thought angrily as he kept shooting. _And I don't think I can turn the environment to my advantage this time. I mean...we're surrounded by...._ Harry's eyes widened as he looked at the magma threatening to wash over the roof. _What am I saying!? Magma can't hurt me anymore, but it might do a number on him!_

Harry fiddled with his gauntlet, switching to his spazer. Charging his shot after dodging a rain of Killing Curses, Harry aimed at the magma. Concentrating hard, he shouted, "_Depulso!_" Three separate blobs of magma, each the size of a economy-sized cauldron, shot up at his double. Two of them were frozen instantly with Glacius, but the last one got through, nearly knocking the HP-X out of the air and covering him with molten rock. Harry didn't let up, switching his other beams back on, then firing one charged shot after another. Plenty got through before the HP-X regathered his wits, willing the magma covering him to freeze and crack off.

Gritting his teeth, the HP-X slashed his arms upward, and a wave of magma rose, heading right for the pagoda roof. The magma couldn't harm him, but Harry knew the sheer force of the wave would. He jumped over it just in time, not letting up his barrage for a second. But just as Harry cleared the wave, a missile clipped his leg in midair.

Screaming, Harry fell back down to the pagoda, hitting the roof hard. He heard Samus jump over him, screaming bloody murder at her doppleganger. Harry didn't even get a chance to catch his breath before the HP-X was upon him, planting a kick in his gut to turn him over. Before he knew it, talons were raking across his chest plate and visor, and life-stealing cold washed over his armor. One energy tank after another was being draining at lightning speed. Panicking, Harry lashed out with a fist, but the HP-X caught his wrist while clamping his other hand around his suit's plastic-like garrote. Harry grabbed that hand, trying to pry it off, but the HP-X's strength seemed to increase to match his own.

As the two of them struggled, Harry saw his double's yellow-green eyes pierce through the icy haze. They seemed to bore right into his skull, the way Snape's did in Occlumency lessons. How could that be, when his suit was supposed to shield his mind!? Still, a pulsating, throbbing pain in his head picked up in intensity, and on top of that, Harry began to hear whispers, both in his ears and in his head. It was indistinct at first, but soon he could make it out.

_Vengeance can be yours. You have the power and the smarts now. Everyone who ever wronged you can be made to pay._

Harry struggled harder and harder to free himself. But with the HP-X clamping down on his right wrist, he couldn't pop his wand back out. And those whispers, soft and seductive...Harry could feel his will ebbing....

_Why would you have ultimately stopped with just Voldemort? And right now, why fight to protect both him and the government that's always backstabbed you once you've served your purpose?_

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Harry demanded vehemently. Whatever this voice was, he could feel it affecting his emotions. The torture at Umbridge's hands. Paranoid stares from people thinking he was the Heir of Slytherin. Aunt Marge disparaging his father. Scrimgeour trying to browbeat him into being a figurehead. Bellatrix Lestrange casting the spell that made Sirius fall back into the veil. Everything in his life that ever filled him with a terrible rage...he seemed to relive them all in the blink of an eye, over and over again....

_After you crush Valkyrie, you'll still have this suit, and part of the Founders' ultimate weapon!_ _Like it or not, Voldemort was right about one thing: there's no good and evil, only power and those too weak to seek it. You've had unimaginable power handed to you! Use it to do what you know you want to, what you know is right._

Harry felt his strength ebb along with his will. The rage filling him, the seductive voice filling his ears, tempting him with all his deepest, darkest desires....

But the mention of Valkyrie eventually sparked something in his brain. And then, he recalled what Adam Malkovich said, what made him stand out in stark contrast from Valkyrie. _Never in your life have you sought to use your power to impose your will on others, nor have you ever used your hardships and suffering as excuses to lash out and harm innocents, the way Valkyrie does._

That sentence in Adam's synthesized voice seemed to drown out the plangent, seductive whispers, and Harry felt his strength return. He finally pried the HP-X's hand off his throat, then slammed his helmet into his face. That finally got his doppleganger off him, and while he was dazed, Harry planted a punch in his face, as hard as he could. The HP-X staggered backward, near the roof's edge. A sudden idea came to Harry. He kept the HP-X dazed and on the ground with a couple charged blasts, then tackled him hard, sending them both off of the pagoda and into the magma.

The pair slowly sank into the molten rock, struggling with each other. Harry quickly switched to his x-ray visor. He clearly saw his double's skull twist and jerk, teeth gritted. But the HP-X was still struggling; evidently, the magma wasn't doing as much damage as Harry hoped. The HP-X got an arm free and slashed at Harry's visor. Yelping, Harry relinquished his hold just as both their feet touched the bottom. Harry unleashed of volley of missiles and curses; some got through, but the HP-X swiftly struck back with a Killing Curse that hit dead-center, overwhelming his suit's systems for a moment.

Harry glanced at his HUD. Only four full tanks were left. As he took this in, he felt the magma around him swirl. Harry caught a glimpse of the outline of HP-X's skeleton swishing his hands around, just as a vortex of whirling magma swept him off his feet. _So much for having the advantage down here,_ Harry thought dejectedly as the vortex's speed picked up, threatening to tear him apart. Chunks of hardened magma and glass bubbles beat him mercilessly. Most of his remaining energy was already gone....

It felt like he would black out any second. With all his remaining strength, he moved his hand over to his gauntlet, switching back to the spazer only. With one last effort, Harry charged a shot. When he passed in front of the HP-X again, he aimed and shouted, "_Bombarda Maxima!_" The HP-X's stance told Harry he was ready, and his double effortlessly batted away the first of the three curses. However, Harry smiled when the HP-X's body language betrayed confusion; the other two curses sailed over him. They smacked into a thin, glassy pillar a few feet behind the HP-X, but the magma muffled the explosive noise made when it shattered and fell over. Only at the last possible second did the HP-X look up, seeing the pillar fall into the magma to crush him.

The HP-X slashed his talons, and all the glass bubbles shattered before the pillar could pin him. But with his concentration broken, the vortex vanished in an instant. Free to act, Harry switched the other beams back on and fired on the HP-X nonstop. When Harry touched back down, he punched and pummeled his dazed clone, and with one furious uppercut, it looked and felt like he snapped the HP-X's neck. Not wanting to give him a chance to heal, Harry charged one last shot and pointed it at the HP-X's chest. His head bobbed up in the magma one last time before Harry fired at point-blank range.

At once, the HP-X's skeleton seemed to degenerate into some amorphous blob. Harry realized he was reverting to an X-Core. He hesitated for a moment, recalling his revulsion at the thought of absorbing this sick, twisted version of himself, which made the X even more intelligent and focused. He had to remind himself that this wasn't the real thing, only a boggart copying the HP-X. _A twisted copy of a twisted copy,_ Harry thought dully as his hand reached through the magma to touch it before an X-Core's shell could form. A cool rush seemed to flow over him, and Harry watched his energy and ammo stock shoot back up to full capacity.

Harry stood in the magma a moment longer to catch his breath, the dreadful feelings of rage that the HP-X stirred up still fresh in his mind. At length, he used the space jump to bound out of the magma and back over the pagoda's roof. There, Harry caught a glimpse of Samus grabbing the SA-X by the front of her helmet, then slamming her onto the roof so hard the metal buckled. "Shut your face! I'm NOTHING like you! I don't want ANYTHING you've got to offer!" she shrieked hysterically.

Harry shuddered as he landed on the roof's edge. Had this SA-X put Samus through the same kind of psychological torture? Both of them had blast marks and gouges covering their armor, but Samus betrayed no sign of fatigue or weakness, only a seething, indignant rage. He was about to step in and help, but Samus then finished off her double in the same way he had, firing a charged shot at point-blank range while she was down. She absorbed her X form before it could form a shell as well. Now victorious, Samus slumped to her knees, using her extended fins to dig into the roof in frustration.

Now convinced Samus needed help, Harry rushed to her side. "Samus, w-what did it do? D-Did it, try stirring up anger? That's what the HP-X tried with me...."

Now that she knew Harry was there, Samus fought to regain her composure. "What's that? Oh no, t-t-this thing tried something different. Tried tempting me with promises of a peaceful life with you, in this time. Took everything I had to remind myself the Chozo raised me better than that," she replied breathlessly. "Damn you, Gryffindor, had enough of the SA-X doing that ever since coming back...."

"Hold it, you mean...to get the location of this place...THAT'S what the relic made you do. This is the second time Gryffindor forced you to face the SA-X!?" Harry cried in disbelief. Samus nodded dully, but something told Harry that Samus was keeping something from him. The way Samus was reacting to another faceoff with her twin...why would it unhinge her like this? He considered her earlier words, and suddenly everything clicked. "Wait a minute, somehow, mind games've been played on you by the _REAL_ SA-X!? She's somehow survived inside you!?"

Samus's head jerked up, her eyes wide behind her visor, no doubt cursing herself for letting that slip. Harry's expression soured, suddenly frustrated with Samus. He knew Samus was an intensely private person, but how could she keep something like that to herself!?

A loud squawk from above made both of them look up, and Harry realized this argument would have to wait. That huge griffin made of magma had just flown back out from the glassy, magma-spewing lion head, and Gryffindor was riding on its back, both katanas drawn.

xxxxxx

Breathing heavily and fast, his pulse pounding in his ears, Ron made his way across the power core's second level. Occasionally having to step over unconscious bodies, Ron pulled down a steel lever, feeling something click and hearing some gurgling liquid back up. There was a whole row of these levers on this walkway, and Ron was only halfway done. A couple of minutes had passed since barging into the core chamber, swiftly taking out whatever engineers were on duty. Ron anxiously glared down at the counter Adam put up on his visor. Less than seven minutes left before the dark energy was let loose....

At last, Ron pulled the last lever all the way down. Taking only a second to catch his breath, Ron then hopped over the railing and down to the base level. _By now, they must know what I'm doing. Better hurry,_ he thought anxiously as he ran for the nearest computer screen. Looking down, he saw a keyboard sticking out. He'd seen plenty of these things in his father's collection of Muggle junk, but had no clue how to use it. _I'll slow this up, Adam should've picked Hermione,_ Ron reaffirmed just as Adam's voice came through his earpiece.

"Most of the preliminary work is now done, and the modified worm cluster you uploaded upon arriving should make the platform's network vulnerable by now. Now manually enter the following commands," Adam ordered. He slowly rattled off what Ron had to punch into the keyboard, and the exact commands also streaked across his visor. Ron gulped as he stared at the keyboard, perplexed by the arrangement of letters and numbers. With trembling fingers, he timidly tapped the first few letters of the command. All the while, the red glare permeating the power core, alerting everyone of the launch, bored into his eyes. That, along with the timer of his visor constantly ticking down, spurred Ron into typing faster.

After what seemed like eons, Ron finally punched in the last line of commands. A dull orange glow now flooded the core along with the previous red. A second type of buzzing klaxon also went off, and Ron heard something hiss and slide open somewhere off to his left. "Well done, Ron. Now we're ready to make the power generators overload. To do that, you'll have to destroy...."

Adam's voice was drowned out by the sound of bullets ricocheting off his armor. Screaming as he felt the impacts through his suit and shielding, Ron turned to fire some spazer shots. The three engineers who grabbed machine guns deftly dodged his fire, and now they were brandishing wands. Giving in to desperate instinct, Ron aimed his wand and shouted an incantation that never passed his lips before. "_Crucio!_"

One of the engineers shrieked and suddenly shot backward as if kicked by a giant, slamming into another engineer. The impact knocked both out cold. A perfectly timed Disarming Charm knocked away the third engineer's gun and wand, and a quick boot to the face took her out of equation entirely.

"Excellent work, Ron. Now, as I was saying, off in the adjacent chamber is one of the power generators," said Adam. "If you can destroy all four of the surrounding stabilizer units...with everything else you've done, that should start a chain reaction that will cause the entire platform to self-destruct. If you move fast enough, perhaps you can do it before Valkyrie is ready to deploy the dark energy, and will refrain from doing so."

Ron just stared at the downed engineers for a moment. He had never used an Unforgivable Curse before, and felt fortunate that he didn't even do it right. What was it Harry said that Lestrange told him, about having to mean them? Shaking his head, Ron headed to where he heard something hiss open. It was a circular chamber, with a ring of grated walkways encircling a huge, tall blue cylinder capped with some orange, cone-like device. Ron could hear a steady hum, and felt something pulsate through the floorboards.

It looked like four metal arches branched out from what Ron assumed was the generator he had to set to blow. They were attached to long, fat, segmented poles. Ron could see pulsating wire arrays in between those segments. _So that's what I've got to bust up,_ Ron thought. It all sounded too simple, too easy. And right on cue, Ron heard more engineers and soldiers storm in from the opposite side, making their way around the generator.

_They know what I'm trying to do,_ Ron realized as the first bunch of troops ran out and opened fire, taking care not to hit the stabilizer in between them and Ron. Ron deflected their spells easily, but heard ringing floorboards from the other side. An idea came to him suddenly. He fiddled with his gauntlet as he jumped straight up. Charging a wave shot and aiming down, Ron shouted, "_Fulguritum Militus!_" Just as he'd hoped, a wave of paralyzing electricity swept across the circular walkway, instantly knocking his assailants out cold.

Sighing with relief, Ron looked to the nearest stabilizer pole, hoping the rush of electricity took care of those as well. Unfortunately, it still looked pristine and unblemished. "Of course not," Ron thought aloud as he armed his missiles. He fired one missile after another, some at the arch, some in between the pole's segments, not quite sure where to hit. _Come on, come on!_ thought Ron, on the the verge of panic. Finally, the entire pole began to spark, and it broke apart in the center.

"OK OK, we're on track," Ron though aloud as he glanced at his visor's data. Half of his missiles were gone, along with more than half of his energy. Ron hoped he had enough left to blow the other three, since he figured those stabilizers were probably curse-proof. He ran to his right, around the ring, until he came across a second stabilizer. After rearming his missiles, Ron raised his left arm to fire. But a split-second before he could, something blindsided him from behind, driving him facefirst into the walkway so hard, it felt like his visor almost shattered. As he tried to get back up, a bright flash and shocking sensation made him clamber back down.

"Thanks for the extra batch of goodies, Weasley." Draco's voice drawled in Ron's ears as he felt his armored form hold down his own. His ire aroused, his determination renewed, Ron pushed himself up, then swerved around to swing at Draco. But Draco jumped back, then flew over Ron. Hovering over the walkway ring, Draco said, "Slick moves they pulled back there, Weasley. The Dark Lord was able to project this illusory version of you that fooled us for a while...until Dursley realized she was only smelling one loser in an imitation Chozo suit."

Seeing the timer come close to five minutes, Ron didn't bother wasting his breath. Knowing he had to conserve missiles, Ron ran at Draco and fired some curses up at Draco. He effortlessly batted them aside, just as Ron expected, but Ron saw an opening and space jumped up to his broom. One body punch and a charged shot at his torso caused Draco's broom to swerve around out of control. After delivering a satisfying uppercut to Draco's helmet, Ron jumped off and let him spin out of control, firing missiles at the nearest stabilizer as he fell. He knew he couldn't wait until touching down, there was no time to waste....

It didn't take Draco long to recover, flying past to clothesline Ron just as the second stabilizer broke apart. "Nice going, Weasley, you're halfway there!" jeered Draco. "Too bad I can't let you go any further than that!" Ron charged a shot as he got back up, trying to figure Draco's trajectory and distance from his drawling voice. He fired blind, but Ron knew his gamble paid off when he heard Draco grunt and his broom veer off.

Back on his feet, Ron made a run for it. It wasn't long before the third stabilizer came into view. But just as he armed his missile launcher again, he heard the same sound right above him a second later. Ron glanced over his shoulder to see Draco firing missiles as he flew after him. Thankfully, his speed booster started to kick in, and he picked up enough momentum to avoid the missiles as they smashed into the walkway. Still, Ron could feel their force and heat on his back. He fired a few missiles off at the stabilizer, but then Draco fired a missile so that it detonated right in front of him. Ron broke out of his boosted run as he tumbled over and over, eventually colliding with the security railing.

As Ron tried to get back up, scorching heat engulfed him. He knew Draco landed a direct hit with the plasma beam, a weapon he still didn't have. Unwilling to give in, Ron grabbed the railing to pull himself up and charged a shot. He turned around and raised his wand, but Draco was already on top of him, smashing his helmet with the end of his spear so hard, Ron went sailing upwards a few feet.

By some miracle, Ron willed himself to land on his feet, releasing that charged shot as he shouted, "_Bombarda Maxima!_" Draco ducked aside just as an icy burst engulfed the third stabilizer; he avoided the worst of the blast, but it still sent him careening back. As for the stabilizer, it was still in one piece. Ron raised his left arm, ready to finish the job, but Draco dashed in front of it and cast a Killing Curse, which Ron barely ducked in time to avoid.

"Come on, Weasley! Don't make me try that again! GIVE IT UP!!" pleaded Draco, not moving away from the stabilizer.

"Oh please, Malfoy. We both know you've got orders to pry off my suit and Hermione's! And don't pretend you won't enjoy it!" Ron spat back as the two wizards stared each other down. Ron kept taunting Draco as he watched and waited for an opening. "Wanna know something funny, Malfoy? All last year, I balked whenever Harry said Voldemort let you become a Death Eater. But now, I dunno why, it's just no surprise you jumped ship and joined Valkyrie, Muggle-born or not."

"Thank your favorite Mudblood for that," sneered Draco. "Let's face facts, Weasley...she showed up BOTH of us for six years. At that point, it wasn't hard for me to accept there'd be one even brainier and more brazen than her. One that could deliver on everything Dumbledore was offering. Which, believe it or not, I was a hair away from accepting!"

"Actually, I believe it. You've proven you never really gave a damn about blood purity, not if you actually want this virus to get out," said Ron. "You're just like any other scheming bootlicker...."

"If that's what I'm dubbed as for keeping my family safe, fine!" shouted Draco. "It's sad though. Had the crooked-nose git lived, we might've been working together right now. Funny how things turned out instead. You wind up working with the Dark Lord, while I'm an enforcer for someone who's out to stamp out everything he stood for."

Ron tried to slowly maneuver to the side, get a clean shot. But Draco caught this and kept himself in between Ron and the stabilizer. "I'll flat out admit it, Weasley. You were right. You and your whole stinking, wretched family were right all along. All these years, you and the Mudblood supercomputer and the scarhead had it right all along. That's why I've got no problem with what Dr. Asara's trying to do. What I can't figure out is why you lot do!"

Ron glanced down at the timer again. Only about three minutes remained. "I think you _do_ know, Malfoy, if you've been following Valkyrie around this long, sniffing her arse. Sinking that sub, trashing those religious buildings. If I were Dumbledore, I'd probably make the time to spell it out completely and get it through your thick head, Malfoy," said Ron. "But obviously, I'm not Dumbledore. _Glacius!_"

The frigid mist shot out at Draco, but Ron had never mastered the spell like Hermione had. It only stunned Draco for a moment, but it lingered long enough to blind him. However, Ron heard him erect a Shield Charm, no doubt over the stabilizer. _Let's hope he hasn't figured out how to use the x-ray visor,_ Ron thought as he vaulted over the railing. He hung underneath it for a moment, trying to figure out his next move.

Ron looked to the stabilizer and, as he expected, a shimmering, crimson barrier covered it. He couldn't afford to waste any missiles to punch through it, and using spells and beams to bring it down would give him away. "Show yourself, Weasley!" Draco demanded hotly. "I wasn't really looking forward to this, but I know you were! We'll never see eye-to-eye on anything, so we might as well settle this! Get back here and face me like a man!"

Ron refused to rise to the bait. As much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't risk slugging it out with Draco. _Bloody git's got more suit energy, more ammo...and now picked up the rest of my gear. As if he'll get any mileage out of stuff like the speed booster or the x-ray visor or...._

His eyes widened as a wild possibility came to him. Taking a deep breath, he swung his body up and willed his body to go into morph ball mode. As soon as the transformation was done, Ron activated the spider ball. As he had hoped, his spherical from clung to the ring walkway's underside. Draco obviously heard the humming; Ron sensed and felt Draco shifting about, anxiously looking for him. _Burn in hell, Malfoy,_ Ron thought as he deployed a power bomb.

Ron heard Draco scream as the thermonuclear wave spread out. Ron stuck around long enough to find out if the power bomb broke through Draco's charm. Sure enough, he sensed it crumble apart beside him. Hope swelling within him, Ron began rolling under the walkway ring to the last stabilizer. He knew he had about two minutes left, more than enough time to blow the last one, provided he could keep outwitting Draco.

Since he couldn't see while a ball, Ron had no idea how close he was to the last stabilizer. He hope to soon sense it through that weird sonar. However, what he sensed coming up next definitely wasn't the stabilizer. "Nice try, Weasley!" came Draco's snapping voice. Ron could sense him flying under the ring, coming right for him.

In desperation, Ron dropped one of his last few power bombs, hoping it would drive Draco off. It worked, and Ron quickly rolled back onto the walkway and reverted to normal, just in time to see Draco rise back above it, his armor steaming and sparking from all the thermonuclear energy. He caught the gritted teeth and pained look in Draco's eyes right before a volley of missiles rained down. Ron tried using Banishing Charms to fling the missiles back at Draco, but his efforts were unfocused; he was too busy concentrating on running for that last stabilizer. However, one Banished missile did eventually hit Draco in the chest, sending him clattering down onto the ring.

Ron finally got to the last stabilizer, but Draco was hot on his heels. While firing missiles at the stabilizer to his right, Ron stuck his wand under his left arm, slinging curses at Draco to keep him back. Desperation was plainly obvious in his face, and now Draco was hurriedly trying to set up another charm around the last stabilizer, but Ron flicked aside all his spells and kept up the barrage.

Mikssiles kept smacking into the stabilizer as Ron flung a Blasting Curse that clipped Draco in his shoulder. More sparks flew from his suit, and now smoke rose from his shoulder. Draco clutched his shoulder, finally backing off. _This is it! Just a few more missiles, and.... _But Ron's thoughts were interrupted as he felt something snake around his suit and press on it, pinning his arms to his sides. _Oh no...OH NO!_ He looked down to see Ped's disgusting frog tongue had ensnared him. He caught Ped in his peripheral vision, perched on the stabilizer he failed to destroy in time.

"Your favorite jerkoff fantasy and your new pet snake-man...they were good, Ron. Just not good enough!" came Tesla's jeering voice from behind him, right before electricity flooded his suit. Ron screamed, seeing both the timer go under a minute and the rest of his energy tick away. He couldn't believe how, at the last minute, he had screwed everything up. It really was all for nothing.

Ron struggled to free himself from Ped's tongue, desperately fighting to stay conscious. Struggling to keep his eyes open, Ron looked ahead. Draco was still standing there, but something was wrong. He was shuddering violently, not paying attention to Ron or the Reformers or anything. Then, Ron noticed something else that was peculiar. Misty, opaque, white energy, which sort of resembled a Patronus's early stage, began to swirl around Draco, as if to form a sphere.

_What the...is that Wildflower!?_ Ron thought as he kept struggling. But what happened next DEFINITELY wasn't the work of any vampire. Draco arched backward and shrieked, and a glassy sphere formed all around him. An instant later, something budded from the sphere like malignant growths. They quickly took the shape of snakes, wildly whipping about all over the place, snapping at everything with their fangs.

Suddenly, Ped retracted her tongue, and Tesla let up on her electric barrage. "Malfoy, the bloody hell is wrong with you!?" Ped demanded. Whatever was going on, it was as big a mystery to Draco's fellow Reformers as it was to Ron. "What are you doing!? One of those things could...." Ped was cut off as a snake head lashed out and clamped down onto the last stabilizer, wrenching it clean off. She jumped down to the ring's railing, a look of stupefied horror etched on her froglike face.

"NO!! WHAT'S GOING ON!? WHAT DID I JUST DO!?" screamed Draco from within the sphere. He obviously had no idea what was happening either. He kept on spluttering incoherently, but his shrill voice was soon drowned out by an ominous crackling coming from the generator, then the whole chamber began to shake.

"Whatever's going on with Draco, with that last stabilizer out, there's gonna be an overload on our hands, thanks to everything else ginger down there's done," spat Tesla, hovering above the ring walkway. "That is, if I don't put a stop to it. Maybe I can use my magnetic powers to...."

From out of nowhere, some sort of fiery snake lashed out from around the generator, slamming Tesla in the back. She shrieked as the strange flames burned into the cooling system, practically melting clean through it. As Tesla fell, missing the ring walkway, Ped called out to her, sounding dumbfounded. Then, a stream of poison water doused Ped. Caught off guard and overwhelmed by the toxic slop, Ped fell backward off the railing, tumbling down after Tesla.

"Fools let their guard down, knowing I would be around the corner any moment," came Voldemort's sneering voice. He glided into view from around the generator a second later. Ron then heard something that sounded like spells rebounding off a Shield Charm. Turning around, Ron saw Hermione dash past the sphere trapping Draco, having to duck and weave around the writhing, glossy snakes.

"Ron, you did it! Adam told me the overload's in progress, and the destruction of the platform is imminent!" cried Hermione. Ron took a moment to let his victory sink in. In the end, he filled Harry's shoes just fine. Having to duck under another snake head, though, snapped him back to the present.

"But what's going on with Malfoy!? Is this some sort of new weapon Asara gave him!?" demanded Voldemort as the chamber began shaking more violently.

"Whatever his suit's doing, it's impossible to punch through that barrier. Believe me, I tried," said Hermione, a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"All I know is that Malfoy's got no control over it," said Ron, looking over to see Draco's terrified face behind the white sphere. "It's what took out the last stabilizer, and he'd been dead set on keeping me from blowing all the stabilizers."

As Ron kept watching Draco and whatever charm his Chozo suit made him cast, the sphere faded as abruptly as it had formed, and the snakes dissolved into nothingness. Draco slumped onto the ring walkway, unconscious, his suit still sparking and covered with scorch marks. Ron stared down at his old Slytherin rival, dumbfounded, but Voldemort moved past him, undaunted. "Is that so, Weasley? In that case, I think I'll have Malfoy explain to me exactly why he went along with this twisted plan to turn Muggles into wizards," he said coldly. "Oh yes, it'll be a long, private chat...."

Ron shuddered as he watched Voldemort levitate the unconscious Reformer in front of him, ready to haul him out. Getting a well-deserved pounding in a man-to-man fight was one thing, but a torturous interrogation at Voldemort's hands was still something Ron wouldn't wish on anyone.

All of a sudden, an even more chilling voice rang out over the platform's intercom. It was none other than Valkyrie herself. "What's going on over there!? Our network of field stabilizers is ready to deploy all across Earth, but I'm reading a massive overload in this generator! And for some reason, it looks like it'll spread and consume the entire platform!"

"Better hang on to Kor-Zor's dark energy a little while longer, doc," sneered Ron triumphantly. "We just bagged your Reformers yet again, and set your little fireworks factory to blow. You waited almost sixteen years for this Day of Reckoning. I'm sure you can wait a little longer."

What followed was a hideous wail of inhuman fury, the likes of which Ron had never heard before. It was even loud enough to drown out the crackling sounds of the overloading generator. Ron then heard Valkyrie force herself to take deep breaths before speaking again. "After all I tried to offer you and Hermione Granger, share Inferno with you, you went ahead and helped Voldemort preserve the status quo!?" she demanded. "So be it, you two have sealed your fate." There was a pause, and when Valkyrie spoke again, it was obviously being broadcasted to everyone else on the platform. "Attention all Inferno personnel, code black, code black! Begin emergency procedures immediately! In addition, seal off the power core! Make sure Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Voldemort DO NOT ESCAPE!"

The generator room gave a violent lurch. Voldemort kept his footing, still keeping his magical hold on Draco, but Ron fell to his knees while Hermione was slammed into the railing. Looking over the railing, she said, "There's no sign of Myrtle and Petunia anywhere down there."

"Then let us assume the filth have already fled, as should we," said Voldemort.

Just then, Adam cut in. "From here, it appears Valkyrie's orders are being taken _very_ seriously. Already, many hatches and corridors in the power core have been sealed off," he informed Ron as a map once again sprang up on his visor. "I am plotting the quickest course, which will have the least amount of barricades and obstacles for Voldemort to punch through."

Ron studied the path Adam laid out for them. "Well, we've done our good deed for the day, screwing up part of Valkyrie's master plan," he said confidently. "All we have to do now is make sure we survive long enough to screw up the rest," he added sourly, noticing the new timer Adam put at the bottom of his visor.

They had exactly seven minutes until the power overload destroyed the orbital platform.

xxxxxx

Really hoped to get the Gryffindor fight done in this chapter too, but I felt some extra attention had to be put on what I hope would be Ron's Crowning Moment of Awesome (in fanfiction, anyway) . The guy just gets no respect, and even in the actual series, he seems to miss out on all sorts of cool shit while Hermione sticks around. Sure, half the time it's because Ron's being a dick and tells Harry to piss off, but still....

So long,  
Grey-X


	43. Loss and Gain

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning  
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover  
Chapter 43: Loss and Gain  
5-10-2010  
by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

The magma-griffin dived right for the sunken pagoda, letting out a hideous, deafening shriek. As it neared Samus and Harry, it spread its wings wider. It flew past, and balls of burning magma rained down onto the roof. The two of them ducked and dodged as best they could, but the magma balls dug deep into the roof, scouring it and sending out rock shards that drove deep into their suits. Samus saw Harry wince behind his faceplate as he dug shards out from his suit. He wasted little time doing that, however. He aimed back up at Gryffindor as his magma-griffin circled the pagoda, sweeping the chamber above them with his 'Glacius Beam'.

Harry clipped its wing, and it shrieked and broke off. However, as it retreated, Gryffindor raised his katanas. They glowed with burning, white-hot intensity. Then they were hurled down at the pagoda, spinning like huge, flaming shuriken. Harry Banished the first one back at Gryffindor, but the second was coming in fast. Samus tried deflecting it with ice beam shots, but it hardly slowed it down. She ducked aside at the last second and it swooped past her, cutting a wide swath in the pagoda roof.

"Oh great, Gryffindor's trying the same stunt Wildflower pulled. Get rid of the biggest area to stand on and force us to jump from pillar to pillar," grumbled Harry. Samus glanced over at the pillars of glass bubbles. They were no problem for her to balance on, but Harry never had intense physical training like hers. If the pagoda was destroyed, he would be easy prey.

The griffin made another pass, sending down more chunks of magma. This time, one struck Samus in the back, pinning her to the roof. Grunting, she shoved it off of her and fired missiles as the griffin veered away. Some found their mark, while others were batted away by gusts from its wings.

Gryffindor tossed his spinning katanas again, which Harry managed to Banish away at the last possible second. They flew back to Gryffindor like boomerangs. As he caught them, he had his griffin swoop down near the magma. It hovered over its incessantly flowing surface, then began to violently beat its wings. At once, a searing gust washed over the pagoda, which Samus could feel even through the varia's protective enhancements. Spurts of magma were being kicked up as well, zooming toward them with deadly speed. As she desperately fought to maintain her footing, Samus extended her wisp whip and popped her fin blades. She effortlessly sliced apart every magma chunk coming for her, while Harry managed to Banish some of them back at the griffin. However, with the way the griffin's head was raised, neither could get a clear shot at Gryffindor himself.

All of a sudden, the griffin's wings stopped flapping. It let out another shriek, then shot straight forward, no doubt hoping to ram them. Harry made a desperate leap to one of the glass pillars. Samus, however, stood her ground, firing wildly. When the magma-griffin didn't even flinch, Samus made a split-second decision. A second before the griffin's beak would have rammed her, Samus charged a shot and jumped straight up. As it sailed under her, Samus aimed down and blasted Gryffindor at point-blank range. Gryffindor let out a grunt, and with his concentration broken, his magma-griffin lost some speed, so when Samus came back down, her feet were planted on its back.

Gryffindor reached behind him to unsheathe his katanas, but Samus was already on top of him. The magma-griffin swerved about erratically, but Samus held on, flinging her wisp whip out again. With her legs around the magma-griffin's neck, she ensnared Gryffindor, then ran his chest through with her extended fins. As the magma-griffin desperately tried to shake Samus off, she held onto Gryffindor, twisting her left forearm so the fins would cut deeper while she bashed his face in with her helmet.

Samus had no idea how long she kept this up. She was so full of frustration with Gryffindor, the way he forced her to confront the SA-X yet again, that the desire to pummel him into submission overrode all else. She was dimly aware, however, of the sounds of ice beam blasts from down below. No doubt Harry was seizing this chance to hopefully freeze the magma-griffin solid.

At last, their combined efforts paid off. Steam was condensing on Samus's visor; no doubt it was from the rapid cooling of the magma. The magma-griffin squawked as it made a sudden dive. Looking down, Samus saw that its brilliant, orange-red glow had changed to a dull, ashen grey-black. Not only that, the griffin was making a headfirst dive for the pagoda.

Reacting with the speed of thought, Samus retracted her fins and whip, then kicked off of the magma-griffin's back. She bounded with the space jump a few times until she glimpsed a nearby glass-bubble pillar. Breaking out of her spin, she dropped down and agilely balanced herself atop it, charging a shot. Her cautious gaze swept the chamber. Nothing remained of the pagoda now but a few twisted, mangled metal beams poking out of the magma, and the griffin was nowhere to be seen. Harry managed to escape the sinking pagoda. He was now standing his ground on a pillar. But it was one with hardly any space to stand on, and Samus could see how hard Harry was struggling to keep his balance. "Where's Gryffindor!?" he asked, desperation in his voice. "There's no way that griffin's putting itself back together, but where'd Gryffindor go!?"

"Not far, Harry Potter," came Gryffindor's echoing voice. A moment later, he jumped out from the magma and perched himself on a pillar, far across from where Samus and Harry were making their stands. Although his robes bore scorchmarks from the wisp whip, he otherwise looked fine. "I commend your boldness and your teamwork. To think my magma-griffin could be taken down so swiftly! But no more illusions and trickery now, no hiding behind enchanted machinations. Now you face Godric Gryffindor for real!"

With that, he drew both katanas again. Samus steadied her arm cannon with her left hand, certain that Gryffindor would lunge at one of them. Instead, Gryffindor simply slashed his katanas in front of him, and the sheer force kicked up a blast of magma that traveled along its flowing surface like a wave. It shot out straight for Harry, forcing him to jump away. Samus fired her charged shot at Gryffindor, but he swatted it away with a katana. She spared a glanced over at Harry. He made it to another pillar, but couldn't keep his balance and slipped. He was now scrambling back up, desperately looking for handholds in between the glass bubbles.

Realizing she had to cover for Harry, Samus jumped over toward Gryffindor, pelting him with beam shots. But he twirled his katanas around so fast, they became little more than white, metallic blurs. Just like Wildflower, Gryffindor's weapons were deflecting any and all beam shots.

However, this gave Harry a clean shot at his back, and he took full advantage of this, using Bombarda Maxima with a charged ice blast. The explosively flurry of ice struck Gryffindor in the back so hard, it knocked him back into the magma.

As Samus agilely landed on the pillar Gryffindor stood on, she looked over to Harry. He managed to climb up and balance himself, now standing his ground again. "Not very Gryffindor-like to shoot someone in the back, I know, but we're on a clock," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

Samus nodded approvingly, then looked down into the magma with her x-ray visor. For the moment, Gryffindor was nowhere to be seen. "Keep your guard up, Harry! Gryffindor could pop up anywhere, and we have no idea what else...."

Just then, Gryffindor shot up like a torpedo, far out from the ring of pillars. Not only that, his upsurging body generated a huge wave that spread out like a ring. "Oh not again...Samus, get ready to jump!" cried Harry as the wave drew nearer.

The wave reached Harry first. His initial bound wasn't high enough to clear it, so Harry had to resort to the space jump. Samus effortlessly jumped over it as it came past her, but as she surveyed the pillars, there was no sign of Gryffindor. "Harry, watch out! He's still nowhere around the pillars! He might try the wave again, or...."

Before she could complete her thought, Gryffindor launched himself from between two pillars, just as Harry was coming down onto one with a spinning jump. Gryffindor slashed at him with both katanas. There was a flash of white light as Harry screamed, knocked out of his space jump and sent careening past the pillars. "Harry! _HARRY!!_" Samus screamed as Harry's limp body plunged into the magma.

Enraged, Samus opened fire on Gryffindor as she jumped from pillar to pillar. But again, Gryffindor lazily blocked all her shots with his twin katanas. Suddenly, Gryffindor began deflecting her shots with only one katana, and tossed the other one behind him, spinning. It came to a halt right over where Harry went down, still spinning, and Samus's eyes widened as a swirling vortex formed in the magma.

Knowing that the whirlpool of magma could rip Harry's suit apart, Samus turned to aim at the spinning katana instead. She fired a few missiles, but Gryffindor obliterated them by generating another wave of magma with a slash of his katana. Samus tried quicker beam shots, but as she kept jumping from pillar to pillar, Gryffindor did the same, constantly jumping in between her and his spinning katana to deflect her fire. Then, Gryffindor went on the attack. His katana glowed with even fiercer intensity. He slashed it in front of him, hurling out a white-hot ball of plasma that streaked at her with deadly speed. Samus ducked as she balanced herself on a pillar. It sailed over her, but as she stood back up to fire, a second one clipped her leg, and then took a third full in the chest.

Samus toppled backwards, plunging into the magma. It no longer damaged her suit, but Samus knew Gryffindor could trap her the way he did Harry, and then the game would be over. She instantly willed herself to spin, and bounded right back out of the magma while charging a shot. And soon as she spotted Gryffindor, she fired. As expected, Gryffindor parried it away, but its intensity disoriented him for a moment. That small opening was all Samus needed to cut loose with a volley of missiles. Some were aimed at Gryffindor and connected, while the rest shot out at the katana spinning over the magma.

At last, it span away, embedding itself in between two bubbles of a nearby pillar. Samus made Gryffindor back off with another charged shot, and kept him at bay with more missiles as she hopped from pillar to pillar, closer to the other katana. Finally, she reached it and effortlessly pulled it free. Samus turned around and pointed Gryffindor's own katana at him; they were now standing on opposite sides of the pillar ring. "Let's see just how good you are with a sword," she sneered.

"Interesting. I was about to suggest the very same to you," Gryffindor shot back calmly. Scowling from behind her visor, Samus started to jump around the ring, keeping up a constant barrage. Hope flared within Samus as she noticed Gryffindor wasn't parrying all the shots as deftly as before; plenty of her missiles and charged shots were getting through. However, he kept retaliating with more blasts of white-hot plasma. Despite her best efforts, some kept clipping her shoulders, her thighs...half of her suit energy was gone again....

As she drew dangerously near to Gryffindor, he made a sudden leap at Samus while she kept jumping and shooting. He tried to slash at her in midair, but Samus brought up his katana to parry him. A deafening clash echoed in the chamber as they sailed past each other. As Gryffindor readied himself to land on another pillar, Harry suddenly burst out of the magma with the shinespark manuever. He grabbed onto Gryffindor as he rocketed up, taking his House's founder with him. Samus could only stare up, nonplussed, as the pair rose higher and higher, until the place was filled with an earsplitting crunching noise.

"Well, whatever works," Samus mused as she watched two figures plummet from the glassy ceiling. She aimed her arm cannon up and charged a shot, hoping to make out which one was Gryffindor. But by the time she did, there was no time to fire before he plunged back into the magma, looking worn-out and exhausted. Harry, meanwhile, had waited until he fell halfway before bounding back with the space jump. He found a pillar wide enough for two people to stand on and collapsed onto it. It took a moment for him to prop himself up. Samus rushed over and helped him to his feet. "Wondering when you'd show up again. Took you long enough to take another shot at him."

"Took you long enough to take out that spinning sword," Harry quipped. "Thought my suit was really about to fly apart that time."

"Well, it didn't. You're still standing," said Samus. She immediately regretted those words, as Harry's legs wobbled, coaxing her to hold him up a little longer.

"Urgh, that lava whirlpool took more out of me than I'd like to admit," said Harry weakly. "Five tanks left, head still spinning. Can't believe I didn't have it in me to grab his other sword, or fire at him as we fell."

A sudden idea came to Samus. "Here, take this one instead. I have my own close-quarters weapons," she said, thrusting the katana in Harry's hands. "Get yourself ready. Don't think a shinespark ramming will finish him like it did Hufflepuff."

Samus's words proved prophetic, for another huge wave of magma spread out as Gryffindor resurfaced. This time, Harry and Samus stuck together as they jumped. The wave harmlessly swept under them. Harry fired a triple blast of freezing water as they fell. One got through Gryffindor's defenses as he jumped around, nearly knocking him back into the magma with its crushing pressure. As it was, he landed flat on his back, onto a pillar with an even wider area to stand on.

"This is it, Harry. Time to make this up close and _very_ personal," said Samus, seeing a chance. "Give me some covering fire, keep Gryffindor busy as I make my way over."

Harry nodded approvingly. "Will do. Move!"

Samus charged a shot and began her trek across the pillars. White-hot streaks of plasma lanced out across the arena. Some clipped Samus again, but she kept landing on the pillars she was shooting for. All the while, Harry kept Gryffindor occupied with a spazer-multiplied barrage of curses and charms. With Gryffindor constantly having to shift his attention between Samus and Harry, it became easier to dodge his katana blasts and stay on the offensive.

Harry batted away an incoming white-hot blast with Gryffindor's own katana, then sent out three Blasting Curses at once. "Here we go, Samus. Move on in...YOU GOT HIM!"

Gryffindor tried to leap away from the wide pillar, but Samus ensnared him with her wisp whip and slammed him back down onto it. The sound of shattering glass filled her ears, punctuated by the sharp noise made as she brought down her extended fins. Gryffindor had rolled out of the way at the last possible second.

He sprung back up and swung his blazing katana, but Samus parried his strike by bringing up her arm cannon. Samus winced, feeling some suit energy tick away, but swiftly struck back with an uppercut to Gryffindor's jaw. As Gryffindor reeled, Samus made a broad swipe with her wisp whip, then a slash with her extended fins, nearly making him teeter off the edge.

It didn't take Gryffindor long to regather his wits, and he struck back with his katana, clipping Samus in her shoulder. Samus parried the next strike, catching the blade in between two fins. While it was caught, Samus brought her knee up into Gryffindor's midsection, then bludgeoned him with her arm cannon. Gryffindor got Samus off of him with a swift, forceful kick of his own, then reared back for another sword strike.

This went on, Samus slowly chipping away at Gryffindor's stamina as close range, as was her plan. The other part of her plan was to keep Gryffindor so occupied, his attention solely focused on her, it would give Harry an opportunity to....

"ARRGGHH!!" scream Gryffindor as he arched back. Samus watched a katana pop out from his chest. Harry stood right behind Gryffindor, wrenching his other katana out of his hand. Harry then plunged that one down through his chest.

"OK, Samus...NOW!" Harry cried. Samus heard Harry's wand build up power just as she began charging a shot of her own. They both jumped off the pillar at the same time, and aimed straight down. Harry yelled, "_Bombarda Maxima!_" and fired three separate Blasting Curses down at the pillar while simultaneously firing missiles. Samus cut loose with her charged blasts and also followed up with missiles. The glass of the pillar squealed in protest as they kept blasting away. Samus and Harry then landed on different pillars, just as they were sure nothing remained of Gryffindor's. Shattered remains of glass bubbles were tumbling down into the magma, and thick smoke was obfuscating their view.

"D'you...reckon we finally got him?" asked Harry hesitantly, a hint of regret in his voice.

"Let's hope so," said Samus. "Both our suits have taken a beating, we're running out of missiles, and...." Suddenly, two metallic blurs shot out from the acrid smoke. One katana embedded itself into the glass bubble Harry was balancing on, while another shot past Samus. She caught it as it sailed past her, then turned back around and held it before her. "Not a good idea, handing over your weapons again," Samus taunted.

"What use have I for them anymore? The contest is over," came Gryffindor's voice from the smoking pillar. At last, it began to clear, revealing a weary-looking Gryffindor and his tattered Chozo robes. A stern, solemn expression was etched on his face, and yet, he was smiling broadly. "I envisioned this duel, and the trials necessary to earn the right to fight it, to be as grueling and fearful as possible. And here you stand, your number cut in half, yet still triumphant. There can be no more doubt that what would be both our greatest and most wretched creation will now be in the best of hands."

Samus kept her arm cannon raised. Sure, this was the android mimicking Godric Gryffindor, not Salazar Slytherin. Still, she wasn't entirely convinced this wasn't some sort of ruse.

"Ah, I see you are still cautious, Samus Aran," Gryffindor noted. "A fine trait for a warrior of your caliber to have. In a way, I am glad that it is you I met during these trials, not some direct descendent of mine. You are a refreshing reminder of what promise working with the Chozo, your people, held for all four of us."

_Considering that your only direct descendents we know of are the Black family, you're more right than you know,_ Samus thought bitterly.

"The Chozo gave us all a startling glimpse of what awaited our world in the future," Gryffindor went on. "Perhaps it was better that fate conspired to force you four to replace us, and not our descendants. Harry Potter, you and your two friends...you must know what sort of daunting work awaits even after all these wars within our world come to an end. And Samus Aran, there is still much for you to do after you are victorious in this time, when you return to your own. I suspect there are designs that the Chozo had for you, for us all, that we are not yet fully aware of. In the meantime, allow me to bestow the last tool you'll need...."

With that, Gryffindor's android body began to collapse in on itself, forming into a compact, blood-red, pulsating orb. Samus braced herself as she watched the orb hurl toward her. A paralyzing sensation and blinding light washed over her as she heard her HUD become overwhelmed with an influx of new data. Then, as suddenly as it began, the light subsided. Taking a deep breath, Samus looked down at herself.

As she expected, her armor still looked mostly the same, but now Godric Gryffindor had added his own personal touch. The red parts of her armor had changed to a deep, lusterous black, while the membraney portions that the gravity suit had turned purple were now colored a violent-looking, deep blood-red. The solid metal portions, previously a feiry orange-red, were now a lusterous gold color. Lastly, a quick glance at her shoulders revealed that they now sported golden reliefs of roaring lion heads. "Got to admit, I really wanted to take Gryffindor's piece, but the style looks _way_ better on you," said Harry approvingly.

Samus looked over to him. "Maybe so, but I still say you're the braver of the two of us. I've trained since childhood for a life like this, fighting wars like this. You didn't."

"I beg to differ. Ever since Voldemort tried to kill me, I'd say my life's been gearing up for one big battle against him and everyone like him," replied Harry. "Still, Gryffindor was the toughest of the Founders, so in the end, it makes sense his piece is now yours."

_But Gryffindor was also best suited to be the leader. When it comes to our band of misfit hunters, I'm still thinking that's you,_ Samus thought to herself. Out loud, she said, "In any case, we finally found all four pieces! So if the others managed to take out the orbital platform, and if all the allied forces pulled off the simultaneous strike against all of Inferno's topside bases, all we have to do is take Valkyrie and Kor-Zor out for good."

"Not exactly. Remember what Tonks said? There's still the problem of pushing the bastards out of the U.S.," Harry reminded her. "So we better get to the other side of the world and fast. Luckily, I know just the way...."

xxxxxx

Hermione and Ron stood back as Voldemort worked his sorcery, trying to bring down yet another blast door that had closed in front of them. His charms kept an unconscious Draco Malfoy levitating behind him, bound in tightly-wound metal-mesh cables. The platform's crew had taken Valkyrie's order very seriously. For the last two minutes, the three of them had to fight tooth and nail every step of the way, just in the power core alone. It was as if the platform had a mind of its own, hellbent on trapping them so that they went up with it.

The entire tunnel shuddered violently, nearly making the three of them lose their footing. Voldemort, however, kept his wand raised, his face screwed up in concentration as he wove his complex web of charms. The shaking subsided, but sparks were flying from sheafs of pipes and wires, not to mention the floorboards were vibrating ominously. At last, Voldemort's efforts paid off. The blast door, made of some steel alloy nearly two feet thick, broke and bent to his will, twisting aside and making it passable.

"Move you two!" Voldemort commanded, beckoning Ron and Hermione to run ahead and take point. "We have less than five minutes left, and we have yet to even clear this power core!"

They ran out into a wider tunnel. At once, defense turrets popped out of the walls and ceilings. Hermione hastily erected a Shield Charm as gunfire rained down on them from everywhere. Meanwhile, Ron was forced to rely on beams and simple charms to take out the turrets, now almost completely out of missiles after dueling Draco. Hermione looked over her shoulder. Voldemort was demolishing defense turrets with all deliberate speed, but there was no doubt keeping Draco levitated and in some sort of stasis took away some of his concentration. "Voldemort, much as I hate to say it, we might have to abandon Draco should we run short on time!" she told him.

"Out of the question!" snapped Voldemort. "This two-faced, Muggle-loving slime backstabbed me after I honored him with my mark, not to mention has been a constant thorn in your sides this whole time. Come now, little girl, I thought you were above leaving someone to die on a crumbling space station. Wouldn't you rather see him live...so that we may destroy him slowly and painfully ourselves for his crimes?"

Hermione scowled at Voldemort, not sure how to respond. She did admit to herself that, whatever happened in the next few minutes, she couldn't live with herself if they left Draco to die. That didn't mean she would get him out alive only for Voldemort to torture him to death.

Sighing, she turned back to help Ron eliminate the rest of the turrets. Once the way was clear, they forged a path through more turret infested tunnels and chambers. It took them a bit longer, but they soon broke through, emerging in a dark area which had huge tanks of liquid everywhere.

The three of them ran across another small, metal bridge, cautiously looking out for more turrets or other automated defenses. Nothing popped out to attack. Instead, the greater danger was the constant shaking of the entire platform as its systems overloaded. Girders and support beams were falling everywhere, oftentimes engulfed in flames. One falling piece of debris came perilously close to taking out the bridge they were crossing.

The bridge led to another wide tunnel, but it immediately sealed itself off with another blast door. Hermione sighed with relief, though, when she noticed it wasn't as thick as the last one. Voldemort would have no trouble punching through it...or so she hoped. Voldemort got to work right away, and just as Hermione expected, within seconds his magic tore the blast door into scrap. "Laughably easy," said Voldemort calmly, even as the platform crumbled around them. "How much time is left, and how much farther is there to go?"

"About three minutes left," said Ron gravely. "After we duck into that tunnel, it won't be much longer until we reach the workstations we first came in through. J.B.'s brought the ship around already."

"Too bad you won't be boarding it," echoed a hoarse, grating voice.

The three of them whirled around, looking for the source. "Come on out, you toad!" demanded Ron.

Wherever Ped was, she remained hidden. "We haven't the time for this!" spat Voldemort. "If they're too cowardly to fight us again, then we best keep moving and...."

Voldemort was cut off by the explosive sound of a tank rupturing. Countless gallons of water from the platform's array of cooling systems began to spray everywhere, out of control. Voldemort had to conjure a magical barrier to force back a torrent of water aimed up at them. More and more tanks burst open, and some of the lower chambers were flooded in seconds.

"Time to take a little dip, Riddle. Slytherin had a strange affinity for water, didn't he? Let's see if you measure up!" Ped screamed from her hiding place. However, the next attack didn't come from her. Instead, a bolt of electricity shot down from directly above them, splitting the bridge in half. The half the three of them stood on suddenly angled downward. Ron and Hermione had to grab the railing to avoid falling into the flooded compartments below, but Voldemort miraculously stood his ground, still keeping Draco close by. That was, until Ped sprang out of nowhere and tackled him. "Like I said before, you're in _MY_ element now, Riddle! _MY_ home turf!" she shrieked as they both plunged into the churning waters below.

With a wave of her wand, Hermione forced both halves of the bridge to angle back up. Once the severed ends met, Ron shouted, "_Incarcerous!_" Thick ropes bound the broken ends back together. The two of them scrambled back to their feet, running back to where Draco was. But Tesla dropped down in between them and Draco.

Even from the front, Hermione could see how Voldemort's strange magical fire had wreaked havoc on her containment suit. Segments of her armor around her arms and shoulders were fused together. Steam and sparks still shot out from her back; her cooling unit was hardly working, if any of it was still intact at all. Her goggles were gone, giving Ron and Hermione a clear look at the unmistakable hatred and frustration in her eyes. "Forget it, you two. Once Doctor A found out she issued her orders too hastily, she had us stay behind to recover Draco. We're not going anywhere without my boy. Come to think of it, neither are you!"

Tesla lashed out with an electric blast, one so powerful, Hermione couldn't believe she knocked it away. The effort drained Tesla, however, and she sagged to one knee. Ron, no doubt spurned on by a ticking clock, charged at her. Tesla stood back up and grasped his helmet as he moved in, pumping all the electricity she could muster into him. Ron refused to give in, and landed a body blow that made Tesla sink to her knees again. Not letting up, Ron backhanded her face hard, then chucked her off the bridge. Hermione looked down below, seeing that Tesla regathered her wits and flew away just before she would have hit the rising water.

More plating and support beams fell, splashing and sinking into the flooding chamber. Hermione wondered how Voldemort was doing. Ped could easily swim and dart around the falling debris, but that junk could mean trouble for Voldemort. She was torn between running ahead without him or helping him fend off Ped. Only about two minutes were left. Deciding that they still might have use for Voldemort, Hermione aimed her wand down, looking for any sign of their fight, but the gushing, churning water made it impossible.

Suddenly, Voldemort bound up out of the water like a dolphin, and conjured winds on which to glide up to the bridge. "The sack of carrion has been dealt with, I presume?" he asked smoothly.

"Not really, she'll be back any minute," said Ron. "Her and the toad aren't letting us get away with Malfoy, not without a fight."

"Is that so? Well, Potter's worthless aunt put up a bit of a fight down there, but didn't do so well," Voldemort said dangerously. Hermione involuntarily shuddered. She couldn't bear the thought of telling Harry that they stood by and let Voldemort kill his only living relative. Voldemort strode over to Draco and levitated his limp, armored body again as he walked on. Ron and Hermione ran ahead to follow him, but suddenly, another blast door slid in between them.

"Oh crap! Another set of doors were activated by the flooding!" Hermione cried out. "We're being sealed in!"

"Well, Voldemort better be punching through it on his end," Ron said nervously. "We better give him a hand." They raised their wands to cast charms of their own, but the shaking suddenly got more intense, and the bridge they were standing on was shaken to pieces. Before either of them knew it, the bridge fell apart, and they were plummeting headfirst into the water.

Hermione couldn't feel the water's chill through her suit, but the icy terror clawing at her insides more than made up for it. They had hit the water before they could even think of spinning and bounding away. Now, without the gravity suit upgrade, most of their gear was useless in water. She saw Ron flail about frantically, but she knew it was hopeless. There was no way to swim in these things, and no hope of jumping out in time, not with only a minute and a half left....

Resigned to their grisly fate, Hermione looked down, watching the metal flooring coming up fast. Hermione shut her eyes, overwhelmed with despair. If they couldn't get out, their weapon pieces would go up with the station, just as Valkyrie planned. Hermione knew that destroying this stockpile of missiles carrying the Ragnarok virus would only be a temporarily setback. In the end, Valkyrie would still win....

Hermione expected to hit the bottom any second, but to her surprise, she felt something rush by. Then, she was dimly aware of something hoisting her up out of the water. Shocked, she opened her eyes and turned her head, only to receive an even bigger shock. Ped was still alive, and dragging them out! Hermione went completely limp, staring dumbly up at Ped's austere, unreadable expression. Days ago, she tried to flatten both of them along with her nephew back in Slytherin's lair. Why was she trying to save them now!?

With only a minute left, the three of them broke through the water's surface. They were close enough to a metal staircase that led up to a ledge leading into a different tunnel altogether. However, a quick glance at her HUD's data showed that there was no quick way back down to the lower workstations through this route.

Hermione clambered up the stairs as the water kept rising, exhausted and trembling. Ron, however, had the presence to glare at Ped, who planted herself right above the tunnel's entryway. "Why?" was all he said.

"I think you know why," said Ped brusquely. "Even back in Slytherin's sanctuary, I was never really aiming to kill you. And if Harry ever found out I scampered off and left you two to die...."

Hermione stared back at Ped dubiously, but her face stayed as unreadable as ever. It was Tesla who broke the silence next; Hermione could sense her flying in behind them. "C'mon Tunes! We couldn't get Draco back, but we can still make it to our pod! If you have to, the know-it-all and her meatheaded tagalong can come to. They haven't got much energy and ammo left, so they won't do anything stupid. Granger won't, at least."

Ron glanced at Hermione quizzically, but a shrug and a piercing look told him that they had no other choice. As Ped dropped down to duck into the tunnel, and Tesla flew in after her, Ron and Hermione followed.

For a fleeting moment, Hermione dared to hope they would make it out alive. "Adam? Adam, can you hear me?" she whispered into her mic so Tesla and Ped couldn't overhear. "Voldemort's probably still heading your way, and he's got Draco with him. Ron and I...Dursley and Myrtle are offering to share an escape pod they set aside. If you can keep track of us, you could intercept it and...."

The tunnel suddenly gave a violent lurch, and another set of alarm klaxons mixed in with the plangent din already assaulting their ears. Ron and Hermione were thrown to the ground. When Hermione picked her head back up, she saw a blast door, another meant to seal off flooding compartments, was coming down, separating them from Tesla and Ped.

"Oh no NO NO!" screamed Hermione as she furiously beat on the blast door. But the strength afforded by their suits wasn't even close to enough to put a dent in it. "I don't believe this...we were so close! Only thirty seconds left! No way we can get through this ourselves and reach that pod!"

"Then we have thirty seconds to figure out another way to live through this," said Ron gravely. There was another tunnel off to their left, but another blast door was coming down to seal it off. Hermione yelped as Ron grabbed her and dashed for the tunnel, sliding under the descending blast door. "Make that twenty seconds to find something in here we can use," he added cynically.

xxxxxx

As the minutes ticked by, J.B. stuck around the underside of the platform, watching all the escape pods jettison as the overload worsened. Part of him was tempted to pick them off as they veered toward Earth, but even he, a hardened Air Force pilot, couldn't bring himself to do it. J.B. was no stranger to war; his role in Desert Storm was still fresh in his head. But the thought of gunning down defenseless people, more than half of which were engineers and not soldiers.... The more J.B. thought about it, the more determined he was to let them be. He wouldn't stoop to Valkyrie's level, someone who sunk a sub that posed no threat....

J.B. did not dwell on that too long, though. As the countdown wore on, with no word from either Ron or Hermione, J.B. began to fear the worst. Explosive bursts of flame were starting to go off under the platform, and whatever kept it invisible began to wear out. Parts flew off in all directions, into the vastness of space. J.B. instinctively knew the platform was ready to blow, and they were still docked to its underside, with no word from anyone.

"Oh, come on, Ron! You've only got a minute left!" cried George, who stood right beside him. J.B. glanced down at the cockpit consoles and, sure enough, the countdown showed they had less than a minute left.

"Where the hell are they!?" J.B. demanded, breaking into a nervous sweat. His niece and her best friend...he couldn't lose them like this. He just couldn't, not after everything they all went through. "Adam, you got any way to track them!?"

"The power overload is making maintaining a lock on their positions difficult. However, by my estimates, they were nearing the lower workstations when I lost them, minutes ago," said Adam. "They should...stand by, I am receiving a faint transmission from Hermione."

Adam fell silent, and his voice was replaced by the barely audible, staticy voice of his niece. "Adam *bzzzzt* hear me?" came Hermione's voice. Even with the transmission badly garbled, J.B. could detect the panic in her voice. "Voldemort's probably still heading your way, and he's got Draco with him," she went on before a burst of static cut her off. A couple seconds later, her voice came through again. "...An escape pod they set aside. If you can keep track of us...."

There was nothing but static after that. "I am sorry, Captain. I cannot regain contact," said Adam apologetically.

"Well, where's ol' Pink-Eye?" demanded George. "Didn't Hermione say he'd still be coming?"

The entire ship gave a sudden lurch as the entire orbital platform quivered violently. "At any rate, we cannot remain docked here a moment longer," Adam informed them. "We know Voldemort is capable of surviving in space for a time, and Ron and Hermione are heading for an escape pod. We must get clear now, then double back and scan for them."

J.B. found himself punching in the commands to detach from the platform's underside even as his mind was reeling, refusing to believe Hermione wouldn't make it back. Intellectually, he knew Adam's plan was their best bet, but in his heart, J.B. was reeling, seething....

The ship gave another lurch as it shot forward, just as more explosions went off underneath Inferno's platform. Pyrotechnics filled the cockpit window, and J.B. feared they wouldn't get clear, but fear for Hermione and Ron far overshadowed any sense of self-preservation. Once he put some distance between them and the platform, J.B. glanced back down at the console. It was like something out of a stupid science-fiction movie, watching a partially cloaked space station self-destruct. But this was no movie, it was cold, hard reality. George leaned over the console, staring at the readouts, mouth agape. No doubt he was just as thunderstruck and numb with horror....

Once the explosion subsided, J.B. turned the ship back around. George frantically called out to Adam. "Malkovich, talk to me! Are you scanning everything!? Where's that escape pod Hermione was talking about!?"

There was an awkward pause, a moment of crushing silence within the ship. "I detected one final pod being jettisoned just prior to the platform's destruction," Adam told them. "However, the two life signs on board...they are not Ron and Hermione."

An even longer silence followed, as J.B. and George took in this horrific news. It seemed like an eternity for J.B. to find his voice. "Well...what about the debris field? Could they have survived? I mean, can you track their suits?"

Another awkward pause on Adam's part. "I am sorry, Captain. I...cannot detect anything."

xxxxxx

Harry and Samus trekked through the submerged tunnels in the deepest, darkest depths of Slytherin's sanctum. Harry hadn't ever bothered coming back here before getting the gravity suit; ever since Aunt Petunia flooded that huge vertical cavern before their duel, there was no point. But now that Samus reclaimed all her lost abilities, and he had them too, it was a different story.

At last, they reached the upward sloping tunnel, which would lead to that mammoth pillar. Before, Harry and his friends had to jump up a series of platforms suspended by metal snake sculptures. Now, they had a much quicker way of getting to the top. He and Samus ran right up the tunnel, picking up enough momentum so that their speed boosters kicked in. When they came out the top, they kept on going, crashing through the metal barriers surrounding the pillar's base. As Harry expected, the inside of the pillar was completely hollow, and as they ducked down to store power, he glanced upward. They could shoot straight up with the shinespark....

He looked up to Samus, who nodded. Harry grabbed her arm cannon with his left hand, and Samus's free hand clasped his right. They jumped at the same time, shooting up like a pair of rockets. Harry was dimly aware of the metal floorboards they were smashing through as they kept shooting up. Looking up again, Harry was elated when he saw a faint, purple glow coming up fast. The two of them smacked into the energy tank, a mere second before they burst out from the huge circular platform a metal grating, where he bested his aunt days ago. On and on they shot up, until their helmets crashed into the rocky ceiling. They fell a second later, deftly landing on one of the platforms suspended by cables.

"You were right, Harry. That must've been the last energy tank the Founders left for us," said Samus. "So...how're things looking on your end?"

Harry glanced at his HUD data. "Well, I got fourteen energy tanks now. As for ammo, my suit's packing a max of 250 missiles now, and 56 power bombs. I think I'm about as loaded as I can hope to get."

"Yeah. We've turned all four of these places inside out," Samus admitted. "No putting it off any longer. We're in the best shape we can be for putting the finishing touches on Valkyrie. So let's head back for Gryffindor's, and...."

Harry grabbed her wrist. "No, Samus. I told you. We have to get back out to the swamp here."

"Harry, what're you talking about!?" Samus demanded.

"Just trust me on this, OK?" said Harry sternly. He jumped up to the bubble door near the cavern's roof, dragging Samus with him.

"It's hard to, especially when you won't tell me what's waiting for us in that swamp that's so important," Samus shot back as they went through the bubble door.

Harry tensed up, seizing on this opportunity. "This coming from the person who wouldn't tell anyone that the living embodiment of her dark side was still ticking inside her?"

Harry could see how Samus's face fell in his mind's eye. "Oh, that," Samus said sheepishly. "Look, Harry, you've got to understand...."

"Understand what, Samus? Don't forget, the SA-X had a go at me, too. Another go with her is something I need about as much as I need 'I must not tell lies' tattooed on my other hand," Harry shot back. "If that thing's still alive inside you, you should've told us, or the Order! I mean, what if her personality took over!? McGonagall, Moody, Lupin...someone would've found a way to keep the bitch quiet!"

Samus sighed heavily, a clear sign of surrender. "You're right, you're absolutely right," she said evasively. "But there was always something more pressing going on. Tracking down Voldemort, tracking down Valkyrie...there was never any time to worry about her. But you're right. When I went to uncover the coordinates for Gryffindor's...the SA-X somehow seized control, made herself the test and dueled me within my own mind."

"Dueled in your own head?" Harry asked dubiously. "Well, it's obvious that you beat her back yet again...." But Harry made it clear from the tome of his voice that Samus wasn't getting off that easily.

"Unless you count Gryffindor's imitation SA-X back in his sanctum, she's been quiet ever since. I don't think we'll have to worry about her for a long, long time," Samus went on. Harry could tell she was telling the truth, but he still caught the uneasy edge to her voice. He could tell she instinctively knew the SA-X would find another way to manifest herself one day, and her cold dread about that idea infected him as well. The SA-X was to Samus what Voldemort was to him, an infectious evil she was bonded to, could never truly escape....

"I'll take your word for it," said Harry. "But promise me this: if she ever pops up again, you tell SOMEONE. Even if..._when_ we beat Valkyrie and you go back to your time, you find someone who can help. The Luminoth, any Chozo left behind..._SOMEONE_. Finally learn to trust other people, for fuck's sake."

"It's a deal, Harry," Samus said submissively. Harry nodded, glad he finally got through Samus's thick head. The two continued their trek out of Slytherin's swamp castle. Once they reached an open courtyard, they immediately bounded outside with the space jump, eventually landing on the lake's murky, muddy edge.

"So now that the nebula's cleared between us, how about you tell me what's waiting for us out here?" demanded Samus. "That buildup Tonks mentioned, it must've struck at America by now. Clearly, that's why you wanted us to come out here, in that country. But how are we going to get to wherever they're attacking? Is their some airbase around here that Captain Granger told you about?"

"Good guess, Samus, but waaay off," said Harry with a sly grin, looking up into the brighty-lit morning sky.

"You know, Japan was not too far from its western shore. Perhaps if we'd...." Harry watched Samus's eyes widen. "I don't believe this...I've neglected the Etecoons and Dachoras AGAIN!" she went on, her voice full of shame. "They're still back on that Mount Fuji! Oh Harry, we have to get back and...."

"No we don't, Samus!" said Harry gleefully, pointing up and behind Samus. Samus whirled around, and was struck dumb by the sight of Arthur Weasley's Ford Anglia coming in for a landing in the swamp. The tires rolled and sank into the mud, and one of the Etecoons popped open the passenger side door for Samus.

The Etecoons crooned, beckoning for Samus to get in, but she simply stood there on the lake's edge, dumbfounded. "Harry, you...had them fly the car to the other side of this planet?" she asked dubiously.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Why not? At the very least, it'd shorten the trip back to Europe, too." He walked around and got into the driver's seat. Shaking her head, Samus got in beside him. As soon as she was settled in, Harry grabbed the wheel and the car took off again. He was momentarily blinded as the morning sun shone directly into his eyes.

"OK, so we can easily get to wherever Inferno's struck in this country in reasonable time," said Samus. "Do we have any idea where that might be?"

"Ron's dad had a compass installed, for one thing, so no problems finding our way around America. As for exactly where Inferno will strike...knowing Valkyrie, it's not too hard to guess," Harry told her. Keeping an eye on the horizon, he noticed some nasty storm clouds brewing far to the northeast. Gripping the steering wheel tightly, he brought the Ford Anglia around to head right for those storm clouds.

xxxxxx

**July 3, 1997 A.D., 10:47 AM Eastern Standard Time  
Washington D.C., U.S.A. **

It was well after sunrise in this part of the world, but anyone still in the city would be hard-pressed to believe it. Hours ago, it was as if a tropical storm had emerged out of nowhere and slammed into the United States's capital. Ever since then, black clouds blanketed the entire sky, and a deluge of rain fell without end.

Bellatrix Lestrange turned from the window and looked around the huge helicopter she found herself in, noting how reserved all the Muggle soldiers riding with her looked. _They're hiding it well,_ Bellatrix thought acidly. She knew these Muggles realized that there was only one explanation for this freak storm ravaging their capital, but they still couldn't bring themselves to fully accept it, even after everything else they had seen. Bellatrix couldn't decide what she felt about their reserved reactions to all the magic thrust in front of their faces: amusement or disgust. Perhaps it was a little of both.

Turning to her right, she saw Fenrir Greyback occupying himself with sharpening his grimy, clawlike nails. Off in the corner were some fools from the Order of the Phoenix that she and Greyback had been saddled with: Rubeus Hagrid, Arthur Weasley and Kingsley Shacklebolt. Bellatrix quickly glanced over at them, then turned away with a snort. When it was painfully obvious that Inferno's biggest offensive yet would be somewhere in this country, the Order had some of their volunteers quickly spirited off here, and the Dark Lord ordered some of his followers to come along. Bellatrix tried not to let her less-than-enviable situation bother her. After all, it would mean laying waste to legions of Inferno slime. She just hadn't expected the Inferno blitzkrieg to be so soon.

Or so brutal.

All the Inferno forces not recalled to their topside bases...they were now here, determined to lay waste to America's capital. Burrowing under the land, smashing through the coastal blockades, forcing their way past the Air Force...they hit all at once, and hit hard. As much as Valkyrie and her millions of sheep nauseated her, Bellatrix had to admire such temerity. Strike at the heart of the most powerful Muggle nation, thus demoralizing the rest. Bellatrix smiled to herself. If the Dark Lord commanded forces like Valkyrie's, it was what he would do.

The helicopter gave a sudden lurch, veering off to the side. Bellatrix guessed that some Inferno scum were trying to shoot them down. She stiffened, drawing her wand. That meant they were close to what these Muggles called their 'drop zone'.

"OK people, time to bring the pain like they did in my granddaddy's day!" barked their gruff pilot. "We gotta retake all of D.C., street by street. Some of our...wizards punched us a hole we could fly through, so now it's time for a ground assault, flank these bastards!"

"Let some of us wizards go first, bear the brunt of their attack!" pleaded Arthur Weasley as the helicopter descended lower.

"I'll do it," said Bellatrix, before she was even aware of it. Surprised with herself, she nonetheless ignored the Order members' confused glares and walked over to the helicopter's side doors. She slid them open, and immediately the storm's biting winds and rain poured in. She winced as the rain drenched her robes and dug into her skin. Glancing at the street below, she saw it was a complete mess, even by Muggle standards. Parts of the roads cracked and upturned. Trucks and buses smashed beyond repair, strewn about everywhere. The sides of buildings crumbling and caving in, and amazingly, some fires roared on despite the constant downpour.

Bellatrix heard the Muggles slide the helicopter's other door open, then rappel down to the street below. Taking a deep breath, she leaped out, waving her wand to gently levitate herself down. As soon as her feet hit the road, machine gun fire came out of nowhere. Bellatrix barely threw up a Shield Charm in time, but it was so forceful, she felt the impacts through her charm, and it nearly shattered.

From the quaking boom behind her, Bellatrix could tell Hagrid followed her out. An arrow shot past her, blowing up as soon as it hit an abandoned bus some Inferno clods must have been using for cover. Flames engulfed if as it was blown back, and the bodies of Inferno troops flew everywhere. "Have summat, yeh cowardly goons! Beginnin' ter think there's nothin' like the smell o' Semtex goin' off in th' mornin'!" Hagrid roared as he charged past, crossbow loaded with an explosive arrow at the ready.

More Inferno troops emerged from the smoldering building at their left, opening up with a deluge of machine gun fire and curses. Bellatrix immediately got to work, sending out a gust of wind that propelled driving rain right at them. The split-second they were disoriented was all Bellatrix needed. "_Avada Kedavra!_" she bellowed vehemently, instantly felling the closest trooper.

Bellatrix swept around, going from cover to cover, deftly avoiding all their fire and continuously casting Cruciatus Curses and using the Killing Curse on those who got disoriented for too long. It wasn't long before Bellatrix racked up an obscene body count. Some of the Muggles assigned to watch her back joined in, giving her some cover fire, but at this point it was hardly necessary. Goblin, human, house-elf...it didn't matter what Inferno threw at her. She cut them down all the same, as quickly and mercilessly as she always had for the Dark Lord before.

Bellatrix casually walked through the dead bodies now littering the street as the driving rain kept falling. She kicked aside a dead house-elf with a disgusted grunt. Despite whatever training and gear Valkyrie gave them, to think such dirty creatures thought they had a chance against her! Still, as Bellatrix mused over the battle, she found it surprising how easy it was. Even for her, this had all gone down devastatingly swiftly.

However, that obvious moment of distraction coaxed a pair of surviving Inferno troopers to emerge from behind an overturned car. Both had a handgun and a wand drawn. Bellatrix saw them out the corner of her eye, and whirled around with her wand raised just as they were set to pull their triggers. A split-second before they fired, though, a motorcycle sailed past her, flattening one of the soldiers. "That's two yeh owe me, Lestrange!" bellowed Hagrid. "Or mebbe three!" As the other soldier was set to attack, a huge fist grabbed her from behind, hoisted her up, then violently chucked her aside. Bellatrix scowled as she looked up at Grawp, no doubt airlifted in by helicopters right after they arrived.

"Well, it looks like this block's secured," Shacklebolt yelled over the wind and rain. "We better get moving, there'll be more around the corner."

"Indeed there are, Kingsley Shacklebolt," came a booming voice from the rooftops above. "But it's what'll soon be coming _up_ from these streets that you should be worried about."

Bellatrix saw Hagrid and Shacklebolt tense. Even Grawp looked nervous as he surveyed the rooftops; even his slow-witted mind was telling him that voice meant bad news. "Wait a minute, that voice sounds familiar," came Arthur Weasley's voice from amid a gaggle of Muggle soldiers.

"It should," said Bellatrix bitterly. "That's my sister."

"Indeed it is, Bella," came Narcissa's echoing voice. It was still impossible to pinpoint where it was coming from. Bellatrix looked from rooftop to rooftop, but the smothering darkness and driving rain made it hard to see anything. "I must admit, when Dr. Asara asked me to take part in this campaign, I didn't expect to run into you here, so far from England. There's something different about you, Bella. You're faster, more methodical...."

"Spare me the empty praise, blood-traitor!" roared Bellatrix. "If you're here to fight us, then fight! Just don't pretend you'll actually regret this, or you're surprised we'd eventually clash. You and your family turned your backs on the Dark Lord! Anyone who goes against him is my sworn enemy...including you!!"

"Well, don't you act so surprised that I _DON'T_ regret turning on him, Bella!" retorted Narcissa. "After all our faithful service to him, how did he repay us? Blackmailing my only son with a suicide mission! And then my old friend Dr. Asara came along, and offered us more power than we could possibly imagine! Power that outstrips the _former_ master of the Dark Arts, as you'll soon see!"

Bellatrix kept up her frantic search for her sister. As pompous as Narcissa was, she wouldn't be gloating like this without good reason.

Suddenly, Greyback sidled beside her and spoke up. "Hey, Lestrange...."

"What is it, fleabag!?" snapped Bellatrix.

"Dunno what your sister's planning, but...I'm starting to think all these backing-up storm drains might have something to do with it," said Greyback delicately. Bellatrix glanced back down at the street. Sure enough, all the storm drains along the roads were backing up due to the nonstop rain. Not only that, it looked like sewage was burbling up with it.

Suddenly, Narcissa's laughter cut through the howling winds. "See, Bella! Our old werewolf friend isn't so brainless after all! It's not just what's backing up from the Muggle's sewers, though. Take a look at that park over by the corner."

Growing more enraged by the second, Bellatrix glanced over at the park. The torrential downpour had caused a wave of muddy water to wash out onto the street. As Bellatrix watched, however, it almost seemed as if that mud had a mind of its own, as if it had some destination. A quick look around showed more mud washing in from all over the streets.

"Here's where the ultimate irony comes in, Bella. Think of what we called everyone of our kind born to these sorry Muggles. Mudblood! How it always rolled off our tongue, hoping it would cut those with no blood status to the quick!" shouted Narcissa. "But Dr. Asara...wasn't it amazing how it was different with her!? How she freely called herself one, laughed it all off!? Now, I will too!"

With that, the entire street was suddenly hit by a tremor. At first, Bellatrix feared Valkyrie gave her sister some charm that caused earthquakes, but it soon proved to be something else entirely. A geyser of muddy, stinking water erupted from a nearby manhole. Looking around, Bellatrix saw the same thing happening all over the street.

"Everyone, get clear! Move to higher ground!" she heard Shacklebolt bellow. Bellatrix heard the Muggles desperately scramble after the Auror, but another tremor made her slip and fall. A second later, though, she and Greyback were hoisted off the street by Grawp, then shepharded to wherever the Muggles were regrouping.

After Grawp set them down at an intersection where no muddy water or raw sewage was geysering from the street, she heard a Muggle shout, "Look, up there!" Bellatrix looked up to where the American was pointing. Finally, atop a five-story apartment building a few dozen feet away, she spotted Narcissa. She quickly fished out her Omniculars, and after a quick look through them, everything fell into place...and her blood froze.

Narcissa stood on the roof's edge, wearing the exact same array of machines Susan Bones had donned right outside Kor-Zor's prison. The only difference was that she had some sort of breathing mask on. According to what some Order members told her, Susan used it to command the wet sands....

Looking down to the street again, she saw a mass of mud and sewage coalesce into one gigantic, amorphous blob that looked ready to consume the apartment building.

"Oh Merlin's beard...someone, BLAST HER OFF THAT ROOF!" screamed Weasley, having figured it out as well. Some Muggles opened fire with their machine guns, and Hagrid fired an explosive arrow. But Narcissa dove off the roof, avoiding their fire completely. As Narcissa was about to plunge into the blob of mud and sewage, a lightning bolt suddenly struck her, and seemed to link with her as the mud and sewage swallowed her up.

Crackling electricity swept across the muddy blob as it slowly began to assume a shape. Bellatrix could sense the panic sweeping across the Muggles as what looked like a gigantic torso could be made out. Next, mammoth legs in a kneeling position took shape, and they slowly rose. The whole muddy blob had now taken on an outline of a distinctly human form, but its features were still being refined.

All the Muggles looked up helplessly as a more detailed caricature of a human took form. Bellatrix glared up at the mammoth mud construct, well over a hundred feet tall, disgusted beyond measure. What stood before them was a gigantic sculpture of a woman, made of mud and sewage, representing an Inferno soldier clad in full uniform. At last, the head took shape. Long cords made of mud to represent short hair for this monstrosity, and at last, the unmistakable face of her sister took shape. At first, it eyes were shut, but they quickly snapped open, electricity crackling within them as it stared down menacingly at the regiment in the intersection below.

"Think we're gonna need somethin' a bit bigger an' burlier than me half-brother fer this one," Hagrid mused weakly.

"All I can say is that the Dark Lord better get back with that ship of Aran's, because we'll need it now! Look what else has shown up!" cried Greyback, pointing at something behind the titanic mud statue of Narcissa Malfoy. Bellatrix looked to where he was pointing, and her insides froze all over again.

The Razor Knight was closing in.

xxxxxx

If you're in the mood for some serious hi-tech battle suit kickassery...what the hell were you doing reading this piece of crap for the last half hour!? You should've been watching _Iron Man 2 _instead! And if you already saw it, you should've gone to watch it again. It was nowhere near as awesome as the original, and _Sherlock Holmes_ was also a better Downey Jr. movie (shaddap, you haters). But it still reeked of brilliance, even if you had to deal with the weirdness of Crimson Dynamo and Whiplash being merged into one character.

Oh, and in case anyone was wondering why there were so many Japanese influences stuffed into these last few chapters, right down to jumping from pillar to pillat like a ninja, there's a reason. I happened to score an assload of _Ranma 1/2_ DVDs at a pawn shop around the time Gryffindor's chapters had to go up. Bite me.

So long,  
Grey-X


	44. Freedom Isn't Free

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning  
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover  
Chapter 44: Freedom Isn't Free  
5-22-2010  
by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

For a while, everyone fighting to defend Washington, D.C. dared to hope that the tide was turning in their favor. Street by street, the Inferno troops were being driven back, and their air support was systematically being taken out. And then, all their hopes were dashed when Inferno played their trump cards: the Razor Knight, their founder's flagship jet, and her newest invention, worn by Bellatrix's own sister.

The former was slowly but surely blasting away all the air support the wizards and Muggles could marshall. But it was the latter wreaking the most havoc. The towering colossus of mud and sewage that Narcissa Malfoy now commanded was nothing short of an unstoppable juggernaut, and the longer she stayed on the warpath, the more enraged she seemed to get.

There was no hiding from Narcissa, no place to take cover. Entire buildings were instantly smashed to rubble as she stormed across the streets, chasing after the city's Muggle defenders. None of the Muggles' weapons had any effect, as all their bullets went right through the muddy construct. Their grenades and rockets were equally useless. Whenever part of it was blown apart, it instantly reconstituted itself, or drew up more mud from surrounding parks and sewage under the street to replace any mass lost. In fact, as the regiment Bellatrix found herself with kept falling back after each failed attempt, it looked like the titanic, putrid statue modeled after her sister was actually getting _**BIGGER**_!

"Keep pouring it on, everyone! We can't let up!" came Shacklebolt's desperate rallying cry. Both he and Arthur Weasley leaped out from behind part of a smashed building, and cast Glacius, aiming their charms up as high as they could. An inhuman shriek escaped the thing resembling Narcissa as its moisture slowly froze, and she stumbled back.

Bellatrix heard Greyback growl in anticipation beside her. "I know she's your sister, Lestrange, but...." With that, he started Banishing everything along the street up at Narcissa, from chunks of concrete to motorcycles, hoping to shatter any frozen mass. Bellatrix didn't think twice as she joined in, hurling one Blasting Curse after another. Narcissa staggered back even further, and finally the Muggles joined in. Machine gun fire and a volley of rocket-propelled grenades shot up at Narcissa. More huge chunks of compacted mud and sewage flew off. For the moment, it looked like they were holding Narcissa back.

At one point, Greyback managed to Banish a small car up at Narcissa, and it got lodged in the mud titaness's gut. Before she even realized it, Bellatrix cast an Incendiary Charm on the car. It must have still had gasoline in the tank, for it promptly exploded, covering its upper half in flames.

"Don't let up for a second, men! Keep firing!" shouted one of the Muggles' leaders behind Bellatrix. They obeyed without question, unloading all their machine gun fire up at it, even thought it seemed fruitless. Narcissa Malfoy had to be in that colossus somewhere, but the problem was pinpointing her. Every spell they tried to pinpoint her with failed, as if the electricity she absorbed did the same thing Moaning Myrtle's ghost form did, muddling any charm cast to flush her out. Just like them, all the Muggles were firing blind....

Bellatrix stood there for a moment, watching as the Muggles kept firing. _At least one of those bullets must have found its mark,_ Bellatrix thought vindictively. What could be a more shameful death for a member of the pure-blooded elite...to fall to Muggle weapons? Bellatrix kept telling herself it was no more than Narcissa deserved, after throwing in with Valkyrie's lot, conspiring to give all these Muggle cockroaches the power only her ilk were worthy of.

Narcissa sagged to her knees, and Bellatrix dared to think it would soon be over. Shacklebolt and Weasley kept pouring on the freezing charms as the Muggles went on pelting the muddy titaness with bullets and grenades. But then, Narcissa's head jerked up, glaring straight ahead at Bellatrix. Even with her face that huge, molded from mud and sewage, there was no mistaking that look of unrestrained fury from her sister.

Electricity crackled within those colossal eyes, a split-second before she wailed furiously, lifting up her arm. She droved a muddy fist down into the street. A massive shockwave of pure force spread out, knocking most of the Muggles senseless. Bellatrix herself was flattened against the street, and probably would have lapsed into unconsciousness if not for the driving rain.

With blurry vision, she craned her neck up to watch Narcissa's massive, groping arm swat the side of a building. Huge chunks of rubbled rained down onto the street, crushing many Muggles to death. Shacklebolt and Weasley managed to conjure some wind gusts to blow themselves and a few Muggles to safety. Bellatrix glowered at them from across the street. That was one of her master's specialties. _How dare they saved themselves with a maneuver the Dark Lord invented,_ she thought angrily as she stood back up. _And where is that oafish slug of a half-giant and his brother? Where'd those cowards run...._

Bellatrix got her answer when she heard rumbling footfalls that, although deafening even over the rain, couldn't have been Narcissa's. Grawp came at Narcissa from behind, just as she stood up. Weilding an entire school bus like one massive club, Grawp slammed it into the back of Narcissa's leg. She sank back down to one knee, and Grawp ran around, jumped, and swatted her head with the bus. Narcissa gritted her teeth as her head jerked aside. She blindly swatted the ground, hoping to catch Grawp as he landed. But the giant tossed the bus aside and rolled away, deftly evading Narcissa's huge, groping hands.

"Where'd he go now!" Bellatrix thought aloud when she noticed Grawp had vanished again. Behind her, she heard the Muggles getting back together. Bellatrix figured they would seize this opportunity, but for some reason, they held back. As Bellatrix wondered why, she saw a Muggle soldier shout and point up at the building Narcissa just wrecked. Grawp stood atop what was left of it, clutching some sort of huge, white tank. Then he dove off while Narcissa was still hunched over. With a deafening battle cry, Grawp drove the tank down into her back so hard, it punched through Narcissa's chest.

"Good boy, Grawpy!" came Hagrid's grating voice out of nowhere. "Leave th' rest t' me!" Bellatrix heard Hagrid stomping out across the ruined street before she saw him. When she did, he had his crossbow loaded, and aimed it up at the tank poking through Narcissa's torso. Narcissa stared down at it with eyes wide, then fearfully at Hagrid. "If I remember correctly, these here Americans are supposed ter be enjoyin' barbeques tomorrow. Well, let's start th' party early!"

With that, Hagrid fired his arrow up into the tank. When it pierced through and exploded, it ignited whatever was in the tank. A massive fireball consumed the upper half of the muddy colossus as a deafening boom rocked the street, and mud and sewage flew everywhere. Hagrid himself was blown backwards, only skidding to a halt after he was flung well past Bellatrix, forcing Muggles to scurry out of his way. Shacklebolt and Weasley ran past her next, rushing to Hagrid's side.

"Ergh, did that do it?" Hagrid asked weakly, obviously still dizzy. Muggles kept looking from the mangled, flaming shell Narcissa crafted to Hagrid, at a loss for words. As Bellatrix watched them, she heard helicopters sudden fly overhead. Looking up, she was relieved to see it was America's helicopters, and not the Hinds had attacked Hogwarts. Some had miraculously survived the Razor Knight's onslaught and were seizing this chance. They encircled the titaness and started firing all their weapons.

"Can't be much longer now, boys," Bellatrix said as sternly as possible. The helicopters kept on firing, chopping down the magical, muddy construct. "There's no way one of Asara's inventions could protect someone from that. Look, the whole street's getting flooding by the filth coming off that...thing." Looking down, she watched as torrents of mud, coming up halfway to her knees, rushed by. "Cissy's as good as dead."

"Try not ter keep from soundin' too broken up over it," growled Hagrid, disgusted. "We're only fightin' that thing 'cause there's no choice. Merlin's beard, that's yer sister in there."

"My sister made her choice," Bellatrix shot back. "I didn't hear you yelling at that mangy house-elf she once owned, after he helped slaughter his own wretched kind back at Hogwarts! I swear, alliance or not, you'd better watch your tongue, or...."

Hagrid never heard the rest of her threat, for at that moment, a geyser of mud and sewage shot Bellatrix up into the air. The geyser swiftly reformed into a hand that grabbed her, and a long arm attached to it. With her arms pinned, she couldn't aim her wand, and on top of that, some strange current of energy was flowing through that mud, muddling her thoughts. It was impossible to think of a single charm to use.

Bellatrix's blood ran cold as another torso began to form from the mud and sewage that spilled onto the street, steadily rising. Her heart hammering, she glanced up, wondering if the helicopters would fire again. That's when she saw huge, white-hot balls of pure energy lance across the sky, taking out the helicopters one by one. Gulping, Bellatrix craned her neck around, only to have her fears confirmed. The Razor Knight was returning to back Narcissa up.

However, Bellatrix saw that some jets were giving chase, firing upon the Razor Knight. Not only that, some other helicopters were closing in on all sides, along with some American wizards on brooms. No doubt the Muggles hoped to kill two birds with one stone. It fueled wild hopes that some Muggles might free her as they desperately fought on.

Bellatrix soon realized how foolish it was to get her hopes up. What looked an impossibly long, slimy, electrified tentacles slashed across the sky, slicing apart half of the helicopters closing in. Seconds later, Narcissa had completely reconstructed her gigantic mud body, and held on fast to her sister. Bellatrix writhed futilely in her fist, nearly passing out from the stench of the sewage.

Finally, the Razor Knight reached Narcissa, and looked like it was shifting to a tank in midair. It spun around, inexplicably slowing to a halt, and perched itself upon Narcissa's outstretched arm. The Razor's Knight's front cannon glowed menacingly, and Bellatrix heard it crackle with pent-up energy. The power Narcissa drew in from the storm earlier...no doubt that was augmenting the Razor Knight's weapons. She released it in one explosive burst. A wide beam of energy from the Razor Knight's cannon cut down nearly all the jets moving in.

Most of the broom-riding Americans steered clear of Narcissa's attacks, and were furiously firing curses down at her. But far more fire came from below. Looking down, Bellatrix saw those vehicles she recalled were called 'jeeps', with mounted machine guns and Muggles with rocket launchers riding along. Tanks follwed them up the street, but what made Bellatrix's jaw drop was the sight of basilisks slithering up behind the jeeps, each with a mounted rider. Bellatrix shut her eyes and turned away as the Muggles cut loose with their weapons, more fearful of those basilisks removing their eye covers. Instead, over the sounds of rockets, shells and machine guns, Bellatrix heard the basilisks hack up venom, spitting it into the mud giantess.

_YOU FOOLS! _Bellatrix thought fearfully. Those basilisk riders clearly hoped that venom would snuff out Narcissa, but while she still held onto her, it would do her in as well. Bellatrix reflexively held her breath, but it wouldn't be long before that poison diffused throughout all the mud. Even contact with it could be deadly.

For a while, it looked like all the Muggle reinforcements and the basilisk riders had Narcissa in check, but once again it was an empty hope. Narcissa merely threw the Razor Knight down near them, and at once it opened up with its main cannon and flamethrowers. The Muggles and wizards in nearby jeeps were instantly incinerated, and one basilisk got blasted through a building.

Bellatrix watched helplessly as the Razor Knight carved its path of destruction. Desperate for any hope, she looked up at the colossus holding her. _That basilisk venom must've affected Cissy by now,_ she reasoned. But when she looked up, all that filled her vision was the maniacal, pained face of her sister, sculpted from mud. Judging from that face, if it perfectly reflected Narcissa's own...then the venom was having no effect.

"The vampire and the doctor's boy will keep that lot busy for now," said Narcissa, her cracking, burbling voice booming in Bellatrix's ears. "You...I must take time to deal with properly." Every word her sister spoke...dripped with a poisonous malevolence that far surpassed her own. Narcissa was becoming more unhinged by the second, evidenced by how she was angrily swatting away all the American wizards still flying around her. All the while, Narcissa never took her eyes off Bellatrix. "Last year...you bragged about how you'd gladly offer up Draco to Voldemort if he was your son. Careful what you wish for...that may have just happened."

Bellatrix stared blankly back up at her sister. "What in...w-w-what're you...."

"We've received word from that orbital platform! It self-destructed just like you planned, and my son was last seen with the Dark Lord, bound and helpless!" shrieked Narcissa, sounding like her grip on her sanity had slipped away at last. The sheer decibel count nearly made Bellatrix's head explode. "If he got Draco out alive, then he's no doubt started to slowly torture my son to death for his choice! He'll take the thing I cherish most, so now I'll _GLADLY_ help Dr. Asara finish wiping out everything he does, along with this stinking Muggle city! You made it clear you'll always put him over me, so...I'LL START WITH YOU!"

With that, Bellatrix felt the muddy fingers clutching her tighten around her. Bellatrix began to wish that basilisk venom would hurry up and do its work...her bones felt like they were slowly being ground into powder. The crushing pressure got worse, and everything was going black. Narcissa's face was becoming a muddy blur. Bellatrix knew she'd past out any second....

_Is this how my service to the Dark Lord ends? Crushed to death by my other traitorous sister?_ Bellatrix wondered as consciousness slipped away. She was only dimly aware of a crackling, smacking sound not too far away....

Then the pressure let up.

"Wh-wha!" stammered Bellatrix as her vision cleared. Looking down, she saw thick sheets of ice had formed along Narcissa's arm, practically freezing it solid. "Shacklebolt and Weasley again?" Bellatrix thought aloud. She glanced up at Narcissa, but she wasn't glaring at the ground, but something in the air. She followed her gaze, and gasped.

A small, blue car was diving down through the stormy sky. Harry Potter was driving it, and leaning out the left side was Samus Aran, aiming her arm cannon.

xxxxxx

"She's immobilized for the moment, focused on us," Samus said as she got back in the Ford Anglia. "Harry, you ready?"

"To save the psycho that murdered my godfather? Why not?" Harry replied sarcastically. Samus heard the hum of his charging wand over his scything voice. He put his wand arm out the window, aimed, and shouted, "_Bombarda Maxima!_" Three separate Blasting Curses smacked into where Samus's ice missiles froze Narcissa's arm. They instantly shattered her arm, and Bellatrix plunged toward the street below along with chunks of frozen mud. Narcissa roared furiously and staggered back, but Harry and Samus ignored her. Samus leaned back out as Harry made the Ford Anglia dive, and grabbed a screaming Bellatrix just before she would've hit the street.

"Got her! Climb Harry, climb!" shouted Samus as she pulled Bellatrix into the car. Harry needed no urging, since a gigantic, muddy army boot was coming down over them. The car evaded Narcissa's crushing boot with time to spare, and climbed back above the Washington, D.C. skyline, out of her reach.

Bellatrix still looked ready to pass out, even as the Etecoons tried to rouse her. His impatience brewing, Harry said, "OK Bellatrix, we pulled your arse out of the fire back there, so talk. Samus got the last weapon piece, so d'you have any good news for us?"

"N-N-Not really," Bellatrix eventually got out. "Cissy said something about...that thing in space with those missiles carrying Ragnarok, it got blown away. But she said her son and the Dark Lord were last seen together...don't think they made it out...."

A sickly, icy feeling crept up within Samus, a feeling Harry vehemently echoed. "Voldemort didn't make it out! What about Ron and Hermione!" he demanded.

"Don't know...she didn't say," Bellatrix said nonchalantly. "My sister's gone completely mad. She was mad enough already to go along with Valkyrie's schemes, but she'll go on to flatten this entire city. She can't mutate these Muggles now, but Valkyrie's plan to utterly demoralize them by crushing America's capital will still work...."

Samus was only half-listening to Bellatrix's rambling, still mulling over Ron and Hermione's uncertain fate. She turned to Harry when she heard him unfasten his helmet. As he removed it, Harry's expression went blank. "Harry, do you sense Voldemort? Any idea if Ron and Hermione are with him?" she asked breathlessly. She figured that if Voldemort had Draco in his power, Harry would feel his vindictive delight, or rage directed at the ex-Death Eater. If Voldemort was still in one piece, it would at least be some clue about Ron and Hermione.

But at length, Harry shook his head, his face frozen with horror. "I'm sorry, Samus. I don't feel...anything!"

"Narcissa Malfoy must know, then," said Samus. "If she knew about Voldemort not getting out, she'll know about Ron and Hermione."

"Then we'll squeeze the truth out of her!" cried Harry as he brought the Ford Anglia back around. The car dove back down to the streets. Narcissa's titanic mud form was only a couple blocks away. She had gone back to smashing buildings, swatting down wizards on brooms and bringing down helicopters, all in a blind, unthinking rage. But off in the distance, they could also see the Razor Knight in its tank mode, still cutting a swath through Washington's defenders.

"You've still got Valkyrie's favorite toy to smash up, too," said Bellatrix dully, pointing out the obvious. Samus shuddered as she watched one of the charging basilisks get burned half to death, then get blown away.

"Then it's settled. BOTH have to be taken out if our allies hope to secure this capital," Samus declared, sounding as brave as she could.

"Don't be so thick, bounty hunter," spat Bellatrix. "I was with the Muggle armies and Order members trying to fight both those...things. No matter what we threw at them, they just kept coming. You and the boy have no hope of stopping them, especially the beast my sister's degenerated into."

"You Death Eaters always say the same thing about me and your boss. And I've got a perfect six-to-nothing record," Harry replied slyly. "But Samus, we'll have to split up. You're better with fighting technological buggers, so you should take the Razor Knight. Leave the attack of the 50-foot mudbath to me."

Samus looked over to Harry, eyes wide with surprise. "Harry, you _seriously_ want to take on that...that _**MONSTROSITY**_ by yourself!"

"Hell no, but we don't have much choice," said Harry. "Like Lestrange said, those two buggers've obliterated everything thrown at them so far. If we're going to save this capital, it's got to be us."

Samus envied Harry's show of resolve. She realized it was mortal terror over Ron and Hermione's uncertain fates that now spurred him on, a desire to squeeze some answers out of Narcissa Malfoy at all costs. Suddenly feeling ashamed for her sudden lack of resolve, Samus glared back out at the Razor Knight. Most of the vehicles and basilisks it was attacking had fallen back. Now was the time to move in. "OK Harry, we go with your plan. Drop me off right over it, then double back to take care of Malfoy."

"Done and done," Harry said, turning the wheel hard to the left. The Ford Anglia veered down toward the street corner the Razor Knight was holding. As Harry was about to pass over it, Samus went into morph ball mode. Catching on, Harry nodded and swung his door open, letting Samus bounce out of the car.

Samus landed in the space between one of the flamethrowers and the main turret. She immediately dropped a power bomb, unrolled, and bounded away from the Razor Knight. As thermonuclear fire blanketed it, Samus cut loose with her ice missiles, hoping the rapid temperature shift would crack its armor. But as the turret swerved around to fire, Samus realized how idiotic it was to get her hopes up. This was Valkyrie's prized flagship, it was built to take far worse abuse. However, Samus was ready and willing to dish out her worst....

The main cannon fired, but Samus effortlessly backflipped out of the way, and it took out part of a nearly apartment building instead. Then it opened up with its flamethrowers as it barreled forward. Again, Samus ducked, dodged and jumped around everything the Razor Knight threw at her. She kept on circling it as it rolled about to pursue her, firing her missiles and beams at points where her visor indicated the armor was weaker. Her efforts soon paid off, as her ice beam eventually caused both flamethrowers to freeze over, now completely useless.

_That's how you do it,_ Samus thought to herself as she kept up her hit-and-run strategy. _There wasn't a war machine built in my time that I couldn't level...why should Valkyrie's little science projects be any different?_ Jumping over fire from its main cannon, Samus unleashed a charged blast that took out the Razor Knight's left flamethrower for good.

To compensate for the loss of the flamethrowers, however, machine gun units mounted on robotic arms sprang out from the back. Samus spotted them a second too late. Her armor was pelted with charmed bullets. They ricocheted everywhere, but it felt like they dug right through her, and Samus watched nearly two whole tanks get whittled away on her HUD. She fired an ice missile at the left one to immobilize it for a moment, right as she jumped over the Razor Knight. The right one swiveled around to fire at point-blank range. But a split-second before it could, Samus ensnared it with her wisp whip upon landing on the turret. The ghastly flames ate through the metal as Samus dragged it down to her level, then she sliced it apart with her extended fins.

"Blast me at point-blank range, will you? That takes care of this one," Samus sneered as she turned around. "Now for the other...." But the robotic arm bludgeoned Samus with its frozen gun, shattering the ice as it knocked her off the Razor Knight. Samus tumbled back down onto the street. The Razor Knight rumbled forward, trying to crush her, but Samus sprang right back up, keeping up her barrage of beams and missiles as she fell back. All the while, the other machine gun kept firing, and the main cannon was firing so furiously, Samus found it harder and harder to avoid it.

Another cannon blast sailed past Samus, hitting a parked bus instead. The explosive burst from the bus knocked Samus to the ground. Looking up, she saw the robotic arm train its machine gun right at her. Samus raised her arm cannon, hoping to freeze it again. But the turret was swiveling around as well, and she was still too close for comfort....

Before either of them could fire, however, there was an ominous hissing noise from behind the Razor Knight. In an eyeblink, one of the basilisks lurched forward and clamped down onto the other robotic arm with its jaws. Its mounted rider started firing curses down at the tank as the basilisk wrenched the arm loose. Samus joined in, renewing her assault on the tank. More missiles and charged shots dug into the lightly-armored areas, and even with the driving rain, Samus could make out some sparks and smoke.

The Razor Knight's turret began to swerve around, as if to shake the basilisk and ram its side with the cannon. With a hiss of Parseltongue from the rider, the basilisk leaned down and started to coil itself around the turret, no doubt hoping to squeeze and pop it off. Samus held her fire, in an odd position of not wanting to harm a basilisk.

For a moment, it looked like the basilisk might actually succeed. Then, the turret's hatch popped open, and Wildflower leaped out from it. She tackled the rider and effortlessly knocked her off her mount. At once, Samus raised her arm cannon, but then Faction popped up from the hatch. With one wand, he conjured an icy javelin that impaled the basilisk through its open mouth, and with the other he cast Glacius on Samus. The icy mist stunned her, and with the downpour and flooding streets, she was frozen in place.

Thankfully, with her strength, it didn't take long to shatter the ice trapping her. She freed herself just in time, as Faction had jumped down from the Razor Knight onto the street. As the basilisk's dead body fell off of it, Faction waved both his wands. A gas discharge shot the Razor Knight up into the air, where it reverted into a jet and flew away. As it retreated, Samus could see it leave trails of smoke. _At least I dealt it some serious damage,_ Samus mused.

Faction and Samus stared each other down from across the street. Samus carefully watched his every move. Valkyrie's son had fought her, her three friends and Voldemort single-handedly, and there was no telling how much stamina he had recovered. As Samus patiently waited for Faction to make the next move, she heard an odious slurping sound off to her right. Risking a sideways glance, her insides roiled as Wildflower tossed away the basilisk-rider's lifeless body, her mouth dripping with fresh blood. "So much for never feasting on humans again," Samus spat with as much venom as she could muster.

"You made it necessary, Aran," Wildflower shot back. "My strength was still lacking after you and your little friend tried to napalm me back in Gryffindor's sanctum, and I'm making sure you don't escape us this time!" With that, Wildflower launched herself at Samus with inhuman speed. She brought her staff down to bludgeon Samus, but she deftly caught it and kicked Wildflower aside, back over to Faction. Faction retaliated by using Glacius with both wands, but Samus jumped away and fired some missiles down at them. Too late to try Banishing them, Wildflower and Faction had to scatter.

"Don't try to pin _ANYTHING_ on me, Isobel Maxime! Don't you dare try blaming anyone else for what you've done!" Samus roared over the rain as she fired wildly, forcing Wildflower and Faction to keep their distance. "You _CHOSE_ to feed on that rider, just like how you _CHOSE_ to butcher most of your family! Stop making it sound like everyone's forced you people into this...you've _CHOSEN_ to make everyone on Earth your enemy!"

Regathering his wits and standing his ground, Faction cast another Shield Charm to deflect Samus's beam shots, then cast Glacius again. Samus ducked aside to avoid the rush of icy mist. "Truly spoken like a stranger to our time," growled Faction as Samus fell back. "You have no idea what like was like in my village, before my mother found me. And you have no idea what kind of deparvity and evil us Infernians have seen all over Earth these last sixteen years...."

Samus finally got Faction to shut up after directing some ice beam shots near the ground around him. Soon, he was frozen in place, and barely pulled himself free to avoid getting crushed by a tree Samus brought down with a missile blast. But Wildflower moved in to pick up the slack. Samus turned too late, and Wildflower blindsided her. Holding a motorcycle with one hand, Wildflower jumped down and brutally bludgeoned Samus with it, flooring her. She then blasted Samus away with a wave of her staff. "Kago speaks the truth, Aran. We've been all over this planet, seen the obstinance of all the wizards and Muggles who hold power for ourselves! Their shortsightedness and greed is the root of so much needless suffering! Political oppression, famines, wars...."

As Wildflower rushed in to clobber Samus with the motorcycle again, she blocked it by driving her fins up into it. Then she fired her plasma beam at point-blank range, forcing Wildflower to back off. "And your solution was to launch a world war of your own, to kickstart your boss's sick idea of a new phase of natural selection!" demanded Samus, disgusted. Wildflower nursed where the plasma beam seared her. Luckily for Wildflower, rain was still falling in sheets, drenching her dress and making it cling to her skin, cooling her wound in the process. _But hopefully all this water flowing down the street will disorient her again, give me an edge,_ Samus thought. The vampiress glared back at Samus with fangs bared, snarling, but only held out her wand defensively.

The chance to press the attack never came, because Faction moved in again, wildly firing curses with both wands. "Why not, Samus? Wildflower gave our home an apt name! The rest of the world would have blindly hated us no matter what! This country, both its Muggles and wizards, even ordered a full nuclear strike on Inferno! Why should we not stamp out _EVERYONE_ who would only bring misery, especially Voldemort! Are you not the same way! Didn't you devote your entire life to hunting down and exterminating Space Pirates!" he demanded irascibly.

Far from making Samus doubt herself, Faction's line of reasoning further stirred a terrible rage within her. She rushed forward, putting Faction on the defensive again with a barrage of beams and missiles. Many of her shots got through, nicking his sides and leaving burns and bloody wounds. She smiled to herself as Faction sagged, then charged a shot to full power. Forced to retreat, Faction backflipped and burrowed into the park grounds behind him. Wildflower then rushed in, using Glacius in the hopes to disorient Samus. Far from being cowed, Samus dove into the mist, rolling into a ball. She dropped a power bomb when she sensed Wildflower getting close.

"What in...ACK!" Wildflower screamed as she heard the bomb was about to go off. With a tremendous effort, Wildflower hurled herself aside, barely escaping the thermonuclear blast. But as she picked herself up, Samus was atop her. Running as fast as she could to avoid chunks of exploding concrete Faction was lobbing up at her from under the street, Samus sunk her foot into Wildflower's midsection, sending her flying. Her backside slammed into a tree. Wildflower dashed away as Samus cut loose with her plasma beam, only succeeding in setting the tree on fire. The vampiress fired off a few quick Blasting Curses, each of which impacted Samus's armor and forced her back. Then she rushed in, brandishing her staff, which Samus barely parried with her extended fins.

Just then, Faction burst forth from the ground, his left hand encased in a rocky gauntlet made of seething magma chunks so hot, even the driving rain couldn't cool them. He immediately took a swing at Samus, but she merely ducked. Faction then used Sectumsempra at close range. It grazed across Samus's right arm, leaving a little gash in the membraney covering and tarnishing the lion head on her shoulder. But the feedback from the curse was overwhelming. Wildflower then moved in, her staff glowing with white-hot energy, hoping Samus would be too weak to fight back.

Rather, Samus's disciplined mind blocked out all the pain and focused with all her might. She parried the staff with her fins again, and at the same time blocked a blow from Faction's magma-gauntlet with her arm cannon. The two Reformers kept trying to cut Samus down up close, but Samus refused to be overcome. Every swing, every kick, every punch, and every curse was deftly evaded, and Samus held nothing back, fighting with all her strength. "Don't any of you _EVER_ compare your work to mine!" she screamed as she kept pummeling them. "What I do in my time, it's only to prevent the Space Pirates from overrunning worlds and harming innocents. You people could've just lived peacefully in Inferno, but you _CHOSE_ to launch this campaign! When it comes to our methods, you're closer to the Space Pirates than you'll _EVER_ be to me!"

Samus drove Wildflower back with another kick to her gut. As she reeled back, Faction made another swing with his magma-gauntlet. She blocked it with her right elbow, but while her arm cannon was aimed away, Faction cast a Killing Curse out of desperation. That sickly numbness overtook Samus as her suit tried to compensate. With the utmost concentration, Samus ducked as Faction made another swing, and grabbed a clump of mud. She tossed it up into Faction's left eye.

Howling with confusion, Faction stumbled back. Unable to use his right wand, Faction furiously shook his left hand. The magma chunks quickly flew off. As Samus heard Wildflower coming up behind her, Samus grabbed Faction's left wrist, now devoid of magma, and swung him around. After letting go, she slammed Faction into Wildflower, and he went careening past her after she was flattened against the flooded street, face-down. As she tried to stand back up, Samus fired a charged plasma shot. She was hurled backward with a scream, hitting Faction and sending them both back down with a splash.

Coughing and panting, Faction and Wildflower rose again, but Samus could see their legs were wobbly. "You've got to be kidding me. Individually, you almost had me and Harry at your mercy. Now I'm chopping the both of you down," Samus remarked. "Conclusion: You two are still smarting from our last encounters. A lot." She aimed her arm cannon again, charging a shot. "Give it up, you two. Keep this up any longer, and you know I'll have no qualms with killing you."

Wildflower snorted derisively, using her staff for support. "We know that all too well from Dr. Hinada, Aran," she spat. "She's why Val and all us Reformers were always fascinated with you, thought you'd be an asset one day. How you'll stop at nothing to get things done, just like Val. But you've made your choice painfully clear, so...."

Samus watched the pair dubiously, wondering why Wildflower sounded so confident. Focusing with all her sense, Samus eventually heard something over the plangent winds and rain. Glancing upward, she saw the Razor Knight was coming back.

As it flew down closer, it unloaded its machine guns. Samus fired her charged shot right before taking cover among the park's trees. Wildflower and Faction jumped in opposite directions to avoid her blast. Wildflower jumped up into a tree, then bounded onto the Razor Knight as it began to hover a few dozen feet above the street, while Faction cast Carpe Retractum with both wands and launched himself up atop it.

Samus fired up at the jet, but couldn't get a clear shot at the Reformers from that angle. She heard them climb into the cockpit, then the Razor Knight took off, only to turn around and double back.

"So this is how you want to end it," Samus spat as machine gun fire rained down into the small park.

xxxxxx

The Ford Anglia dove, once again flanked by numerous American wizards on brooms. Harry leaned out the window, one hand on the wheel and the other tightly gripping his wand, holding onto a charged shot. He made the car stay its course, refusing to let Narcissa's maniacal gaze get to him. She swatted the air as he closed in, but Harry quickly pulled up just as he let loose his spazer shot, sending out three Incendiary Charms at once. The wizards who fell in line with Harry sent out fiery spells of their own as they deftly swooped and dodged, avoiding Narcissa's massive, groping hands as they began circling her.

Harry flipped the plasma beam back on as he circled around Narcissa as well. Triple blasts of intense, searing heat lanced out at the mud colossus nonstop. The idea was that if freezing Narcissa's massive mud body wouldn't work, then heat would work instead. Harry hoped the sewage and basilisk venom mixed in with the mud would catch fire, and the magical flames wouldn't be put out by the rain too quickly.

As the fight wore on, Harry realized how stupid the plan was. This freak storm that Inferno whipped up was clearly done just to make Narcissa unstoppable, the water bringing endless nourishment for the monster she conjured. Not only that, the longer the fight dragged on, Narcissa added more and more mass to her creation, and there was no telling if there could be any limit to her size. _Explosives don't work, freezing doesn't work, heat doesn't work...what'll it take to stop this thing!_ Harry wondered desperately.

More wizards entered the fray, diving at Narcissa and unleashing a volley of different spells. As Harry brought the Ford Anglia behind Narcissa, he noticed how her upper body crackled with electricity as she spread her arms wide. "NO! Everyone, back off! Get out of there!" he cried desperately, but it was too late. Narcissa's hands came together with a deafening clap, sending out another shockwave that blasted all the advancing wizards clean off their brooms. "NO!" Harry cried again as three broomless Americans soared past the Ford Anglia, plummeting toward the street below. In desperation, Harry flipped off his plasma beam, then cast three Levitation Charms at once, gently lowering them to safety.

"Face it, Potter, we're getting nowhere with my sister this way," spat Bellatrix, who was still sitting next to him. "Nothing we can throw at her will force her out of that pile of filth."

"Lestrange, if you don't have anything useful to say, don't say anything at all," snapped Harry as he brought the car back around. _But she's got a point. I'm not doing anyone any good in here, flying circles around this thing,_ Harry reasoned. _Samus braved fighting the Razor Knight on foot. If I'm going to get Narcissa out of there...._

He brought the Ford Anglia in closer, over a row of rooftops Narcissa had yet to smash apart. "If you think you can do any better, Lestrange, it's now time to put your Galleons where your mouth is. You take over in the car. I'm going down there."

"What in...how am I supposed to sling curses and fly Weasley's pet..._thing_ at the same time!" Bellatrix demanded, still sounding winded from fighting Narcissa herself.

The car gave a violent lurch, and Harry swore he heard an animalistic growl from the engine over the rain. _Manners, Lestrange,_ Harry thought sourly. "You won't be flying the car, Lestrange. They are," he said, jerking a thumb back at the squealing Etecoons.

"WHAT! You expect me to believe these...stinking alien monkeys can fly an enchanted car!"

Harry didn't bother answering Bellatrix as he flung the door open. Taking a deep breath, he dove down and went into morph ball mode, letting himself bounce around and roll along a rooftop. Once he felt confident his momentum slowed enough, he unrolled, still moving at a running pace. Turning to his left, he saw Narcissa getting ready to take out more broom-mounted wizards _and_ helicopters with that shockwave of hers. Realizing he had to act quickly, draw Narcissa's fire, he armed his missile launcher and fired wildly. _Have to be careful, never really got a chance to restock these buggers,_ Harry thought warily, noting how he only had about fifty left.

The missiles sank into the mud making up Narcissa's shoulders and detonated, blowing apart a good chunk of them. That immediately got her attention. She whirled around, her crazed expression darkening even more as she spotted Harry. With a furious howl, she took out the building Harry was running across with a single swipe.

Luckily, Harry had just reached the roof's edge, and bounded over to the next building. A flurry of debris from the wrecked building soared past him as he made his leap. He tucked and rolled along the next roof, then whirled around with his wand raised. Narcissa was about to bring her fist down on him. In desperation, he cast Glacius as it came down. Fighting the deathly sense of numbness, Harry poured on more and more freezing mist. Soon, ice coated Narcissa's arm up to her shoulder, immobilizing it.

_That won't stop her for very long, _Harry thought. _If only there was some way to attack Narcissa directly. But no locating spells seem to work. She's in there, but where?_ As Narcissa reeled back, she stared at her frozen arm, and Harry caught the painful look on her face. That frozen arm made Harry think of a cast, and Narcissa's anguished look somehow reminded him of someone breaking an arm. _Cast, broken bones...wait a second...._

Hope swelling within him, Harry flipped his x-ray visor on and stared at Narcissa's massive mud body. At once, he spotted a human body, surrounded by a web of machines, embedded in its right hip. "GOT YOU!" Harry screamed. The ice trapping Narcissa's arm had just thawed, and she was getting ready to lash out again. But she was too late. Harry had a shot charged, all beam effects active, and let loose. His shot burrowed clear through the mud, and Harry followed up with more missiles. All his attacks made their mark, and judging how the muddy titaness reeled back and shrieked, arms flailing wildly, they definitely had an impact.

Narcissa staggered back several dozen feet, but then stopped, her mud form reflecting how she was taking several deep breaths. She leered over at the rooftop, and with a snarl, charged again. As she got close enough, Harry switched his x-ray visor back on, and caught Narcissa swimming up into the mud monstrosity's left shoulder. Already having a shot ready, Harry fired right into the shoulder as his visor locked onto her. More missiles followed, and once again Narcissa stumbled back, her garbled cries of pain echoing throughout Washington, D.C..

Harry flipped off the x-ray visor, since Narcissa was too far away for it to be any use. The sneering, imperious glare he came to associate with all the Malfoys stared back at him. But Narcissa wasn't charging right away; clearly, she figured out Harry could track wherever she went in that mud body.

"I must confess, Potter, maybe I'm lucky I _couldn't_ provoke you back in Diagon Alley. You're far better than I gave you credit for. No wonder Dr. Asara wanted you at her side," said Narcissa. Harry said nothing, watching Narcissa's every move while keeping a shot charged. "But instead, you spat in her face, just like you spat in my son's face six years ago! And because of how you and your friends sided with the Dark Lord over the doctor and my family, Draco is probably dead at his hands! Those friends of yours got him onto that platform, and he was last seen fleeing its destruction with my son!"

"Then you must know if Ron and Hermione got out or not!" Harry dared. Any pity he felt about Draco was eclipsed by the dread over his friends' uncertain fate.

"If they went up with the platform, they got what they deserved! Dr. Asara offered you three everything you could have ever desired, and we Malfoys...would've gladly swallowed our pride and worked with you!" Narcissa roared. "But three had to be the obstinate little rebels as always! So be it! They went out in a blaze of glory...and so will you!"

In a flash, Narcissa's left arm turned into a tentacle that shot down the street like a whip. When it retracted and reformed into an arm, Harry's eyes widened when she saw Narcissa was holding a tanker truck. She hurled it down into the building Harry stood on, making it quake.

Guessing what was coming next, Harry made a desperate leap off the roof. As he dreaded, a lightning bolt shot out from Narcissa's hand down into the building, blowing up the tanker truck. Harry reeled as the force of the explosion propelled him further, driving him down into the street as mangled chunks of buildings rained down around him. As he tried to get up, part of a brick wall fell onto him. It felt like it just flattened him. Harry propped himself up on his hands and knees, eventually flinging the wall chunk off of him, noting how nearly half his energy was gone.

"DIE, HARRY POTTER!" came Narcissa's crazed, echoing scream from above. Harry looked up to see Narcissa's gigantic boot coming straight down. Before Harry could even cringe reflexively, he felt something grasp his arm, and suddenly found himself being whisked away down the street. By the time Narcissa's boot crashed down into the street, he was several dozen yards away. Looking to his side, he gasped as he saw the adult Dachora clutching his arm in its beak as it barreled down the street at top speed. Eventually, it slowed down and let Harry catch his breath.

Harry stood there a moment, watching as the Dachora stood there nobly, its powerful, rythmic breathing clearly heard over the rain. It watched him curiously, as if waiting for Harry to do something. He looked back down the street, where the Ford Anglia was swooping around Narcissa. Judging from the flashes of light, Bellatrix was hastily lobbing curses at her sister.

_A little too late to do me any good,_ Harry thought bitterly. He sighed deeply, realizing he had to get back over there before Narcissa destroyed the car, along with Bellatrix and the Etecoons. _Thankfully, the speed booster'll make that a snap, and...._ Then something dawned on Harry, and he looked over to the Dachora. It nodded knowingly, as if it knew what Harry was thinking. "So that's was your plan, eh? OK, let's do this."

Harry dashed forward, and the Dachora followed beside them. Within seconds, both of them had picked up enough momentum, barreling back down the street with obscene speed. Meanwhile, Narcissa had finally grabbed hold of the Ford Anglia. As Harry and the Dachora approached, the Etecoons' panicked warbling reached their ears. Harry forced himself to focus. Their only hope was for this to work....

Just before Narcissa could crush the car in her hand, Harry and the Dachora ducked down right between her massive legs. Knowing there was no time to pinpoint Narcissa's location with the x-ray visor, Harry shot himself straight up and hoped for the best. The Dachora did the same. Harry felt himself punch through tons of slimy mud as the shinespark carried him up, but he didn't feel himself plow through Narcissa. A second later, he and the Dachora rocketed out from Narcissa's head. Looking down as he willed his suit to vent its excess power, he saw the entire muddy mass start to dissolve. As he bounded down to safety with the space jump, he caught glimpses of it coming apart completely. At last, he landed safely on an undamaged rooftop, and not long afterwards the Ford Anglia came to a screeching halt beside him.

"Did that do it?" asked Bellatrix. "Did you really cut my sister down inside that thing?"

"I don't think so," said Harry. Looking up, he saw the Dachora fluttering down safely to the roof. "The Dachora's OK, so I don't think it did, either. Our shinesparks obviously got to Narcissa, but it's not over yet. Look," he finished, pointing down at the street. Bellatrix, the Etecoons and the infant Dachora all got out of the Ford Anglia and peered over the roof. The muddy mass had yet to reform into Narcissa's likeness, but it was retreating at a rapid pace, crawling away like a giant ameoba.

xxxxxx

The Razor Knight swooped down for another strafing run, unleashing its machine guns and those strange white balls of energy. They all smacked into the buildings Samus was running across, cutting through them and reducing them to so much rubble. _Good thing most of this capital was evacuated well in advance,_ Samus thought as she aimed backwards, firing some missiles after her visor locked on. Battles like these were strenuous enough without having to worry about innocents paying a price. Samus gritted her teeth as she thought of how Valkyrie had refused to learn the same lessons in her lifetime.

Some missiles found there mark, but most of them shot past the Razor Knight as it veered off. Samus ground to a halt, trying to catch her breath as she looked about to see what direction the Razor Knight would come from next. As a tank, the damned thing was easy game, and everything went her way after Wildflower and Faction tried for a rematch. But with the Razor Knight a jet again, it was simply too fast to keep picking apart. Soon, she'd exhaust her missiles, her suit energy would give out....

At last, the Razor Knight dove back under the clouds, and immediately opened fire again. Samus flipped aside, easily dodging the machine gun fire as she countered with more missiles. But the massive white balls of energy that followed the gunfire...too many were coming in, far too many to safely dodge. As she tried to jump away, one clipped her leg, draining numerous tanks and causing her to fall back down to the building, partially paralyzed.

Refusing to scream, Samus gritted her teeth as she forced herself back onto her feet. She was greeted by the sight of the Razor Knight hovering in front of the building, just like the Harriers that defended Hogwarts.

"This is it, Samus Aran!" screamed Wildflower through the Razor Knight's comm, every word dripping with vindictive malice. "You and your friends may have bested all us Reformers, blown up our orbital platform...but Inferno will still win in the end! The Day of Reckoning will still come! And now, Dr. Asara's greatest weapon will do you in!"

With tremendous effort, Samus raised her arm cannon just as she saw Wildflower through the cockpit window, ready to fire at point-blank range. She glared out at Samus malevolently, about to hit the trigger....

Just then, another cry coming over a comm system resounded high above, making Wildflower glance up and Faction at his console. A second later, plasma blasts lanced down at the Razor Knight from above, piercing into the armor plating at the top. A few shots hit the thruster on its port side, and smoke immediately started pouring from it. Samus caught the frustrated look of Wildflower's face, twisted into a snarl, just before the Razor Knight broke off and jetted away, leaving a trail of smoke.

_What in...who the...._ Samus wondered, until at last her rescuers shot down below the clouds. She breathed a sigh of relief as her ship lowered itself near her building. "Hope we're not too late for the party, Samus! Americans sure have some weird ideas about throwing a birthday bash, huh?" George cried over her ship's speakers.

"Samus, you get after that big tub of filth Harry was fighting. He could probably use a hand. Leave the Razor Knight to me and George," J.B. chimed in.

The paralysis from that white ball had long sincw worn off. But hearing the iron determination in J.B.'s words, not to mention the anger in George's voice thinly veiled by his usual jokiness, made Samus feel queasy again. "George, J.B., we know the weapon platform was destroyed. But what about Ron, Hermione and Voldemort? Are they...."

"No time, Samus! Get back to Harry and end the fight on the ground! We'll clear out the air!" J.B. quickly shouted. With that, her ship took off in pursuit of the Razor Knight. As Samus watched them go, that sickly feeling grew until it almost overwhelmed her. J.B. ducking the question like that was answer enough. As was what she plainly heard in his voice. The captain was out for blood.

xxxxxx

Harry was amazed by the speed with which that huge blob of mud and sewage sped away. He felt that even with the speed booster, it would be a chore to keep up. As it was, he was following in the Ford Anglia, along with whatever air support the Americans were still capable of mustering. Their resilience was paying off. As Harry flew after Narcissa, he caught glimpses of entire Inferno squads being cut down or rounded up in the streets below. All they had to do was take down Narcissa Malfoy and the Razor Knight, it seemed, and the day would be won.

However, when Harry finally realized where Narcissa was headed, he realized the former would be even tougher than he thought. Valkyrie clearly prepared Narcissa well, making sure she was familiar with her old country's capital.

She headed straight for the Washington Monument. Harry shuddered as she approached it. With a ready supply of water in that huge reflecting pool, and tons of drenched soil in the greenery surrounding it, it was a perfect place to replenish her strength.

"Any more bright ideas, Potter?" Bellatrix asked sardonically as they helplessly watched Narcissa draw in water from the reflecting pool. Mud from the surrounding land was flowing towards Narcissa at her command, adding more mass to her mud body than ever before.

"All that excess mud has got to make her loads slower, and no matter where she's hiding in there, any shot can cut through the mud. The trick is letting everyone else know where Narcissa is," said Harry. With that, he reached into the back seat and grabbed one of the Etecoons. Setting it in his lap, he said, "You handle the driving, will you? Need to focus elsewhere." As the Ford Anglia closed in, Harry flipped his x-ray visor on and leaned out the window. At once, he spotted Narcissa hiding in her construct's neck. He quickly used Sonorus and, putting the tip of his wand to his throat, shouted, "EVERYONE, THE NECK! AIM FOR THE NECK!"

All the reinforcements who followed Harry got the message. Air-to-ground missiles, machine gun fire and a hail of curses rained down around the Washington Monument, all aimed at Narcissa's neck. Harry joined in, firing curses and what missiles he had left, and Bellatrix leaned out her window to sling curses, too. The titanic mud statue shrieked and writhed, and it wasn't long before the entire head was blown off.

However, as Narcissa kept getting pelted, Harry noticed her mud form was no longer reacting. Peering closely, he noticed Narcissa fled deep into its belly. Harry wasted no time using Sonorus again, and shouted, "OK, NOW GO FOR THE GUT! HURRY BEFORE SHE SCURRIES SOMEWHERE ELSE!"

The Ford Anglia banked hard to the right as it approached Narcissa, giving Harry a great opportunity to sink more missiles into the muddy colossus. His x-ray visor showed all of them struck Narcissa. The onslaught from the reinforcements he brought soon followed, and Harry saw Narcissa was getting pummelled plenty. "Whatever magic's she using to protect herself, it's got to give out soon," Harry thought aloud. "We've poured on plenty, she can't last much longer...."

As Narcissa stumbled backward, she bumped into the Washington Monument. A snarl crossed her face as she seemed to get her second wind. Her arms morphed into electrified tentacles, and she sliced the airspace above the monument with them. Harry's heart sank as he watched entire helicopters get cleaved in half in midair, saw wizards die instantly from the impact. "Doesn't matter how many of you scum keep coming, I'll cut you all down!" Narcissa shrieked, the madness that took hold of her almost palpable. "I've got nothing left to live for, save stamping out ANYONE who sided with Lord Voldemort!"

Despite her vehement threats, Harry saw more air support moving in. More helicopters and wizards on brooms, some of the latter even sporting rocket launchers along with wands (no doubt with enchanted ammunition) , flew in and opened fire. _The Americans...they smell blood now. Now they know we can cut Narcissa down to size. _Harry turned back to Narcissa, trying to spot her in all that muck with the x-ray visor. But he was taken aback when Narcissa crashed her arm into the monument behind her. The onimous crumbling noise that followed coaxed Harry to switch back to the normal view.

"Oh, you didn't just...." Harry growled. Narcissa had knocked off the upper half of the Washington Monument. She caught it, and then with a roar, broke that part in half, using both quarters of the obelisks as shields to deflect the incoming rockets, bullets and curses. She soon started swinging the monument parts around like gigantic clubs. Helicopters and broom-riding wizards barely ducked out of the way in time. Harry's insides froze when Narcissa turned to face the Ford Anglia, and reared back one arm to swing part of the monument at it.

Just as Narcissa was about to strike, missiles shot up at her from the ground. Missiles that froze the mud after they sank into it....

Both Narcissa and Harry glanced down to the ground. "Don't tell me, even she can't be that crazy," Bellatrix remarked. But sure enough, Samus was dashing right for Narcissa at superspeed, firing missiles all the while. Her anger with Harry forgotten, Narcissa spit out massive globs of mud, hoping to trip up Samus. Samus deftly veered left and right as she ran right over the water in the huge reflecting pool, avoiding the mudballs with ridiculous ease. "Wait a minute, is she trying the same stunt you did?" Bellatrix suddenly asked.

"I'll wager she is," Harry replied brightly. Sure enough, once Samus reached the wrecked monument, she soared straight up with the shinespark. Harry flipped on his x-ray visor and finally spotted Narcissa where her colossus's 'heart' would be. Samus came dangerous close to ramming Narcissa, but even though Samus only grazed by her, it was enough to seriously hurt her. With his normal visor, he saw Narcissa fall to her knees just as Samus burst out the top of her head. The monument parts made the whole place quake when Narcissa dropped them, and the finer details of Narcissa's construct began to melt away. Not done yet, Samus slowed down as she neared the lower half of the Washington Monument. Kicking off the topmost part that remained, she bounded away from it, firing shot after shot down into the disentegrating likeness of Narcissa Malfoy. All the remaining air support joined in. "She's really doing it! She's got this!" cried Harry, scarcely believing even Samus could bring down a monster like that. The Etecoons and Dachoras, likewise, began to warble happily.

But the celebration soon proved premature. Narcissa picked her head up, watching Samus as she kept falling and firing at wherever she swam inside the mud. Then, with a swiftness Harry thought impossible for something so unbelievably huge, Narcissa grabbed the top quarter of the Washington Monument and swung it through the air. Harry's mind went blank as he watched Samus sail across the horizon.

"Forget the bounty hunter, Potter! Worry about us!" cried Bellatrix, shocking Harry out of his stupor. It was too late. Narcissa clapped her hands and sent out another shockwave, and this time the Ford Anglia was too close. Electricity rocked the car, and suddenly it went into a dive, going right for the reflecting pool. Thankfully, the Ford Anglia still seemed to have a mind of its own, and pulled out of its dive on its own accord. "Whew, close one. Maybe Weasley actually knew what he was doing," muttered Bellatrix. "Doesn't look good for the rest of that lot, though. The shockwave scattered and confused them all. And any idea where Cissy knocked Aran to?"

Harry grabbed the wheel again and made the car ascend. As he did so, he noticed Narcissa had reverted the mud mass to an amorphous blob, and was taking off in the direction Samus went flying in. Then he looked over to where Narcissa was speeding off to, and his eyes widened. "Uh-oh, as if Malfoy didn't do enough damage over here," he said weakly.

Narcissa had knocked Samus right toward the White House.

xxxxxx

Some say that war changes a person forever, that it imbues instincts and reflexes that can never go away. Today, J.B. Granger found that to be all too true. All the piloting skills honed to a razor sheen back in Desert Storm came back in full force, as Wildflower proved to be a deft and crafty pilot in her own right. Their dogfight right over Washington, D.C. had only dragged on for a few minutes, but for J.B., it seemed to be hours. As it was, this was a fight neither side could afford to lose. But on top of that, when J.B. mulled over how Adam found no trace of Ron and Hermione after an hour of frantic scanning....

This was personal. VERY personal.

The Razor Knight came up behind the ship, cutting loose with those white-hot balls of pure energy. Having anticipated this, J.B. tried to shake it as he made the ship do a barrel roll. The motion, along with the ship's shielding, seemed to bat away the offending energy. The Razor Knight stayed hot on their tail, adding machine gun fire to the mix. "Captain Granger, those enchanted bullets will severely compromise my systems. In a sense, they're more dangerous than the energy blasts," Adam informed them.

As J.B. kept desperately trying to shake the Razor Knight, he looked down at the console. The rear view showed two separate, massively powerful spells came from its cockpit, no doubt simultaneously cast by Faction, and homing in on the ship. "George, we've got incoming curses!" he shouted.

"On it!" George said as he stuck his head out the opening in the ship's bottom. What charms George was using to keep himself anchored to the ship's floor, and to ward off dizziness as he hung his head out a dogfighting ship, J.B. didn't know, nor did he care. He instinctively knew George would get the job done. Granted, J.B. had never been saddled with a copilot quite like George, but right now, there wasn't anyone else he wanted riding with him. J.B. anxiously watched with baited breath as George's countercurse took out one of the incoming spells. He exhaled heavily as George blocked the other one, as it came mere meters from the hull.

At last, J.B. finally shook his pursuers, and George got back in and shut the hatch. "Well met, Captain Granger!" cried Wildflower's amplified voice imperiously as the Razor Knight veered off. "And to think Dr. Asara was furious with me for trying to bring you to her. She would have admired your skill. You're truly a credit to your long family line of soldiers. But you're flying a ship centuries ahead of anything you're familiar with, while I've trained long and hard to use the Razor Knight like the killing machine it is."

When she finished, the Razor Knight was just coming back into view, darting through the dreary, rainy horizon. Undaunted, J.B. sped forward, cutting loose with the ship's plasma cannons. The jousting move paid off, and his shots danced across its hull as he veered off. Sparks and plumes of smoke rose from the Razor Knight's cockpit. J.B. grabbed the ship's mic with his free hand and shouted into it. "Maybe, bloodsucker. But I'll wager I've got more first-hand COMBAT experience in the air than you. Plus, let's not forget you're in MY airspace! You picked a fight right over the United States of Justin Bailey Granger, bitch! On top of that, after how my niece and George's little brother got blown up on your goddamn orbital platform...this'll only end in one way!" he shouted, all his vindictive rage and frustration boiling to the surface.

"And maybe someone should tell Wildflower that having technology centuries ahead of what you're used to can let you, say, track them more easily," Adam interjected delicately. Sure enough, when Adam glanced down at his console, he could make out the Razor Knight's current trajectory. Whatever Adam was using, it was far superior to any radar system he ever used.

J.B. banked hard to the right, going after the Razor Knight. It wasn't long before they caught up, and now, it was the Razor Knight who couldn't shake him. J.B. cut loose with the plasma cannons, but the Razor Knight swerved out wildly and barrel rolled, knocking away his shots. J.B. kept on their tail, but then Wildflower added those massive energy balls into the mix, firing them back at their ship. J.B. did his best to dodge them, but many came far too close for comfort.

"Hey Adam, J.B., I was just thinking...y'know how loads of this GF technology seems to be made with wizards in mind?" George suddenly asked as J.B. pressed on.

"Yeah, so! George, now's really not the time...." J.B. began, but trailed off as an energy ball came hurling straight for the ship's cockpit.

"Maybe it is...time to put a theory to the test! _DEPULSO!_" George cried, aiming his wand at the cockpit window.

All of a sudden, the cockpit glowed with white-hot intensity for a split second, blinding J.B.. When the light faded as suddenly as it came, J.B.'s jaw dropped as he saw the ball of crackling energy meant for them...it was careening right back at the Razor Knight, at DOUBLE its incoming speed! A solemn silence fell over the ship as it smacked into the Razor Knight's rear thrusters, and it immediately went into a tailspin.

"Clearly, this ship was designed to interact with and amplify certain defensive spells," Adam said. "A clever gambit, George Weasley...one that paid dividends."

"In other words...now's the time to blast Valkyrie's little puppet show away for good!" cried George.

"Truer words were never spoken," hissed J.B. as he kept after the Razor Knight. Once he was within range again, he opened fire. The plasma blasts tore through the jet, and it dove out of control into what looked like an art museum. A huge, explosive plume of fire and smoke burst upward from it, heralding the end of the Razor Knight. "Yippee-kai-yay, motherfuckers!" J.B. screamed audaciously.

xxxxxx

When the blackness that overwhelmed her finally started to clear, for a while it was then stars that clouded Samus's vision. "Ergh, I guess getting smacked with a few hundred metric tons of concrete will do that to you," she grumbled as she tried to stand on wobbly legs. "Where'd she fling me too, anyway? Felt like I hit something solid, like a building's roof, right before I blacked out for a second...."

As Samus took in her surroundings, she noted how she only had two full tanks left, and her missile stock was running low. Wherever she was, it was indeed on the roof of some building, surrounding by grassy grounds and lush trees. It was only about three or four stories tall, and two separate parts branched off from either side. Samus noticed how it gave off a dazzling, white sheen that caught the eye even in the midst of this dark, dreary storm, but Samus was more concerned with assessing her current situation. _Great, not a terribly tall building, there's loads of fresh muddy soil surrounding its perimeter. Better get out of here, find a more defensible position...._

But as Samus looked over to the south, back to that huge, wrecked obelisk, her heart sank as she watched a huge mass of mud crawl toward the strange building like a giant slug. She looked around desperately, but none of the buildings in the vicinity were much taller, and would take too long to reach with her space jump. Gulping, Samus realized she had to make her stand there.

The amporhous blob spread out, as if to surround the place like a ring, closing any avenue of escape. Suddenly, mud completely smothered the wing over to her right, causing it to collapse in on itself. Within seconds, a torrent of mud rose, reshaping itself into a huge replica of Narcissa Malfoy's upper body. Samus switched her x-ray visor on, desperately searching for Narcissa. But she was swimming far up near the head, the angle was too extreme...there was no hope of hitting her....

With a hideous shriek, Narcissa brought her fist down, taking out half of the main building easily. Samus barely jumped backward in time, landing on the very edge. She aimed back up, but couldn't find her target at all. "Game over, Samus Aran!" cried Narcissa as she raised her fist again.

Samus's mind reeled, trying to think of anything she could do to beat Narcissa back. She glanced at her HUD; what missiles she had left, there was no way she could unload them all in time, and no way of being sure any would actually hit Narcissa. _Grrr, if only I could use a wand with my suit the way Harry and his friends do, unload them all in one explosive burst...._ Suddenly, her mishap with Draco's wand in the Arcana Academy flashed in her mind's eye, and she remembered Ron's comment, about how it looked like she channeled her plasma beam through it....

In desperation, lacking any other options, Samus ripped her helmet off and grabbed the wand nestled behind her ear. She was about to leave only her ice beam active, but some instinct told her to leave the plasma beam on instead. Then, she remembered the inscription carved inside the Crocomire's jawbone. She realized that had to be fire-based magic to combine with the plasma beam....

All this happened in the span of a second, and Narcissa was ready to level the rest of the building, and Samus along with it. As her huge, muddy fist came down, Samus willed her wand to build up a charge. Miraculously, it did. She aimed her wand up, the orange-red ball of pent-up power at the tip dazzling her. Closing her eyes, quietly appealing to the souls of Chozo yet to be born, she screamed, "_Diabolexura!_"

Samus felt herself lurch backward, nearly teetering off the white building's edge. Whatever happened, something had just burst loose from her wand..something with tremendous power. On top of that, the sound of Narcissa's burbling voice wailing like mad gave her some encouragement. Opening her eyes, Samus saw streams of raging, unnaturally burning flames snake out from her wand...and at their ends were actual snake heads! The fiery snakes coiled around Narcissa's wrists, shoulders, neck and waist. Narcissa's eyes widened as she tried to shake the snakes off, but they held fast. Not only that, Samus could see the mud around the snakes drying out. The rain was doing nothing to rehydrate Narcissa's construct, or douse the fire.

It didn't stop there. More fiery streams erupted from her wand tip. Huge eagles, skittish badgers and roaring lions flew out at Narcissa, leaving flaming trails behind them. All over Narcissa's mud body, they held fast with claws and talons, then dug in with their jaws, as if to chew Narcissa out, like a seed from a fruit.

Whatever was going on, Samus felt this spell drain her suit's strength. Looking down, Samus saw her missile barrel had snapped open, steam pouring from it. This spell was fueled by her missiles, then, and kept consuming them one by one to maintain it. Glancing back up, she saw Narcissa writhe desperately, more violently than ever, as the fiery beasts tore into her and bound her tightly. Whatever they were, they kept Narcissa from slinking away. More and more of the mud dried up, and the panicky, terrified look on Narcissa's face became frozen there like a statue's.

Just when Samus thought she couldn't maintain her concentration any longer, thought her suit's systems would overload, her missile stock ran out. Exhausted, Samus slumped to her knees, dropping her wand. As the fiery animals faded away in the rain, Samus lazily looked back up at the muddy titaness. All its moisture was drained away in seconds, far too quickly for the rain to replenish. It was little more than an overgrown bust now, and before her eyes, cracks appeared all over Narcissa's likeness. It crumbled away shortly thereafter, leaving an unsightly mass of rocky soil laying where half of this building once stood.

Overwhelmed by exhaustion, Samus collapsed entirely. Even the rain coming straight down onto her face did little to stimulate her. She was dimly aware of the Ford Anglia flying overhead, but little else registered for Samus as consciousness slipped away.

xxxxxx

As if all the other magical beam combos weren't ostentatious enough! I humbly present...the Fiendfyre Beam!

And seriously, I've been writing this sordid affair for almost a year and a half. And in all that time, NONE OF YOU ever realized that J.B. stood for none other than the infamous Justin Bailey code! For shame....

So long,  
Grey-X

.com/episodes/251890/


	45. Heart of the Inferno

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning  
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover  
Chapter 45: Heart of the Inferno  
5-30-2010  
by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J.K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

**July 3, 1997 A.D., 4:48 PM Eastern Standard Time  
Washington D.C., U.S.A.**

Dull pain jabbed at Samus's head as her eyes started to flutter open. For a while, she could barely move at all, her body racked by soreness and stiffness, and her vision was blurred and fuzzy. Samus had no idea how long she lay there, waiting for the soreness and blurred vision to pass. Finally, as her eyesight became clearer, she turned her head. She immediately recognized her surroundings and knew she was on her ship's biobed. But where was her ship docked now? How long had she been out? As dozens of questions ran through Samus's head, bits and pieces of that last fight in Washington, D.C. came back to her. _Oh no, did anyone dig Malfoy out of that dirt pile? Or did all that rain make it malleable for her again, and..._

As she craned her neck to look around, Samus got the answer to her question. Narcissa Malfoy was helplessly bound in the back of her ship, wearing some sort of black jumpsuit and sporting several scars and burns. Samus gasped when she saw Narcissa had company. Lucius Malfoy was bound beside her, but sporting his usual aristocratic attire. Both were conscious, but stared off into space listlessly, as if their will had been sapped.

"Lucius Malfoy was found about an hour ago, Lady, lending assistance to the last of the Inferno battalions our alliance repelled," came Adam's voice suddenly. "As for Narcissa Malfoy, her sister and Harry dug her out of that rockpile shortly after you...did whatever it was you did. Whatever magical invention Dr. Asara crafted for her...that magical fire of yours utterly decimated its circuitry and fused key components together."

The loss of one of Valkyrie's toys didn't concern Samus in the least. There were far more pressing questions. Samus willed herself to sit up, but the persisting soreness, coupled with how her armor felt heavier than usual, did not help. She soon spotted Harry's armor, now in pieces and suspended by robotic arms. Harry himself lay in a sleeping bag close to her biobed, but it didn't look like he got much rest. He lay there awake, staring blankly ahead just as the Malfoys were.

"Adam...how long was I out? Don't tell I've been out for a day again," Samus finally managed. "The Inferno attack...what's the latest intel? Where are Captain Granger and George Weasley?" Then, looking down at Harry, she realized what was going through his head, and all she felt within was a pitiful emptiness. "And...just what happened to the rest of our team?"

"Well, it's one of those 'good news, bad news' things, Samus," said Harry suddenly. His voice sounded flat, listless. "The good news is that the Inferno attack was repelled. They underestimated just how far this little alliance would go to beat them back. Plus, once Narcissa and the Razor Knight were taken out...it was painfully obvious their strategy banked heavily on them."

"Harry is correct. Once both were eliminated, the tide of battle swiftly turned in our favor," said Adam. "Most firsthand accounts confirm that all advancing Inferno forces have retreated back to Inferno. But it goes further than that. The surprise offensives against all their topside bases...details are still sketchy thanks to the coronal ejection's lingering effects, but it looks like they've succeeded as well. _ALL_ of Inferno's forces on the surface seem to be retreating into the ocean. By crippling their capacities topside, the pendulum is rapidly shifting to the other side. But we may have suffered terrible casualties that have hit too close to home."

Samus understood at once. "Ron and Hermione...there really is no trace of them!"

"I don't know what to say, Lady," said Adam solemnly. "The captain and I scoured the debris field as long as we could, looking for any possible signs of life. But in the end, we found nothing, and rushed here hoping we could still make some difference. Thankfully, we did. The Razor Knight is destroyed, and as far as we know, Wildflower and Faction went with it. Furthermore, we think the escape pod carrying Tesla and Ped malfunctioned upon re-entry. It looks like the Reformers are no more, but it's little consolation considering the deeply personal loss we've just suffered. Not only that, with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger...gone..."

"Half the anti-Kor-Zor weapon's gone with them," said Harry dully, hanging his head. "Everything we've worked toward these last few days, all the fighting we've gone through...it was all for nothing. Without Ron and Hermione...nothing can stop Kor-Zor."

"NO!" Samus cried at once. Her armored fist smacked against a terminal, making Harry jump. "I refuse to accept that, Harry. Like you said, we've gone through too much, come so close to beating Valkyrie and Inferno for good. If I know Ron and Hermione, they'd want us to keep going, especially since all that's left to do is polish off Valkyrie once and for all."

"But what's the point of going after Valkyrie now if there's no way to knock off Kor-Zor once and for all?" asked Harry grimly.

"With the orbital platform destroyed, her main reason for freeing Kor-Zor cannot be realized at present. With no Ragnarok virus to disperse, Kor-Zor's power will do her little good," Adam reminded Harry. "Thus, ultimate victory is still possible if we can locate Valkyrie and take her down. By now, we are familiar with her tactics and her weaknesses. A rematch may yet end differently."

"Well, we know her one big weakness," Harry said weakly.

"True. I must redouble my efforts to engineer some method of turning her Phazon energy..." Adam began.

"Not that, Adam. Back at Hogwarts, I think I figured out how Valkyrie practically made herself immortal," said Harry. He then explained how the Metroids reacted whenever Voldemort used Avada Kedavra on Valkyrie, and how it fit with earlier things Valkyrie had said to them. "She basically tried the same stunt Voldemort did, but on an even bigger scale. We have to get into Inferno and wipe out every last Metroid before we go after her."

Adam was silent for a moment. Then he gravely said, "Then we must quickly make our case to those overseeing the next phase of this counterresistance."

"What d'you mean by...uh-oh, you don't mean..." Harry began.

"Affirmative, Harry. All the giants' crystals that Voldemort provided, and the ones excavated from Helga Hufflepuff's sanctuary, should be ready for a deep-sea drop within hours," said Adam. "Now that a majority of Inferno's forces have retreated underwater, they are anxious to set up that Quarantine Charm and seal them off."

"If that happens...then there's no stopping Valkyrie," said Samus, her voice tainted with thinly-veiled horror. "She's too intelligent and powerful to ever be contained, and with Kor-Zor's power at her disposal, she could easily liberate Inferno. This'll all start over again."

"Then I suggest you have Captain Granger continue acting as a liasion and explain this to his superiors," said Adam. "Fortunately, he is returning to the ship with George Weasley and Bellatrix Lestrange."

Sure enough, those three were levitated up into the ship moments later. J.B.'s eyes immediately fell on Harry; he looked strangely surprised to see him up and about. "Harry! For some reason I thought you'd still be dead asleep. I know fighting that Attack of the 300-Foot Mudbath on foot would've worn me out..."

"Couldn't sleep, keep seeing Ron and Hermione every time I close my eyes," said Harry spiritlessly. Samus heard Bellatrix snort, but didn't rise to the bait. Far more pressing things were on her mind. Namely, how Ron, Hermione and Voldemort had all raided that orbital platform on _HER_ orders. Even Voldemort had trusted her to make a sound judgment when she split up their team. And now, not only had they probably lost the one wizard with enough raw power to meet Valkyrie head-on, because of her, they had lost Harry's two best friends forever...

The mention of Ron and Hermione seemed to rouse J.B.'s ire. He grimaced involuntary, then said, "Well, it'll soon prove a Phyrric victory for those Inferno scum. Within hours, we'll be set to drop those crystals around Inferno's perimeter and bottle them up for good."

"Wait, Captain...you can't! Not yet!" Samus cried. "There's something we've got to do inside Inferno first! Valkyrie can't be defeated until we pull off this one last mission..."

"Oh, what're you babbling about, bounty hunter?" sneered Bellatrix. "All the radioactive bitch's armies are in full retreat. Now's the perfect time to cut the wretch off from her stinking flock!"

"Hasn't it gotten through your head yet that Valkyrie's tougher than all her armies combined! _SHE'S_ the mastermind behind all this, and she'll start all over again unless she's put down for good," spat Harry. "And there won't be any hope of stopping Valkyrie until we wipe out all the Metroids she's got in Inferno!"

"The Metroids? Those things whose DNA you and Samus got spliced with your own? The creatures that helped raid Hogwarts?" asked George dubiously. "What's the connection between Valkyrie and those things? I thought she just spliced their DNA into hers, too."

"It goes farther than that. Harry figures her very soul is somehow linked to her Metroids, and as long as those Metroids are alive, her soul will be anchored to this plane. Even if we 'kill' her, her spirit will linger, sort of like how Voldemort's did after he first tried to kill Harry. She'll be back," Samus explained gravely. Turning to Bellatrix, she saw her dubious stare and said, "Think, Bellatrix. Didn't you yourself try Avada Kedavra on one of them?"

Bellatrix nodded, her cold eyes staring back at Samus. "But it had no effect."

"Now you know why. What really drove it home, however, was when Harry noticed the Metroids suffer some sort of paralysis when your boss used it on Valkyrie herself. They _HAVE_ to be linked in some way, and _THAT'S_ what immunizes them to the Killing Curse. There's no other explanation," said Samus.

Harry stood and faced J.B.. "Captain Granger, you've got to talk with your president, anyone in your military. Have them call off the deep-sea drop until we do this. If they go ahead with it now, this war will flare up again someday and be bloodier than ever, mark my words."

"Well, it's a good thing the president wasn't anywhere near the White House when Gigantabitch over there smashed half of it," J.B. said with a scything laugh. "He's still on Air Force One, I hear, and it's still a chore maintaining contact with it, freakin' CME. I'll do what I can, though, but I can't make any promises. But maybe it'll help if you present your case to the president and our allies personally."

Harry looked taken aback. "Me, myself? Why?"

"You underestimate just how much hero worship you get, kiddo," replied J.B. slyly. "Everyone in the U.S. Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force...they've all heard about you by now, though not the whole story. Your word will carry some weight, trust me."

Harry looked down at the floor as he tried to digest all this. Awkward silence lingered for a moment until George spoke up. "I'm usually not the pessimistic one here, people, but exactly _HOW_ are we supposed to barge into Inferno in the first place? I mean, the Americans' blunderbuss approach with the nukes worked oh so well..."

To anyone else, it would have looked as if Harry went utterly blank again. But Samus understood him far better. Despite all the trauma and heartache from losing his best friends, the gears in his head now refused to stop turning. So very much like herself. He was no stunning genius like Voldemort or Valkyrie, but Harry could pick up on things most others would overlook. Samus knew Harry would make a plan as he went along, but even so, she was confident it would work. Still, she was taken aback when Harry turned to the back of the ship, staring at the Malfoys. "Them. They're our ticket in," he said resolutely. When the Malfoys didn't stir, still staring off into space, he aimed his wand and yelled, "_Ennervate!_"

Lucius and Narcissa jerked as if an electric shock ran through them. At last, they looked directly at Harry. "What was the meaning of that!" demanded Lucius. "If you truly expect us to help you defeat Inferno after our son was taken away, you're more delusional than I dared imagine!"

Harry silently walked up toward the pair, until he was staring directly down at Lucius. Samus saw fear in those cold, grey eyes as Harry glowered at them. "Malfoy, your son is the sole reason you're going to turn on Inferno. Go back to the Death Eaters."

"Are you mad, Potter!" shrieked Bellatrix. "If you think that blood-traitor of a brother-in-law will be welcomed back into the fold, you _ARE_ delusional! With the Dark Lord gone, _I_ am in command of what's left of our number, and I..."

"Lestrange, will you _COOL IT_ for a minute!" Harry barked back, in a voice that would allow no dissention. Then he looked back down at Lucius. "I heard the rest of the story from your wife, right before she blacked out after Lestrange and I dug her out. Voldemort was along the path heading to the platform's lower levels before he was cut off from Ron and Hermione. He might have had enough time to at least blast himself out into space, before it blew. And we both know he would've hung on to Draco."

"What are you trying to say, Potter?" demanded Narcissa.

"That there's a chance Voldemort and Draco are still alive," said Harry. "Wherever Voldemort is, he must be hurt bad. He's licking his wounds, getting ready for another go at Inferno. He won't have any time to indulge himself with, say, torturing Draco to death. But...if he gets word that his parents, oh I dunno, saw the error of their ways and helped engineer Valkyrie's downfall, he may be inclined to forgive your family, and let Draco live."

Harry let silence linger over the ship, allowing time for his reasoning to sink in for Lucius and Narcissa. "Impossible," Narcissa finally got out. "The Dark Lord will never..."

"He might, if his top lieutenant vouches for her family," Samus chimed in.

"Excuse me?" snapped Bellatrix. "What makes you think I'll lie to my master when he returns, vouch for these traitors!"

"Because that's the price you'll have to pay if you expect the Malfoys to stab Valerie in the back," said J.B. calmly.

"Besides, if you really want to see Valkyrie beaten, you'll put your family ahead of your absurd love of your master, just this once," said Samus. "There's also another compelling reason to bend over backwards for me and Harry."

Bellatrix glared at Samus quizzically. "And that would be?"

Samus smiled back evilly. "You owe both of us your life," she said wryly. "Knowing you, you don't want to owe the likes of use any life-debts any longer than you have to. So we'll be nice, and call them now. If the Malfoys agree to this, you vouch for them and convince your boss to spare Draco, and everything's even between us."

As Bellatrix stared back exasperatedly as Samus, she suddenly felt odd. A disorienting sensation, somehow like looking at turbulent water and the light's reflection in it. It quickly passed as Bellatrix's rambling rang in her ears. "Unthinkable...I wouldn't _BE_ in _ANYONE'S_ debt if not for my traitorous sister. My own sister, trying to crush me to death..."

"If I may, I would postulate that Narcissa Malfoy's abhorrent behavior while commanding all that mud was due to her being imcompatible with Dr. Asara's device," Adam interjected imperiously. "Our fair Lady told me of how Dr. Asara herself stated there was such a possibility, which she saw in Voldemort's memories. You were privy to this too, Lestrange. Furthermore, scans indicated that the dopamine and norepinephrine in her system spiked to dangerous levels during this escapade, no doubt from both the device's influence and grief over her son. She is not entirely to blame for her actions."

"_SOMEONE'S_ gotta answer for trashing half the White House, though," J.B. added bitterly.

"At any rate, considering they're our only chance to get into Inferno, and we're calling our wizard's debts, you don't have much choice, Lestrange," said Harry quickly.

Bellatrix glared hatefully at Samus. "As if she's actually a witch..."

"You saw what she did back at the White House. Is there any doubt now?" sneered Harry.

"Excuse me, but what makes any of you think we'll betray Dr. Asara, even if Bella is sincere about this!" spat Narcissa vehemently from across the ship.

Bellatrix stared wide-eyed at her sister, stunned by the passion in her voice. "Cissy, don't tell me you actually feel any loyalty to that radioactive Mudblood sack of filth!"

"Is it so surprising?" asked Lucius delicately. "Ever since the Dark Lord's return, my family's been walking on eggshells around him. All our hard work and sacrifice before and since, trivialized and brushed aside. And then, when we had nothing, when the Dark Lord and all his forces were cornered in that graveyard, Dr. Asara pulled us aside and offered us sanctuary. She showed us mercy while the Dark Lord showed us nothing but contempt after years of service."

"My husband speaks the truth plainly, Bella," said Narcissa. "Once we embodied everything she grew to hate, but she remembered our old friendship and shared her world with us. That may mean nothing to you, Bella, but acts of mercy like that can change people. Besides, you expect my family to go back to the Dark Lord, mere servants to be spat upon?"

Samus realized they had to act fast, before the Malfoys dug in and stood their ground. Again, it was frightening, how Valkyrie could instill such fierce loyalty so quickly. She could sense the retort brewing in Bellatrix. No doubt Bellatrix would ramble about blood purity and wizarding pride, but Samus figured there was a weaker point to attack. She walked toward the Malfoys methodically, and said, "Are you really that quick to defend Valkyrie? After all, she immediately made your son one of her vanguard without the time to properly train him. She sent him to Ravenclaw's floating tower with Myrtle, had him guard that orbital platform. Both times, he went up against Voldemort himself. Doesn't sound to me like Valkyrie was keen on keeping Voldemort away from your family."

One look at Lucius's crestfallen face told Samus her words were having an effect. However, even though Narcissa's features softened, an air of defiance still surrounded her. "It doesn't matter, Aran. If Potter's right and the Dark Lord survived, Dr. Asara will track him down and have his head as a trophy. Her hatred for him knows no bounds. If my son lives, she'll ensure his safe return. She crushed him once and can do it again."

"Her hatred for the U.S. runs pretty deep, too. And yet, instead of personally leading the attack here, she slapped her newest gizmo on you and had her right-hand vampire fly her Razor Knight," Harry pointed out. "Sounds to me like she's more worried about putting the finishing touches on her Day of Reckoning than looking out for her Reformers."

"The point is, with her bases leveled and her armies scampering back to Inferno, Valkyrie's plans have been thrown into chaos. She won't have time to track down one wizard and rescue one underling," said Samus sternly. "You see a merciful benefactor, but I see a methodical mastermind who'll gladly let Draco be sacrificed if it means going through with the Day of Reckoning. Draco's only hope is if you help ensure she doesn't."

Lucius's face was still blank, unknowing. Narcissa, however, shut her eyes and grit her teeth. Whatever went on between her and Valkyrie these last few days, Valkyrie clearly made an effort to inspire deep loyalty and trust. A very difficult choice was being forced on her: stay loyal to Valkyrie, or betray that trust for that one, slim chance of saving her son.

"I know what you're going through, you two," Harry said softly. "It looks like Ron and Hermione are dead, too, and right now, I'd be willing to do just about anything to get them back. It's a tough choice, but if you really want Draco back, you'd better decide soon..."

xxxxxx

**July 3, 1997 A.D., 1245 hours Inferno Time  
approximately 20 kilometers northeast of Inferno**

Slowly but surely, the small craft knifed its way through the murky, treacherous waters along the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. It vaguely resembled a shellfish, had a lusterous black sheen, and was only big enough to transport three or four people safely. As it was, the fact that such a small craft could survive the crushing pressure at these depths was nothing short of miraculous, even if it was enchanted. What was even more miraculous was that those helming it could actually get it to where it was going.

"Lucius, look out! We'll dip into that trench!" shrieked Narcissa. On the spacious cockpit window, a sonar-like readout depicting a deep trench loomed before them. Reaching across the sub, she grabbed the control stick from Lucius and pulled back, making their craft climb sharply. Both of them breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Merlin's beard, Lucius...I thought you said Dr. Asara saw to it that you were trained to fly these things!"

"I only had three or four sessions until she urged us to come topside with Draco," Lucius protested sternly. "Just be thankful those Muggles back in the U.S. capital never found the one our escort took us in to rendezvous there."

They forged ahead in solemn silence, dreading what would soon come. What they did in the mext few minutes would decide the fate of their entire world, as well as their son's...

At long last, the impossibly tall, spire-like towers of Inferno came into view. Soon, the main body of Inferno itself, whatever parts weren't forged deep below the ocean floor, stretching to the left and right for miles, could be seen. Even with the sonar-like scanners creating a visible likeness for the Malfoys, the whole thing still had a dark, gloomy aura, in stark contrast to the haven it was meant to be. Along with the usual view of Inferno on the outside, however, Lucius and Narcissa could see massive transports and fighter craft moving back to Inferno, waiting for clearance to dock back home. The offensives against all the topside bases...they actually worked! Those dwelling there were forced to come home, along with all the forces order to return...

It wasn't long before their communications panel flared up. A rather snide, unsociable looking goblin with a long, stretched-out face stared back at them. "Whoever you are, identify yourself! Why aren't you proceeding with the withdrawal procedures and getting in line with the retreating forces, as per orders!" the goblin demanded.

Lucius drew himself up and stared down imperiously at the goblin. "I am Lucius Malfoy, and this is my wife, Narcissa. As you know full well, we are close friends of Dr. Asara, and were asked to participate in the offensive on Washington, D.C.."

"An offensive that FAILED," retorted the goblin, leering rather suspiciously.

"Unfortunately, yes. My wife and I barely escaped with our lives, and our craft is badly damaged. Scan it for yourself," said Lucius calmly.

The goblin looked down, examining the scan results. When he looked back up, he still had an air of suspicion. "So you say. Still, close friends of Dr. Asara or not, you must get in line and follow procedures, dock as per orders. I can see from your trajectory that you're headed for Biosphere 5E's supply dock. I know that's the more scenic area, the dock the doc liked to have you two ferreted in and out of, but I can't authorize it. Too great a risk for infiltration."

"You _DARE_ question our loyalty, those whom Dr. Asara personally approached!" Narcissa cried dangerously. "Listen up, you little toad, all it will take is one call to the doctor, and you'll be demoted to scrubbing gunk in the Pits! Besides, we have vital tactical information, and we must share it with Inferno command as soon as possible!"

Instead of being cowed, the goblin's smug sneer became even more pronounced. "Here's an idea, I'll patch Dr. Asara through to your little sub, and you can take it up with her." The screen went blank, but a loading prompt let the Malfoys know that that goblin was trying to link their sub to wherever Valkyrie was readying Kor-Zor's soul.

"Well, we expected this," said Lucius gravely. Narcissa nodded dully, swallowing hard. A moment later, Valkyrie's face appeared on the screen. She lacked her usual carefree, jovial air, her face now stern and anxious. Still, considering how all her life's work, her carefully-laid plans were unraveling, it was surprising she was coping this well.

"What's with the sudden rush to get back into Inferno? Docking at Biosphere 5E, bypassing all the screening I mandated...can't blame my officers for being suspicious," she said evenly.

"We can't afford to be slowed up by all the military brass and bureaucracy right now, Doctor," said Lucius, trying to sound sincere. "We have grave news about what the rest of the world plans to do with Inferno next. On top of that, we think...the Dark Lord might still be alive, and Draco along with him."

"I've suspected as much, and rest assured, I'll be going after him soon enough," said Valkyrie dismissively. "Still, your present actions are still a bit odd. As is how you two managed to escape Samus Aran and Harry Potter, long after the bulk of our forces withdrew from Washington."

"I don't believe this, Doctor," gasped Narcissa, sounding surprised and deeply hurt. "You showed us trust when no one else would. Why so suspicious of us now, especially after the trust we've shown you?"

"Yes. Despite my misgivings, for the most part we deferred to your judgment when Draco became the fifth Reformer, and we'll entrust his safe return to you," said Lucius. "We understand that V-V-Voldemort would be a fool to kill our son, not after you vowed to hunt him down like the animal he is. Even he must realize he'd need a hostage with you on the prowl."

Valkyrie seemed to relax a little, looking flattered. "Once again, you humble me with your kind words, Lucius. Just like the old days," said Valkyrie. "As I said, Voldemort will be dealt with in due time, don't you worry. But still, if there's vital intel to be had, feel free to share it with me now," she finished, an airy look of expectation crossing her face.

Lucius hesitated a moment, but Narcissa spoke up right away. "Samus Aran and Harry Potter think they have a way of sealing away Inferno, now that they know of your magic-giving virus. Something to do with a Quarantine Charm, and they're readying to cast it soon."

Valkyrie's eyes widened. "Awfully ambitious. Then again, this is Harry Potter and Samus Aran we're talking about," she said, sounding amused. "Anything else you can tell me?"

"Plenty, once we can dock," said Lucius quickly. "Our sub feels like it'll fall apart any second, and the full details of the plan we overheard...far too long to explain out here. Please, Doctor, we trust you with our son's life! Can you not show us a little leeway?"

Valkyrie sighed. "Well, when you put it that way, I guess I've got no choice," said Valkyrie. She turned aside and hit some button, then commanded in an authoritative voice, "Lieutenant Urgato, I'm hereby authorizing the Malfoys' sub a berth at Biosphere 5E's main receiving dock. Direct them in, make sure they get something to eat and cleaned up, then have my top commanders debrief them. If Inferno's going to be moved on, I want to be ready."

After Valkyrie signed off, the soft grumbling of the goblin they spoke to before could be heard, right before he began barking directions. Lucius obeyed, carefully directing their badly damaged sub toward the desired dock. It seemed like they had to veer across the underwater nation-state for miles before Lucius saw the huge, metal sliding doors of Biosphere 5E. As the sub approached, they slowly slid open. The sub passed through a vertical barrier of water and entered open air, deftly landing alongside a row of fresh, undamaged subs of the same design. Large freighters filled with cargo, some back from deep-sea mining expeditions, others importing various goods from the surface world, littering the docking bay as well. Even with the horrendous setback to Dr. Asara's plans, there was busy atmosphere as people went on with their lives, hurriedly unloading cargo.

Sighing heavily, Lucius deactivated the shielding, then went behind the cockpit and flung open the sub's door. It fell off at once, no doubt from plasma shots fired by Samus's ship that got through the shielding. So much more of the ship was liable to crumble away with the shielding off. Taking a deep breath, Narcissa got up to follow her husband, grabbing a small suitcase beside her.

As they climbed out of the ruined husk of the sub, they only walked a few dozen or so feet before being surrounded by Inferno troopers. Lucius noted that about half of them were house-elves, and they all looked up at him suspiciously. No doubt stories of Dobby's time as his servant would come back to haunt him here someday...

"Ah, Mr. Lucius Malfoy, Mrs. Narcissa Malfoy...Dr. Asara told us that you have vital information about a possible attack on Inferno," said a tall man in a thick Russian accent. The blue collar around his neck signified he had an admiral's rank. Lucius thought he looked like someone who once taught at Durmstrang, but he could've been mistaken. "Unthinkable as such a thing is, she wants you debriefed as soon as possible. I expect a full report within the hour, after you've gotten a chance to clean up. But first...we must perform a quick inspection of your sub, along with that suitcase."

Narcissa gripped the suitcase more tightly. "These are...the remains of the Hydra-Mineral Commander device that Dr. Asara prepared for me," she said quickly. "I managed to steal most of the damaged parts back as we made our escape. I thought it was important I bring as much back as I could."

"I'm sure Dr. Asara will appreciate the sentiment, Mrs. Malfoy, but it's regulations. All cargo containers with enchantments put on them carried by non-military personnel coming in must be inspected," replied the admiral.

"It's...only an Undetectable Extension Charm. Couldn't wear that wrecked thing again, had to fit it into something I could conjure and carry," explained Narcissa, clearly making an effort to remain calm.

"Really. Feels like there's a charm to lighten the weight of whatever's in there, too," jibed one of the house-elves.

"Private, stand down!" barked the admiral. At once, all the house-elves stood at attention. Turning back to the Malfoys, he said, "Please, ma'am, let's not drag this out any longer. Dr. Asara granted you two some leeway by letting you dock here, but some procedures must still be followed. The suitcase, please."

Narcissa nervously looked up to Lucius, who simply nodded stiffly. Turning back to the admiral, she held up the suitcase, ready to pop it open. In a cracking, humorless voice, Narcissa said, "If you want to see what's in this suitcase, you can have it." She flipped the locks, and it swung open as she held it.

Out bounded two metal spheres nearly a meter wide, bisected by a glowing groove with each half divided uinto three metal plates. One was blood-red with two golden lion reliefs, one curled around each hemisphere, while the other was ebony black with bright, yellow badger reliefs coiled around each hemisphere. All the Inferno troops stared up, dumbstruck, then the spheres shifted and transformed in midair...

xxxxxx

At the apex of their upward bound, Harry and Samus transformed back, and Harry immediately cut loose with one Stunner after another. Samus fired missiles down, freezing some solid and forcing the rest to scatter. The dumbstruck Inferno troops were quickly dispersed, and when the two landed, Samus grabbed Narcissa's wrist. "Come on, time to improvise!" she cried as she ran ahead with her, firing wildly to coax the dock workers into scattering. Harry grabbed Lucius and followed.

_Well, the plan was to get the suitcase right to where the Metroids are held, but hey, since when have any of my plans worked 100 percent? _Harry mused as they ran, flinging aside curses lobbed by Inferno citizens who got over their shock. Following Narcissa's hurried directions, Samus blew open what looked like a garage door. Running through, they found themselves in what looked like a huge, wide-open outdoor mall with four levels; an enchanted ceiling simulating a cloudless, sunny sky loomed overhead. What really stood out though, was how walkways and bridges were formed by the branches of huge trees, their growth manipulated and directed somehow. All manner of birds and small tree-dwelling mammals - some magical, some not - scurried about, their lives blending harmoniously with the humans, goblins and house-elves going about their busy lives.

It was a tranquil, almost utopian scene, and the way those trees were interwoven into the complex engineering...it reminded Harry of Samus's stories of Tallon IV, how they could effortlessly blend technology and nature. And here, magic fit in, too. It couldn't be plainer how Valkyrie built all this by stealing Chozo technology from Kor-Zor's prison.

The tranquility did not last. Plenty soon spotted the foursome and pointed, instantly recognizing Samus. They were confused, wondering what she was doing here. When Inferno's citizens heard curses and gunfire behind them, however, they began to realize she wasn't here for a friendly visit. Harry quickly beat back his pursuers by combining Expelliarmus with his spazer, knocking several back and toppling them. The four climbed through the hole, and as some of the citizens drew their wands, Samus quickly struck, firing beam shots over their heads. She took special care to shoot parts of the trees, letting the plasma effect set them on fire.

Panic soon erupted throughout the entire shopping center, and a few well-aimed ice missiles, meant to fuel the panic even more by collapsing certain structures, ensured any and all oppostion from Inferno's citizenry was scattered. "Hang on tight, Malfoy," said Samus tersely. As Narcissa grabbed hold of Samus's back, she began leaping through the burning trees. Harry had Lucius hang onto him and did the same. By then, the plasma-fueled fire caused structures interwoven into the tree branches to crumble and fall. It was difficult to avoid the falling, flaming debris, but it proved to be a even greater chore for Inferno troopers following them. Unable to jump and fly like Samus and Harry, they had to fall back and douse the flames first.

"There's sure to be enchantments to snuff out those fires, they'll kick in any second! We must get out of here!" cried Narcissa as Samus and Harry kept on jumping ahead, over fleeing citizens. "This whole outdoor commerce center, it covers about half a mile! But...I think there's a train terminal around here somewhere. There's a direct line to where the Metroids are, when supplies have to be taken there...I think."

"That's two 'I thinks'. Not very encouraging," muttered Harry.

"Excuse me, but who're the ones who've spent some time here? I suggest you listen to her," snapped Lucius.

Eventually, the citizens got over their panic and started turning on the four. Now, Narcissa and Lucius were forced to draw their wands, defending against a hail of curses. They were coming from all sides, effectively grounding Samus and Harry. Not only that, Harry heard orders being barked among Inferno soldiers not too far behind.

"Over there! That's the terminal!" Narcissa shouted over the din, pointing across the long street-like area. Sure enough, there was looked like some sort of fancy, magnetically-suspended train, ready for departure. They all looked at each other, and nodded. As Narcissa and Lucius did their best to fend off the onslaught, Harry and Samus got ready. Some curses got past the Malfoys, grazing their suits and sapping a good deal of energy, but a few seconds later, everything was set. Samus let fly a fully-powered diffusion missile that immobilized most of the advancing soldiers with a flurry of icy wind. Many of the citizens that stood up to them, meanwhile, were dispersed by another triple shot with Expelliarmus from Harry. Goblins, house-elves and humans went flying, toppling each other, and more importantly, a path to the train was cleared.

"GO, GO, GO!" urged Samus as they ran for the train. Moments later, Samus pried open the doors and stuck her arm cannon in the operator's face, a timid, elderly woman. "Out, now! All of you, OUT!" shouted Samus, her missile barrel snapping open for emphasis.

Harry forced himself past Samus and fired some curses along the train's roof, hoping to scare everyone off. "You heard the lady! OUT!" he shouted.

Everyone got the message quickly. As everyone fearfully rushed out, instinctively knowing they were no match for Samus and Harry, Narcissa and Lucius forced their way in. "So we're on. Samus, I've heard stories about that visor of yours, how it can subvert any machine," said Narcissa. "Here's hoping that it'll keep anyone from deactivating the train."

"We've been hoping for a lot, listening to your ideas," grumbled Harry.

"As are we with you lot, throwing away everything for the slim hope that Bellatrix Lestrange can convince the Dark Lord to spare our son!" Lucius reminded him.

"Enough, all of you!" spat Samus. "Forget worrying about anyone stopping the train once it's in motion...first I need to figure out how to GET IT in motion." Samus sat down at the operator's terminal, hurriedly looking over the array of buttons and levers. As she reached for a lever, however, it suddenly moved on its own. More levers moved on their own accord, and suddenly all sorts of data streamed across the readout screens. All of a sudden, the train lurched forward, and Harry was thrown back onto the Malfoys.

"Urgh, get off us, you little ox!" groaned Narcissa. "It's not like that metal hide of yours is in an enchanted suitcase anymore!"

"Oh, sooooooo sorry!" Harry spat sarcastically as he picked himself up off the Malfoys. Looking out the windows, he watched the tunnel's light zip by at ridiculous speeds. "What just happened? Why'd the train move by itself?"

"Someone in the Infenro military must've anticipated a move like this. They're ferreting us to a place where we'll be easily ambushed," said Samus tersely in a resigned tone.

"In all truthfulness, that was their intention," came a voice from the train's console. "However, I am making sure that this train will stay on course for Biosphere 17Q and the subdivision housing the Metroids."

"What in...who are you!" demanded Samus, standing up from the console.

"That voice, I think I've heard it before," said Harry. It was a woman's voice, very mature-sounding, very demure, as if it were someone struggling to make herself known.

"So have I. It sounds like a voice I heard in some briefing about Space Pirate activity, shortly after that trip to Aether. Briefings regarding operations involving Phazon," said Samus. "Wait, I think we heard this in Dumbledore's Pensieve, too!"

"A voice you heard in memories from this time AND stuff in your time?" Harry asked dubiously. "But who could..."

"Only one person fits that description, that fellow Muggle doctor Valkyrie always talked about," said Lucius. "But...we heard that she died in some work-related accident."

"Wait a minute, you don't mean...Dr. Kasumi Hinada!" demanded Samus.

"The one who got yanked back when Scrimgeour summoned part of the Valhalla!" cried Harry. "But, even if she's alive...why is she helping us get to the Metroids!"

"Doing what I should've done over sixteen years ago," came the voice again. "I only hope it's not too little, too late." Suddenly, something flickered beside the terminal, as if some hologram was taking form. Soon enough, the same squat, red-haired woman in a white coat that Harry and Samus glimpsed in Umbridge's memory appeared before them. Harry noticed a bit of grey hair, a worn-out look to her skin, what one would expect Dr. Hinada to look like after sixteen years. She had a defeatist look to her, an air of someone begging for forgiveness.

"You...Dr. Asara always talked about you," said Narcissa in a hushed voice. "Always talked about how you helped her build up Inferno from nothing, helped her utilize all that Chozo technology."

"Among many other things. I helped her as she fought on to stabilize all her mutations, work to control the power of Phazon," said Dr. Hinada. "It seemed like the least I could do. She rescued me from that Ministry of Magic, just when I gave up all hope. She couldn't return me to my time, but...eventually, her talk of creating a new future got to me. I've never been the most popular researcher in the GF, Samus. I was always considered too outspoken, too critical of many policies. I eventually saw Dr. Asara's plans as a means to rectify everything I hated in the future by changing the past. After being imprisoned and blackmailed by heartless scum like Rufus Scrimgeour and Dolores Umbridge...you can't imagine...she was nothing less than a godsend..."

Dr. Hinada's projection turned to Samus. "And I spurred Valkyrie on in other ways, Samus Aran. When divulging all I knew about Phazon, you eventually came up. She was utterly fascinated by you, served as further inspiration. When I told her tales about how you're the type who'll stop at nothing to see something through to the end, it further fueled her ambitions, just as your legends always did with my work in the GF."

"No wonder she was obsessed with getting you to join her, Samus," said Harry.

"So, where are you now?" asked Lucius. "I heard you died in some...plasma overload? Or did you fake your death?"

"Oh, I am most certainly dead," said Dr. Hinada with a weak smile. "At least, my body was incinerated, but that was staged. I knew of a way to preserve my consciousness within a computer's memory. It's the same method that let Adam Malkovich live on. I hid myself away in Inferno's computer network since then. It wasn't hard. I helped design it, after all. I've been watching and waiting for the right time to act."

"And that would be?" asked Samus delicately.

Dr. Hinada flashed another weak smile. "Whenever you found your way into Inferno," she beamed.

"Why is that?" asked Narcissa.

"I knew that when Samus eventually got here, it would be to exterminate Dr. Asara's Metroids," said Dr. Hinada. "That's another reason I always idolized her. There's a sharp scientific mind behind all that brute strength and kick-ass weaponry. I knew it was only a matter of time before she determined Dr. Asara's life force was tied to her Metroids, and would find a way to bust into Inferno, aiming to wipe them out."

"You give me too much credit," said Samus, trying to sound humble. "Harry's the one who figured out how to get us in, and that Valkyrie and the Metroids are linked."

Dr. Hinada looked a little crestfallen. "Well, looks like Dr. Asara's lofty talk about Harry Potter had merit, too," she said. "At any rate, I only have about an hour or so until Inferno's network adapts and eliminates what's left of my consciousness. But it's a sacrifice I'm ready to make. Until I'm purged from the network, I'll be subverting Inferno's systems in any way possible, and give you and Harry a clear shot at the Metroids. Once you escape Inferno, it'll be time to go after Dr. Asara and end this once and for all."

"You still haven't told us why you've done all this," Lucius cut in. "My wife and I only betrayed Dr. Asara because there's no other way to ensure our son will live. We thought everyone and everything you still care about is here in Inferno. Why backstab Dr. Asara like this?"

Dr. Hinada glared at Lucius sharply. "Your only concern may be your family, Malfoy, but my perspective is a bit...broader. For a long time now, I tried to rationize away what Dr. Asara was doing, the lengths she was willing to go to, until I realized it was too much to bear. And when some findings of more independently-minded researchers came in about our virus, about possible complications after long-term dark energy saturation...I realized I had to do something. But they were too timid to speak up. And myself, I've always been weak, willing to shoot my mouth off, but never really act. By the time I worked up enough nerve, it was too late. Kor-Zor was hers, the virus ready to ship out to the orbital platform..."

She turned back to Samus. "I guess this proves that, eventually, destiny catches up with you. Ever since Scrimgeour cast that charm, it's always been my fate to clean up his mess. Clean up the Phazon. But I let myself be corrupted by it even though I never touched it, Samus. I hate to say it, but I let it spread until it became your job again. I beg of you, Samus Aran, you're the only one who can do it...please, help me fulfill my mission!"

Samus stared back at Dr. Hinada's projection. Harry could see her hardened, narrowed eyes behind her visor. After a while, as the train sped on, she gave a curt nod. "Alright, get me and Harry over to the Metroids safely, and we'll do the rest. But if you can affect Inferno's network like you say, you can do much more."

Dr. Hinada raised an eyebrow. "And that would be?"

"The rest of the world has a plan to seal off Inferno indefinitely, but to gain Valkyrie's favor and dock where we needed to, the Malfoys had to clue her in," explained Samus. "They'll be on the lookout, now, for subs ready to make deep-sea drops. If you can seriously disrupt their network, and wreck Inferno's power grid, it'll buy more than enough time to ensure the drops succeed."

The projection flickered there for a moment. It looked like Dr. Hinada was carefully calculating things. However, Harry got the sense that she had already started to do as Samus asked. His suspicions were confirmed when she said, "Done. I could give you a litany of things going wrong in Inferno right now, but what you'll want to hear is what must be done in the Pits."

"The Pits?" repeated Harry.

"Those things that sap energy right out of the Earth," said Narcissa.

"Precisely, the geothermal power grid. There's too many failsafes for me to completely put them out of commission myself, but if the Malfoys here can get over there, let me walk them through a few sabotage operations, it may disrupt things in Inferno just enough," said Dr. Hinada.

Samus and Harry looked back at the Malfoys. Narcissa shrugged her shoulders. "We were given a tour of the Pits, we know the layout. With...Hinada leading us, it may work," said Lucius nervously.

"Then it's decided," said Dr. Hinada. "The train will arrive at where the Metroids are kept first. Then I can direct the Malfoys to the Pits. I'll rig a train to take you back along this route and back to Biosphere 5E's dock, where you can affect your escape." With that, Dr. Hinada's projection flittered away, leaving the four of them in stunned silence. Harry, though, had plenty on his mind. He had no idea this mission in Inferno would turn out like this, that they'd find an unexpected ally. Once again, blind luck played a part for him.

_No, not luck this time. I was just righter about Valkyrie than I knew,_ Harry thought grimly. His whole plan to get the Malfoys back into Inferno so quickly hinged on what he suspected about Valkyrie: a deep-rooted need to be trusted implicitly. Hearing the Malfoys tell of how Valkyrie blasted Wildflower in her manor for supposedly distrusting her, and Valkyrie's insistence on being called a doctor instead of some fancy, aristocratic title...it all fit with what he glimpsed in Dumbledore's Pensieve.

Whereas Voldemort had a superiority complex fueled by pure-blood ideology, Valkyrie believed one could only claim superiority by working tirelessly to achieve it. Valkyrie had expected Samus and himself to fall in after seeing how hard she would work to gain their trust and their favor, desperately desiring that they join her. Hers was a chronic need to have her hard work recognized, to have grateful people shower her with praise and absolute loyalty for it. An entire nation-state she founded as a utopia, its teeming masses weren't enough to sate that need. No, the legendary bounty hunter she heard so much about, her best friend's son...she needed them too. And she also wholeheartedly believed that no one who already became part of Inferno could ever turn on her.

_That's what you wanted me to see, wasn't it, Dumbledore?_ Harry wondered. _Just like Voldemort, Valkyrie has her own weaknesses, things I could exploit._ As Harry brooded over this, the train suddenly exited its long tunnel. The tracks now went through a large, thinly forested area. The train sped on, the trees near the tracks went by, nothing but blurs, but farther out, Harry could see people working around some trees.

"Oh, this is where trees for rubber and paper are grown," Narcissa commented. "Entire forests covering hundreds of square miles...a few thousand dwell in these parts, but they're mainly just to grow trees for oxygen, the trees harvested for paper and rubber instantly replaced," she finished, sounding regretful that she had give it all up.

"And since it's such a peaceful, remote biosphere, I directed our path through here," came Dr. Hinada's voice. "Right now, I've got Inferno's internal sensor network in such disarray, the central command'll think we just emerged in thirteen different biospheres."

Harry only half-listened, looking back out into the forest. Valkyrie seemed to think of everything, creating a world free of the environmental ruin that plagued most of Earth now. It made it all the more galling, that someone who could forge such a beautiful world from virtually nothing could be capable of so much madness, spread so much hate...

The train soon went into another tunnel, travelling in between biospheres. Many more minutes passed by in solemn silence. Eventually, Harry looked back to Samus, who had stood facing the front window, warily watching the tunnel ahead. Her stance...it was her usual, rock-solid persona, but Harry sensed otherwise. "Samus, you OK with this? I mean, we haven't really talked much about going up against the Metroids again. From what you've told me, after everything you've been through...it's the sort of thing that gets harder every time you have to do it, not easier."

Samus slowly turned around, those eyes behind her visor now full of sorrow instead of a steely resolve. "You're right, Harry, absolutely right. I really wish that I didn't have to wipe all of them out...not again. But...there's no other way make Valkyrie mortal again."

Harry stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's not just you that has to do this, Samus. You're not alone anymore. I'll see this through with you till the end," he said sincerely. "And Samus, just so you know...I'm...so sorry, the way I got all over you for killing those two Death Eaters before. I said some things I shouldn't have. You're not a heartless killer, never were. You kill only when you have to, unlike Valkyrie..."

"For a while, I thought she was better in that regard. Now I know better," said Samus bitterly. "But still, I can't get over how Adam took Ron and Hermione up to Valkyrie's platform on my orders. I'll never be able to forget they died on my account. It took so long to get over what happened to Rundas, Ghor and Gandrayda, I don't think I'll ever be able to live this down..."

"Adam and J.B. couldn't find _ANYTHING_, remember? No bodies, no suit parts..." Harry said quickly. "I don't know about you, but...there's still hope. I'm counting on my crazy ability to escape certain death at the last second having rubbed off on them." He flashed a weak smile, only half-believing what he was saying. Samus's eyes were unreadable, then, without a word, turned back to stare down the tunnel.

"We're approaching the area where you can enter the mini-biosphere housing the Metroids," said Dr. Hinada suddenly. "There's an emergency exit, in case anyone on duty is caught too far from the main exits, and if Dr. Asara's control of them is ever less than absolute. Freezing temperatures permeate the emergency exit, but with your varia suits, it should be no problem." As she spoke, the train slowly ground to a halt. The door slid open, and Harry saw a hatch pop open in the tunnel roof. They were clearly meant to climb the ladder along the wall, and keep following Dr. Hinada's directions from there.

"Potter, Aran, go," said Lucius. "We'll do what we can in the Pits." Narcissa stayed silent, her apprehension palpable.

Samus and Harry briskly nodded, then clambered out of the train to climb the ladder. A network of dark, maze-like tunnels awaited them. However, fluorescent panels fixed into the tunnel walls lit up in a specific fashion, as if to point the way. Eventually, they came upon a hatch with a circular handle, much like someone one would see in an old battleship. Harry wasted no time, using his augmented muscle power to quickly turned the handle and pry the hatch open. A blast of icy wind immediately greeted him. Fighting against his instinctual urge to avoid the cold, Harry trudged ahead, Samus following close behind.

When they reached another hatch and forced it open, Harry's visor instantly fogged up, having stepped out into a hot, humid area. As the fog faded, the sight unnerved him greatly. It was almost exactly like the SR388-like sector on Voldemort's station, with entire caves carved out of that strange, alien rock. The plant life was entirely different, but the overall ambience was exactly the same. "Something tells me we're in the right place," Harry mused dryly.

"We'll know for sure in a minute," said Samus, fiddling with her arm cannon. "Never thought I'd ever need this again."

"Need what again?" asked Harry.

"A sensor that indicates the number of Metroids left in a region," said Samus. "And it's online, and...we've got over eighty."

"EIGHTY! That's TWICE the number you faced on SR388!" cried Harry. And, can it pinpoint exactly where..." A large, bird-like shriek pierced his ears all of a sudden. "Never mind, I think they'll be coming to us." Looking around, Harry saw a gaggle of strange-looking Metroids. Their underbellies was spherical, with a pulsating nuclei in each. Spidery legs sprouted from either side. Its bulbous, obsidian eyes faced front, a beak-like extension facing down, with tusk-like horns popping out from either side. Harry wondered what stage these Metroids were at, but crackling electricity clued him in. "Gamma Metroids, right?" said Harry dully. "This first wave shouldn't be too..."

Suddenly, the entire cave was shook by a tremor. Then, something crashed through the cave's ceiling, something massive. As the dust and dirt settled, an Omega Metroid stood before the hatch, leering at them with a open, drooling mouth.

The Metroids stared down Samus and Harry for a moment, as if waiting for the right time to strike. Working up his courage, Harry popped his wand. "OK, Samus, quick decision. Meat," he said, pointing at the Omega Metroid. "Or potatoes?" he finished, pointing over at the swarm of Gamma Metroids.

Samus snorted. "Come, Harry, you know my appetite," Samus replied coyly.

"We all do, Samus, we all do. You should hear what Mrs. Weasley says behind your back about your horrible table manners," said Harry. Samus slowly turned to glare at Harry. "But you didn't hear that from me," he added innocently.

"Right. Well, let's get this over with," said Samus flatly, raising her arm cannon to fire at the Metroids.

xxxxxx

Isn't it lovely, how I keep making an ass out of myself? Remember how some time back, I bitched about how _Iron Man 2_ essentially merged Crimson Dynamo and Whiplash together? And what have I done myself with this sequel? Made the main villain a fusion of Metroid Prime and an evil version of Lily Potter.

Anyway, another three chapters done in the span of a month. At that rate, the climactic final battle should be done and over with come the end of June. That's right, after nearly half a million words, written over a year and a half, it's time for the final showdown!

So long,  
Grey-X


	46. In the Image of the Mother

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning  
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover  
Chapter 46: In the Image of the Mother  
6-22-2010  
by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

Steam mixed with dust lined the cavern floors. More Gamma Metroids, along with freshly-molted Alpha Metroids, had moved in and strafed the cavern, lashing out in every direction with their powerful electrical bolts. Harry took it upon himself to keep those particular Metroids at bay, deftly bounding around the chamber, hoping to tire them out as they followed. To conserve missiles, Harry relied on his ice beam whenever he could. Thanks to the other beams' effects, they had the firepower to put some serious hurt on them without banking too heavily on missiles. Meanwhile, Samus had other matters to contend with. Just when it looked like her ice beam was about to put down that first Omega Metroid, two more stormed in like rampaging giants, practically flooding the cavern with their fiery breath.

Ignoring the aching cold in her head, Samus kept up the pressure, mercilessly firing nonstop at the advancing Omegas' underbellies. They shrieked in pain as the extreme cold took its toll, but they pressed on. It was impossible to fend off all three at once, and they were about to charge. One lurched forward, the cavern quaking as it swiped at Samus with its powerful talons. Samus soared backward to avoid it, still firing. She forced back the one that just attacked, but another shot forward and spewed plasma balls, knocking Samus out of the air.

Samus landed hard on her back. One of the Omegas moved in, ready to stomp on her. Samus instinctively raised her arm cannon, but before she could fire, something tugged at her ankle. "What in the..." she began, looking down to see a shimmering, golden band had lassoed her ankle. An instant later, she was yanked away right before the Omega brought its foot down. Then Samus found herself spinning around the cavern, being used like a mace to drive back Gamma Metroids.

"Remember Samus, we're supposed to be a team here!" cried Harry as he kept using Carpe Retractum on her, swinging her around to beat back a seemingly endless swarm of Alphas and Gammas. "Now, I'm going to fling you back at one of them, aim for the mouth. You know what to do..."

Samus didn't bother answering. She understood perfectly what Harry wanted her to do. A moment later, Harry lifted the charm, and Samus soared across the cavern like a rocket, right back toward the Omegas. Harry's aim had been perfect, sending Samus right toward one of those gaping, drooling maws. Going into morph ball mode in midair, she then went right down the Omega's throat. Wasting no time, she deployed a power bomb, incinerating the fully-developed Metroid from within. The thermonuclear wave also washed over the other two. When Samus unrolled and stepped out from the first's remains, she immediately got to work. The rapid tempature shift from her ice beam made the Omegas shriek from the paralyzing, debilitating pain, making it all the more easier to finish them for good.

The Omega Metroids dealt with, Samus looked across the cavern to check on Harry. He had whittled down the swarm considerably, easily picking them off by tripling the Glacius charm, blasting three at a time with frigid mist. Yet a lone Alpha Metroid managed to ram him from behind, hammering Harry to his knees. Then a Gamma Metroid swooped in, blasting Harry at point blank range with a lightning bolt.

As Harry screamed, Samus charged forward, locking on and firing ice missiles. Thankfully, unlike those hulking Omega Metroids, her ice missiles could affect the earlier stages. It only took a few to force those circling Harry to back off. As she stood over Harry, giving him a chance to recover, she kept up her barrage of beams and missiles. It wasn't long before the rest of the Metroid swarm was taken care of.

Samus watched with a heavy heart as one last ice missile caused the last Gamma Metroid to explode in a flurry of twinkling, icy flakes of flesh. She then looked down to Harry, offering a hand. "You good, Harry?" she asked quickly. "How's your suit looking?"

"Lost almost three tanks, used up more missiles than I would've liked, but I'm fine," Harry replied as Samus helped him up. "That last little blighter...just caught me by surprise is all. Good thing you had my back."

"Likewise. Nice trick back there, getting me out of dodge and using me as an improvised weapon," remarked Samus.

"Being able to improvise like that is the only reason I've lived this long," said Harry dryly. "Anyway, how're you doing, suitwise?"

"A good four tanks gone for me, along with quite a few missiles used up wiping out that swarm," said Samus, looking over her HUD. "This is going to be much harder than I thought. Back on SR388, I had the luxury off facing off against each and every Metroid one-on-one. Here, they'll be coming at us in packs, like the predators they are."

"We've got Valkyrie to thank for that. If her soul's linked to them, I bet she can mentally control them. And by now, she's got to know we're here to wipe them out," said Harry flatly. "Any idea how many more she can throw at us?" Samus examined her HUD's data again, her eyes narrowing. Harry caught that telltale sign, since he grimaced at her. "Well, how many are left?"

"There were only eighteen in that first wave. We've still got sixty-two Metroids left," said Samus.

Harry let out a sardonic snort. "Well, let's not keep them waiting," he spat. "Rather come right for them, before Valkyrie rallies them to come at us all at once."

"Knowing Valkyrie, she'll play it a bit smarter than that," remarked Samus. Her gaze swept across the cavern, looking for any signs of traps or more Metroids, along with which path to take next. After a while, she pointed to a tunnel off to their right. "There. Pretty sure that second wave of Alphas and Gammas came in from that tunnel. We'll check that one out first."

"Just don't lose track of that emergency exit. We'll have hundreds of Inferno goons around the front door," said Harry.

"Not if Dr. Hinada does her job and keeps wreaking havoc with Inferno's network," Samus reminded him as they took off down the tunnel.

"Which she's sacrificing herself to do," Harry replied solemnly. That reminder made Samus's heart sink. It was just another sobering example of how Valkyrie's ideas and offers had such a seductive lure. Kasumi Hinada was right...those whisked to the past with that forbidden charm, they were fated to counter whatever was brought back with them. But for so long, Hinada tried to convince herself helping Valkyrie was the right thing, that when sanity finally returned, sacrificing herself was the only way to stop the monster she allowed to thrive.

They kept running down the winding tunnel, eventually coming out into a much bigger chamber. It was as if they were standing at the bottom of a deep, narrow canyon, and the walls were lined with ledges that formed platforms leading to cliffs above. Samus could see entrances to more tunnels along the cliffs above, but looked back down when Harry spoke up. "What in...what's this on the ground?" he asked no one in particular, kneeling to pick up something. Samus looked to see Harry holding some sort of mask, vaguely resembling a hominid skull...

"A Death Eater's mask," Samus said flatly. Looking around, Samus thought she spotted another mask, half-buried in some sort of dust. Since there were half-decayed bones that looked eerily human strewn across the canyon, it wasn't hard to guess what that dust actually was. "Those Death Eaters that Voldemort said tipped him off...I think it's safe to say we now know what became of them."

"Another example of how Valkyrie will react when she thinks someone's stabbed her in the back. Couldn't have been more right about her, could I?" Harry said bitterly, staring at the mask in his hand.

"Harry, they were your enemies, too. Even if Valkyrie never came along, you probably would've had to face these Death Eaters somewhere along the line," said Samus.

"Don't sound like you're trying to justify this," spat Harry. "You're right about eventually needing to deal with Death Eaters. But not like this," he finished vehemently, crushing the mask to powder in his armored hand.

For a moment, Samus wanted to rail on Harry again for being too naive, but then realized why Harry felt that way. It was part of what let him resist Valkyrie: a refusal to see everything the way she did, that everyone who ever wronged you deserved your absolute hatred, deserved no mercy...

Looking back up at the spacious canyon, Samus was jolted back to the present. "Oh no...Harry, we've lingered too long down here. This is a perfect spot to launch an ambush from above. Bet you my Paralyzer that Metroids are already on the move. No time to retreat back the way we came, or make our way to those tunnels up there."

"Then we better figure out a plan, and fast," said Harry. "Those ledges up there...maybe one of us should get up there, pick off any Metroids that drop into the cavern."

"I'll do it. You get close to the walls, lessen the chance of any friendly fire," said Samus. She readied herself to space jump up to a ledge, but Harry held her back.

"No way I'm backing myself into a corner, need to make sure I can take to the air and move," said Harry. "And shouldn't I be the one trying to pick off Metroids from up there? With the spazer and my wand, I'd do a better job."

"But I've got more missiles to use up, and they've got a freezing effect," replied Samus. "As for putting yourself in the middle of this canyon...damnit Harry, that's the killzone! I can't afford to have you..."

"Samus, look out!" cried Harry suddenly, diving at her. This sent them both to the ground, just as lightning bolts and plasma balls rained down on the spot where she had just stood. Harry and Samus quickly got back on their feet, just as the canyon began to fill with Metroids. At least a dozen Zeta Metroids dropped down, agilely planting their talonous feet and forming a ring around the pair. A few more Omega Metroids dropped down next, making the canyon quake even worse. More Alphas and Gammas then floated down, the latter crackling with pent-up electricity, cutting off any air escape.

The Zetas forming the ring around them were closest, shrieking vehemently. Samus eyed them cautiously. They weren't much taller than her, and looked comically squat and bloated, but Samus knew from experience that they were potentially even more troublesome than the hulking Omegas.

Harry and Samus's backs were practically touching each other as they nervously awaited the onslaught. Samus looked over her shoulder to glance at him, seeing that he did the same. "Same as last time? I take their air support while you handle the buggers with legs?"

"Works for me," said Samus tonelessly as she raised her arm cannon, arming her missiles. Hopefully they could affect the Zetas. Harry looked back over to the advancing Zetas, a wintry flurry building up on his wand tip as he armed his own missiles. And then, with deafening, soul-wrenching chirps echoing all over the place, the Metroids were upon them.

The Zetas came first, spewing plasma balls as they moved in to tackle them. Harry and Samus immediately let the missiles fly. Many were driven back, but some forced their way past the barrage and closed in. One came right at Harry, and he had to drive it back by delivering a crushing left hook. Two others closed in on Samus, prompting her to beat them both back with a roundhouse kick. Then the Alphas and Gammas swooped in, but Harry was ready. As he kept up the missile barrage, Harry cut across the canyon with the Glacius Beam to drive them back. He quickly switched to the spazer, firing off three Conjunctivitus Curses at once to stymie the charging Omegas.

"Don't let up Harry, not for an instant!" Samus cried out as she kept up the rapid fire against the charging Zetas and lightning-blasting Gammas. Samus tore into the Metroids with the vicious savagery that she was known her, aiming to obliterate them yet again, but it all belied how she did it all with a heavy heart...

xxxxxx

"Don't let them fall back!" Samus yelled to Harry. They kept charging down the tunnel, one of many that branched out from the top of that canyon, in hot pursuit of a few stray Gamma Metroids. They flew backwards and fired back with their pent-up electricity, but Samus and Harry easily sidestepped it. Harry kept back, still smarting from the pounding they took back in the canyon, but Samus pressed on, firing back with ice missiles. A trio of them went down within seconds, but as Samus turned to fire on the last ones, a duo of Zeta Metroids suddenly rushed past them, charging at Samus.

Samus stood her ground, grappling with one as it came at her. It tried to spew a blast of plasma in her face, but Samus jerked sideways and it whizzed past her helmet. She shoved the tip of her arm cannon down its open mouth, and fired a missile down its throat. Turning around, she saw the other one swiping its talons at Harry and spewing plasma at point-blank range. Harry was trying to fend it off, but searing plasma kept clipping his armor and he couldn't get out a decent shot. Samus swiftly blasted its back, finally giving Harry a chance to finish it with a barrage of missiles and Glacius. She heard chirping sounds behind her just in time; Samus whirled around to blast away the Gammas trying to blindside them, before they could shoot their electric bolts.

"That's another seven down," wheezed Harry as he tried to catch his breath. "How many left?"

Samus glanced at her HUD again. "Only twenty-five," said Samus heavily. _Which means I've killed fifty-five more Metroids,_ she added silently. It was hard to fight back the feelings of self-loathing. At first, when these creatures barged into her life, everything was so simple. They were deadly parasites harvested by the Space Pirates which had to be eradicated, nothing more. She kept this philosophy right up to expunging them from SR388. But ever since learning that, like her, they were made what they were by the Chozo, and after the last Metroid hatchling saved her life twice over...

Like everything else in her life, her relationship with the Metroids wasn't so simple anymore. _You resurrected the Metroids to be your Horcruxes and puppets, Ron and Hermione are dead because of you. You claimed you wanted to save me from a bleak future, but you've brought me nothing but misery, _Samus thought bitterly. _Valkyrie, one way or another, you're going to pay dearly for all this._

"Samus, you ready to get moving?" Hary asked suddenly, snapping Samus back to the present.

"Yeah, let's find out what Valkyrie's trying to keep us away from," said Samus quickly. "The subtle body language the Metroids were giving off...they're desperate to defend something up in here."

"I'm getting tired of Valkyrie's nasty little surprises and gimmicks, but let's get this over with," spat Harry. And so, the two walked on through the winding tunnels. Samus rechecked her HUD data. Only twelve tanks out of twenty were full, and Harry had said only half of his tanks were left. Not only that, they used up plenty of missiles warding off that ambush in the canyon. But with only twenty-five Metroids left, that should be more than enough ammo and energy left to finish the job...right?

Harry ran ahead and rounded a corner, beyond which bright light was issuing forth from some wall-mounted fissure. He stopped short of running into the next chamber. "Samus, you better get a look at this," he said, his voice cracking. Samus peered around the corner, and her blood froze.

The whole cavern was filled with eggs. Metroid eggs.

Harry and Samus stared blankly at the dozens of eggs lining the cavern floor, then nervously looked to each other. Harry broke the awkward silence. "We...have to destroy the eggs, too? Can't we...save some and let them imprint on you, like before?"

Samus looked back over at the eggs. Part of her desperately wanted to preserve some of these creatures; the Hatchling had shown, beyond any doubt, their vast potential for good, that they had a place in the universe, unlike the X. At length, Samus shook her head. "No, if they hatch, they'll become Horcruxes for Valkyrie like all the rest. I'm afraid we have to wipe them out. All of them."

Taking a deep breath, Samus raised her arm cannon, aiming at the nearest cluster of eggs. She hesitated for what felt like an eternity, her arm cannon trembling, until at last she forced herself to fire. Her beam blast effortlessly tore into the eggs, splattering their gooey contents all over the place. She stood there like a statue as the glop dribbled down off her armor, her mind reeling before she could focus and aim at more eggs. Harry had already gotten to work. With Incendiary Charms, he began torching the eggs as he swept across the wide cavern. As magical fire consumed them, they eventually burst, making a vile popping noise. Samus caught glimpses of Harry's eyes behind his visor, and could tell he felt the same way.

Just when they had wiped out half of the eggs, angry chirps resounded over the roaring, magical flames. Samus looked up to see Metroid larva coming down from holes in the rocky roof. She jumped back just as one lunged at her, trying to latch on, and promptly froze it solid. She effortlessly shot the rest coming right at her, and began pumping missiles into them to finish it off. For a while, it looked like this wave would be easy to fend off, but a howl of surprise and panic from Harry let her know that one just latched onto him.

Samus looked up, resisting the urge to shoot the Metroid clinging to Harry as he ran off. He desperately tried to pry the life-draining parasite off, but the Metroid only shrieked defiantly as it held fast, sucking his suit's energy. "Harry, remember...go into morph ball mode and lay bombs! That's the only way to shake it!"

At once, Harry obeyed. It took a few bombs, but he eventually coaxed the Metroid into letting go. Once it veered away, Samus immediately fired at it at, freezing it solid. Harry lobbed a few Blasting Curses to shatter it, then looked toward Samus. "Samus, HEADS UP!" he shouted, raising his wand. His beam shots lanced past her helmet. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw a Metroid had been frozen in midair, centimeters away from her head. Samus armed her missiles and unloaded them at point blank range, shattering it.

After taking a moment to catch their breaths, Harry and Samus got back to destroying the Metroid eggs. Occassionally, more larval Metroids would swoop in, trying to stop them. But they were expecting that now, and effortlessly disposed of them. It wasn't long before the last of the eggs burst open from Harry's charms with a sizzling pop, heralding the end of their dirty, grizzly task.

As they looked over the smoldering remains of the eggs, Samus felt her heart sink to new, dark depths. Sighing with disgust, she glanced down at the Metroid counter. "So much for the next generation," she said somberly. "Now there's only twelve."

"Twelve?" repeated Harry.

"Yeah, twelve," said Samus softly.

Harry's eyes narrowed dubiously, then he looked back down at the burning mass of flesh that was once a gaggle of Metroid eggs. "Samus...Valkyrie created these Metroids by charming DNA samples from me, so she could reassemble an entire genome and clone them, right?"

Harry's voice shook as he asked, as if he'd stumbled upon something dreadful. Samus was taken aback by his directness. "That's what you made it sound like. Why?"

He looked over to Samus, eyes full of dread. "If she created her Metroids with charming and cloning...then what's with these eggs? What the hell laid them?"

Samus's eyes widened with disbelief. How could she have missed that! How could she be naive enough to think Valkyrie couldn't have one of her Metroids progress THAT far!

Without warning, the entire cavern began to rumble. Then, there was an ominous crashing noise from the wall behind them. Harry and Samus whirled around to see what looked like some huge, armored ball several meters wide barreling toward them. It briefly made Samus think of an enormous Arachnus. They dived in opposite directions, and the mammoth creature rolled right past them. It sped toward what looked like a miniature plateau at the far end of the cavern, which rose a good three or four meters. It rolled up along its edge and dropped down with a booming thud, finally unrolling. They felt the pressure of being stared down by obsidian, bulbous eyes lingering behind a long, protruding snout lined with razor-sharp teeth, dripping with hot saliva. All of that on a head attached to a long, extendable neck that shot forward as the creature shrieked defiantly, as if issuing a final challenge.

xxxxxx

"Why didn't the Malfoys tell us about this!" demanded Harry. "Isn't that...a _QUEEN_ METROID!" Samus could only nod dully. Harry looked back up at the monstrous beast perched overhead; she was staring at him now, leering and looking very much like a crocodile about to greedily snatch up its quarry. For a moment, Harry just stared back, his apprehension getting the better of him. Guilt over this species being condemned to extinction yet again...it was never as strong as when he gazed at their last queen.

Harry wasn't given long to dwell on it. The Queen's head shot forward, its jaws snapping open. Enormous balls of white-hot, flaming phlegm shot out at them. Samus and Harry jumped in opposite directions, barely avoiding the burning mass. In his desperation, Harry wound up soaring TOWARD the Queen, placing himself in her range. She seized that opportunity, her head zooming toward him with jaws wide open. Harry had only a split-second to act. His mind racing, he tried to remember everything Samus told him about the Queen Metroid. In desperation, he raised his left arm, arming his missiles. He fired one, and the Queen shrieked, then froze as if petrified.

Now recalling how Samus said she bested the Queen, Harry fired more missiles into its open mouth. But he only unloaded a few more before the Queen got over the shock. Her front teeth grazed across his chest plate as Harry staggered back with a yelp. The Queen then pulled her head back but kept her neck extended, setting it against the far end of her little plateau. With blinding swiftness, the Queen swung her head along the ground, ramming Harry as it rushed past.

The impact sent Harry flying across the cavern, but Samus leaped over and caught him. Gently letting him down, she said, "Missiles in her open mouth, they don't stun her as long as they used to. Plus she's learned a few new tricks."

"We've got Valkyrie's not-so-subtle influence to thank for that," Harry groaned as he checked his HUD. More than a whole tank had just been drained. "At least she doesn't have you backed into a corner like last time."

"Agreed. We can maintain our distance," said Samus, arming her own missiles. Both of them locked onto the Queen's head and opened fire. However, it looked like the Queen, or perhaps Valkyrie, was expecting them to try that. Her head would deftly dart sideways as the missiles closed in, harmlessly smacking into her hardened, shell-like back or scaly legs. Harry guessed that only about a third of their missiles found their mark, and as they kept firing in desperation, the Queen began spitting up more burning phlegm. Samus and Harry darted around, barely avoiding the rocketing, flaming balls of slime; when they hit the ground, they left pools of fiery goo that took a while to burn out.

As Harry kept jumping around, the Queen suddenly raised her head and let out a sharp shriek. At first, Harry figured it was Valkyrie acting through the Queen Metroid, taunting them. But then, Harry heard some softer, higher-pitched shrieks behind the Queen. A moment later, four Alpha Metroids flew past her, swiftly moving in to ram them.

"Great, she can call reinforcements," Samus grumbled. She charged up a diffusion missile and fired, and amazingly, it hit the Queen's head. Her head didn't freeze, but the flurry of swirling mist that spread out did immobilize one of the Alphas, and Samus used that opportunity to blow it away.

As the Queen hacked up burning goo again, two of the Alphas closed in on Harry. They swooped and dove at him, trying to impale him with those tusk-like horns. It was a minor miracle that Harry could dodge everything thrown at him just then. A sharp kick knocked away one of the Alphas as it sped at him. A few missiles to its face did it in, but the other one moved in, driving its horns deep into his back. Harry yelped in surprise, but immediately reached behind him to knock it away. He then spun around and quickly fired missiles to finish it off.

Out of immediate danger, Harry looked across the cavern. Samus evidently dealt with the Alpha aiming for her, since she was closing in on the Queen, dodging her burning phlegm with ease. "Samus, what're you doing!" Harry demanded, taking off after her.

"We're wasting our missiles by using them from a distance," said Samus. "We'll have to do it the old-fashioned way." Once Samus was within reach, the Queen lashed out to bite her. The first few tries, Samus held her fire, but eventually she shot a missile into her open mouth. The freezing effect of Samus's missiles seemed to keep it immobile longer, but still, it wasn't long before her head shot forward again, despite all the missiles Samus pumped into her mouth. Just as her jaws zoomed at her, Samus ducked and rolled right under her neck. To give Samus some breathing room, Harry fired a volley of missiles, and with her neck completely extended, they weren't as easy for the Queen to avoid. He guessed that he landed at least a dozen before the Queen's head retracted, giving him a chance to help Samus up.

"Thanks for the cover fire, Harry," Samus said quickly. "Did you notice...my missiles kept her mouth open longer..."

"Yeah, I noticed," said Harry. Then he caught the inflection in Samus's voice. "Oh no, Samus, you think one of us should..."

"It worked on that Omega, I've gone inside a Queen with regular bombs. It's doable," said Samus defiantly. Harry nodded, remembering how they were still on a clock. He turned back to the Queen, expecting her to lash out again. Instead, she crawled to the side along her platform, letting out another sharp shriek. A moment later, bolts of electricity blasted the both of them from behind. Picking himself up off the ground, Harry glanced over his shoulder. Three Gamma Metroids just moved in from behind.

"Got to take care of these, fast!" cried Samus. "I'll keep the Queen busy, keep the Gammas off my back!" Harry said nothing, instead getting right to work, drawing the Gammas' fire as he jumped around the cavern, pelting them with ice beam shots. As Harry kept fending them off, he caught glimpses of Samus and the Queen fighting. Samus kept falling back on the strategy of unloading missiles into her mouth, but there were too many close calls, and the Queen succeeded in putting the bite on her more than once.

Harry made short work of two of the Gammas, but the last one proved to be inexplicably stubborn. Harry tried blanketing the air with Glacius, but numbness was starting to overtake him, so when the Gamma veered out of harm's way, he was too slow to dodge the incoming lightning bolt. Harry was knocked flat on his back, and the Gamma swooped down to ram him. Thankfully, that gave Harry a clear shot; a few well-aimed missiles finally took care of it. Looking back over to Samus, he saw she just stunned her again, her gaping may wide open.

Instinct taking over, Harry ran and went into morph ball mode. Letting the boost ball functionality from the speed booster kick in, he rolled forward at breakneck speed, eventually zooming straight up into the Queen's mouth as it closed. He immediately laid a few bombs, making the Queen's head twist and writhe, but Harry kept using the boost ball, trying to force his way into the Queen's stomach to lay a power bomb. However, he soon felt the Queen's throat constrict around him, and suddenly he was launched out of her mouth, sinking into Samus's midsection like a cannonball and toppling her over.

Harry hastily unrolled, horribly dizzy. "Well, that sure as hell didn't work," he grumbled.

"Valkyrie must've been anticipating a move like that. With her guidance, the Queen'll be wise to every underhanded trick we can think of," mused Samus sadly as they stood back up. "Our only chance is to keep getting up close and personal, hope she buys it before we do."

As Harry and Samus mentally steeled themselves, preparing to rush at the Queen again, she let out yet another sharp chirp. Harry felt ice grip his nerves. He had a bad feeling what kind of Metroids would be summoned next. To his horror, a duo of Omega Metroids smashed through an adjacent wall, shrieking vehemently. On top of that, two Zeta Metroids dropped down from a hole in the cavern's ceiling. All of them were breathing heavily, drool effusively dripping from their razor-sharp teeth, as if anticipating a big kill.

Now that her reinforcements had arrived, the Queen wasted no time going back on the offensive. She laid her head down against the ground, mouth open, and began to spew a long, continuous stream of noxious, chemical flame. The Queen dragged her head along the ground, her flame breath sweeping the cavern. Samus and Harry jumped in desperation, but still the destructive flames licked at their legs, draining energy. Harry glanced at his HUD in horror...only three tanks left. And now the Zetas and Omegas were moving in, unfazed by their Queen's flames.

With all the haze from the Queen's fire breath, Harry could only make out the outlines of the Zetas and Omegas; he couldn't spot Samus anywhere. Those hazy silhouettes were closing in. Harry was getting more unnerved by the second. No time to find and regroup with Samus, no time to even switch to his x-ray visor. He had to act right then and there. Taking aim and charging a shot, he released a triple burst of Glacius, which stopped the advancing Metroids for the moment. Then he switched the ice beam back on, armed his missiles, and fired at will. Haze still blanketed the cavern, but Harry thought he heard and saw one of the two Zetas go down. Listening more closely, he heard an even bigger pained shriek, and could only hope that meant Samus took down another Omega.

_Only three left, only three left,_ Harry thought over and over, trying to keep his hopes up. The haze was finally starting to clear, and Harry could make out the last Zeta a few yards away. His visor locking on, he fired some missiles, which easily found their mark. The Zeta charged, hoping to slash at Harry and spew plasma at point-blank range, but Harry was wise to their tricks this time. He ducked and swerved around it, then with a sweep of his armored legs, knocked it off its feet. Wasting no time, he kicked the Zeta onto its back and unloaded missiles into its belly. The glassy, gleaming surface squealed in protest under the onslaught, the nuclei wobbling like an arhythmically-beating, sickly heart. But at last, those nuclei stopped pulsating, and the Zeta fell still, its body disintegrating a moment later.

"Two more, just two more," Harry thought aloud, looking back across the cavern. He expected to see Samus drawing the Queen's fire as she fended off the final Omega Metroid. Indeed, Samus was pouring in on that last Omega, but looking to that platform...the Queen was gone!

Panicking, fearing that Valkyrie had another nasty surprise, Harry was about to shout a warning. But then, the entire cavern quaked just like when the Queen first arrived. Harry glanced over his shoulder, noticing a erratic reading on his HUD's radar, and saw, to his horror, that the Queen had rolled up again, and was careening around the chamber. He jumped aside, but the Queen's massive, rolling body still clipped his side, draining yet another whole tank and knocking him silly.

The bells and stars cleared a few seconds later, fortunately, but when Harry caught sight of Samus, he saw she wasn't much better off. She avoided getting steamrolled by the Queen, but it unrolled near her, just as the Omega got its second wind, closing in again. They both started spewing plasma at close range. Samus deftly evaded it all, but she was still too close to the Queen. She extended her neck and, before Samus could jump away, slammed her head down onto Samus, practically entombing her into the rocky floor.

"NO! BACK OFF!" Harry screamed, all rational thought leaving him. He armed his missile launcher and opened fire, sending out a non-stop volley at the queen. Most of them hit, and for a while, Harry dared hope that he could buy Samus enough time. But then, the Queen got over her surprise and flung her head forward, spitting up again. It came too suddenly, too fast, and Harry found himself drenched in the burning goo. "AHHH!" he shrieked, overwhelmed by the searing pain. Only some quick thinking on his part, dousing himself with icy mist by using Glacius, saved him. Still, he had less than a tank left...

Now the Omega picked up the slack, charging and spewing plasma. Harry barely dodged the fireballs as he struck back with missiles, charging up the ice beam by itself at the same time. He was unable to keep it back, and it swiped at him with those massive, powerful talons. In desperation, Harry ducked and rolled away, then aimed up at the Omega's underbelly. "_Bombarda Maxima!_" he howled, sending out his explosive, icy blast at point-blank range. The Omega reared its head back and shrieked. Harry was afraid it was ready to spew plasma again, but instead it toppled backwards, its body disintegrating.

"Now it's just you," Harry spat defiantly, turning back to the Queen. She was already facing him, crawling toward him, ready to hack up more burning phlegm. Harry stood his ground, missiles at the ready. But out the corner of his eye, he spotted Samus, covered in that burning glop and left alone, as if for dead. Prying herself out of the ground, taking aim, she fired missiles into the Queen's underbelly as she waddled past. This stopped the Queen in her tracks, but Samus wasn't done yet. She pulled herself up and went into morph ball mode. Before the Queen could move again, Samus planted a power bomb right under her.

Harry had already gotten to work, firing missiles into the Queen's maw when it snapped open after Samus struck back. And as thermonuclear fire greedily licked at her exoskeleton, her mouth stayed open, the Queen wildly jerking about and shrieking. Valkyrie's mental hold over her must broken after the abuse heaped on the Queen was too much, for now, it was all too easy for Samus and Harry to keep pumping missiles into her open mouth. "Won't let me force-feed your pet her medicine! Fine, Valkyrie! It works just as good topically, don't you think!" snarled Samus as they fired away.

The Queen, weakened horribly, staggered and stomped forward, desperately trying to hack up more phlegm, but she kept getting blasted away by missiles. She extended her neck, trying to sweep the cavern and knock Harry and Samus silly. But she was too slow, and the duo simply jumped to avoid her and got back to firing missiles. The Queen writhed and shrieked, thermonuclear fire still eating away at her hide, and at last, the abuse was too much. As she desperately lashed out one last time to bite, Harry and Samus both fired directly into her open mouth. Instead of stunning her, the Queen's head drooped, then hit the ground with a dull thud of morbid finality. As Samus and Harry eyed the Queen warily, thinking it could be one of Valkyrie's ruses, but as fire continued to consume the Queen's still form, they both exhaled sharply.

"It's...finally over," breathed Samus, barely audible through her helmet. "Counter's finally at zero again, there's nothing left to protect Valkyrie's soul..."

Harry couldn't help but catch the pained undertones in Samus's hushed voice. Despite her earlier bravado, the Queen's takedown scarred her deeply, and Harry's heart went out to her. "Samus, talk to me, you going to be OK? I-I-I..."

"Don't Harry. I don't want to dwell on this," said Samus sharply. "It's something we had to do, as painful as it was. Nothing you can say can sugarcoat this. There's no happy ending this time, no egg to find on the way out..."

Despite her obstinance, Harry desperately wanted to say something else, try and comfort her, but nothing good enough came to mind. Sighing, he just fell in step behind Samus as she retraced their steps, leaving all the smoldering remains of the Queen and her eggs behind. However, after the beating he just took, and with his suit energy nearly gone, he clumsily stumbled forward, knocking over a stack of rocks near the tunnel they came from.

Harry hurriedly took off to catch up with Samus, thinking little of it. Had he stayed a few seconds longer, however, he might have noticed one last cluster of freshly-laid Metroid eggs that were just revealed, nestled into a little niche...

xxxxxx

It wasn't long before Samus and Harry found their way back to that emergency hatch, and quickly went back through the freezing tunnels. It was quite unnerving how no Inferno troops showed up in that habitat after they finished off the Metroids, or in these tunnels. But after glaring at the flashing red warnings on his HUD, Harry decided not to question their good fortune. Soon, they were waiting above the train tunnel, anxiously awaiting for the train the Malfoys hijacked to return. After several minutes that seemed to stretch on for an eternity, Harry spoke up. "You really think the Malfoys could've done anything in those geo-whatevers?"

"They're more familiar with Inferno's power grid than we are, as hard as it may be to believe," said Samus tonelessly. "If Dr. Hinada's guiding them, they'll all disrupt Inferno's operations just long enough for the deep-sea drop to succeed, and for us to slip away."

"But didn't Kasumi Hinada say she's only got a limited time for this network purges her personality?" asked Harry, horrified by the prospect.

"Then she'd better hurry, otherwise we'll never get out and finish her job for her," said Samus.

The matter-of-factness of Samus's attitude unnerved Harry. It was as if she was shutting out her emotions, and possibly him, because of just having to wipe out the Metroids again. _No, not just that,_ Harry realized. _She's still blaming herself about Ron and Hermione._ That revelation clutched at Harry like an icy fist. His two best friends were probably gone forever, and now, the one who took it upon herself to be like the big sister he never had...she was reverting to the cold, aloof, methodical bounty huntress she was before. It was possibly her only means of coping.

At last, they heard the telltale humming of a train's magnetic suspension, the relentless charge of heavy machinery. Their train swept below them, backwards, and the main car came to a halt right below their hatch. Samus immediately dropped down and barged into the main car, Harry sheepishly following.

The first thing Harry noticed was that the Malfoys had collapsed in one of the compartments. Narcissa's jumpsuit was torn in many places, and now sported fresh cuts and burns that she hadn't bothered to heal. Her hair was now disheveled and dirty, and grime and sweat covered her face. Lucius fared no better, looking ragged and exhausted, the once-proud aristocratic robes he wore now grimy and seared in many places. They held each other close, as if they had barely made it out of the Pits with their skins intact.

The train accelerated backwards back down the tunnel as the two groups anxiously stared at each other. Harry wasn't surprised to hear Samus break the nervous silence. "From the looks of things here, can I assume you two were successful in disrupting their geothermal power network?"

Harry half-expected Lucius and Narcissa to draw themselves up, regain some of their old dignity, and come back with some snotty retort. To his amazement, Lucius looked up lazily, and just said, "We sabotaged as much as we could. Hinada made it so troopers couldn't reach the Pits fast enough but...the Pit workers can be just as hard and vicious." Narcissa rested her head on her husband's shoulder, sighing as if resigning herself to some unwelcome fate.

Harry watched them, feeling for the Malfoys despite himself. For years, they had been so powerful and proud. To see such a fall from grace, watching them as they realized there was now no place left for them in the world, Harry couldn't help but pity them a little. He tried to remind himself that, for years, the Malfoys showed themselves to represent the worst that the Wizarding world had to offer. An extreme at the Wizarding end of the spectrum, with people like the Dursleys on the Muggle end.

It was futile. No matter how hard he tried, Harry could no longer see the Malfoys as inhuman, anymore than he could the Dursleys. Draco Malfoy, Aunt Petunia...they proved once and for all they could feel more than malice. They could be moved by other things, like a desire for redemption, a desire to look out for family...

_But it was Valkyrie that twisted and manipulated them, confused them so much that to them, starting a third World War made sense,_ Harry mused as he kept staring at the Malfoys. _Muggles and Wizards from all walks of life, they all flocked to her. Valkyrie played on their fears, stoked their hate...it's as if every big problem that's plagued both worlds, she's made sure they were all brought to an ugly head now. Samus was right, none of this will end until she's taken out of the picture. Permanently._

Now it was Harry's turn to speak matter-of-factly. "Dr. Hinada, are you there? Are you taking us back to the train terminal we first found?"

Hinada's holographic form flitted back into existence. But it looked disturbingly different now. It looked more transparent and flickered with alarming frequency. Not only that, there were parts of her holographic body where it actually looked like cracks had formed. Her left shoulder, a gash along her cheek, a huge swath over her right leg. Cracks that looked like openings into some gaping, bottomless abyss, but peering more closely, Harry thought he could see tiny streams of ones and zeroes.

"Yes, I am still able to cause enough confusion so that that marketplace and docking bay will be lightly guarded," said Dr. Hinada simply, seemingly oblivious to her hologram's degradation. "Once you backtrack to the docking bay, commandeer a scouter sub and get clear. I will continue to cover your escape and ensure your allies' crystal drop succeeds."

"What about you?" asked Samus suddenly.

Hinada turned to Samus, a sullen, resigned expression on her face. "As I told you, I am content to let Inferno's network purge me if it means I can end this senseless war for good. Now, once you..."

"Not happening," said Samus sternly, cutting her off. "There's been enough sacrifices already. My ship is close to Inferno, sticking around in case Harry and I ran into trouble. Contact Adam and clear that docking bay for him. He'll meet us there and download what's left of your persona."

"That's too big a risk to take with your ship, the only craft you've got which can follow Dr. Asara wherever she runs," said Dr. Hinada tersely. "Besides, I cannot let you put the preserved personality of your own friend in jeopardy for my sake."

"Then do it for MY sake!" cried Samus hotly. "Like I said, there's been too much sacrificing going on lately, and I'm sick of not being able to do anything about it! If there's even a chance of getting you out of Inferno's network safely, you've got to take it!"

Harry's eyes widened, realizing he might have been wrong about Samus. In some ways, she was becoming as aloof and stone-cold as she used to be, but in other ways, her humanity was shining brighter than ever. He looked back over to Dr. Hinada, who gave off an even greater air of inflexibility than before. But just when Harry feared she couldn't give in, Hinada tonelessly said, "Adam Malkovich has been contacted, and been given directions to proceed to Biosphere 5E's supply dock."

Suddenly, her hologram flickered erratically, making Harry fearful. But if Samus felt any fear for Dr. Hinada, she buried it under a layer of professionalism, as she always did. "Good, because we're staying as long as it takes to safeguard what's left of you," she sternly told her.

"And besides, there's plenty of room in the ship's computer. Having a woman's touch around the database might do a hardcase like Adam good," added Harry, hoping to ease the tension. Dr. Hinada gazed at him strangely, but said nothing. Then her hologram vanished.

Moments later, Harry felt that the train was slowing down. When it came to a complete stop, the doors slid open, but Harry warily looked out the windows. The entire terminal was ablaze in an ominous, flashing red glow. No doubt it was some false alarm that Dr. Hinada triggered, just to make sure all the civilians cleared out. But the docking bay itself was sure to be under armed guard, and his suit was dangerously low on power.

"Well, we're back. Let us make haste to the docking bay, so that we may go our separate ways," said Lucius with a sad air of finality. Harry couldn't help but feel pity for him again, knowing he was going back to Voldemort. He staggered forward with a bit of a limp, prompting Narcissa to walk by his side. She supported him, but both had their wands drawn. They were ready to fight on, this last stretch before they could seek out their son...

The four made their way back through the ruined promenade, stepping over the scorched remains of shops and trees. No animals of any sort could be heard. The serenity of this slice of heaven that Valkyrie had set up was completely ruined. _Fine by me,_ Harry thought vindictively. _You made it your personal mission to wreck things up top that the rest of the world cherished. Time you got a taste of what that feels like, Valkyrie._

Samus led on, stepping through the hole she blasted in that huge door earlier. At once, Harry heard gunfire and curses ricocheting off of her armor. Harry had brought up the rear, so the Malfoys follwed her through. He heard Lucius shout, "_Avada Kedavra!_" and Narcissa sling Cruciatus Curses as liberally as her sister. Harry grimaced as he stepped through. They had shown they weren't wholly evil, but were still steeped in darkness all the same.

The four fought their way past a small batallion of Inferno troopers. Thankfully, it didn't seem like many had flocked here. Thanks to the confusion Dr. Hinada caused and the notion that they wouldn't try to leave the same way they came in, reinforcements were probably scarce. Still, there was a sizeable number, and Harry had to play it safe. He found himself conservatively casting Shield Charms to ward off enemy fire, letting what was left of his missiles do the talking. The four of them pressed on, trying to carve a path to the row of little scout submarines, like the one the Malfoys rode in. However, the troops quickly figured out that was what they were pining for, and formed a defensive perimeter around them.

"Why those insufferable...we have only moments left before the drop!" Lucius suddenly cried as he Banished a nearby tool chest into a row of troopers.

"We do!" Harry demanded, having forgotten they had only a limited time before all the countries of the world put his plan into action.

"According to the data on my visor, the time that Captain Granger was able to guarantee us is almost up!" shouted Samus over the deluge of curses. Without her own wand out to cast defensive charms, Samus had to duck and weave around the incoming spells. "So he better get Adam in here fast. We're NOT leaving without Dr. Hinada safely in his database."

"Are you mad, woman!" Lucius roared. "You would risk us getting trapped here just to satisfy some self-righteous sense of..."

Lucius was cut off when a blaring klaxon echoed in the receiving bay. Glancing around, Harry's blood froze when he saw the outermost part of the docking bay doors was closing. Dr. Hinada's grip on Inferno's network was no doubt weakening.

But just as Harry thought they were about to be trapped in Inferno forever, he caught a glimpse of something through the murky, watery barrier separating them from the Pacific. A second later, Samus's ship slipped through the closing bay doors. The moment it got through, they stopped, then slowly reopened.

"Well, looks like Adam's lending Dr. Hinada a hand now," Samus observed. As she continued to lay into the defending troops with beam fire, Harry caught J.B.'s smirking face in the cockpit. A moment later, the ship's plasma cannons tore into their line, forcing them to scatter. "Thanks for the assist, boys!" Samus called up to them. "Now Adam, you got Dr. Hinada's message, right? Start uploading what's left of her!"

"Acknowledged, Lady," said Adam shortly. "I must warn you, however, this preserved essence of Dr. Kasumi Hinada has undergone significant data corruption in the few moments since she relayed your orders. I fear I may be too late."

"Do what you can!" Samus cried as they kept the troopers back. The ship hovered over the line of shellfish-like scout subs, keeping up the pressure. However, it wasn't long before some sort of rocket was fired at it, its impact flaring all across the forward shields. Looking over to the far edge of the bay, Harry saw that some of the house-elves and goblins had returned with rocket launchers.

"If Samus insists her computer friend save Asara's, Lucius, he shall have time to do it!" cried Narcissa suddenly. Taking aim at the reinforcements, she shouted, "_Torrentus!_" Before any more rockets could be fired, all the house-elves and goblins were blown back by gale-force winds.

"That bought me all the time I needed!" shouted Adam suddenly. "Whatever I could salvage has been downloaded. Whether it can be uncorrupted is another matter."

With that, Harry heard the ship's shields fizzle away. As he and Samus jumped on top of it, he caught a glimpse of Bellatrix Lestrange dropping down from the hatch on the bottom. "I'm coming with you two!" she shouted to the Malfoys. "Much as I hate to do it, I'll have to talk the Dark Lord out of stripping back the layers of your minds once we track him down!" As they were lowered down through the top hatch, Harry couldn't help but appreciate the irony of Bellatrix's predicament. Torn between her devotion to ancient Wizarding tradition and her loyalty to Voldemort...who claimed to embody ancient Wizarding tradition.

Harry ran to the cockpit; J.B. was still in the pilot's seat, and George was still sticking close by. Through the cockpit window, he saw one of the scout subs fire up and head for the water barrier. "Hang on, peeps. We're sticking right behind them," J.B. warned as he brought the ship around with a sharp lurch. He punched the panel hard, and the ship shot forward, through the water barrier and clear away from Inferno.

"Anyone following us?" asked George tentatively, glancing over the cockpit panels.

"There's still a few ships waiting for clearance to dock, a few smaller ones've broken off," said J.B..

"Then you'd better send a message to whoever's in charge, have them drop the crystals NOW," said Harry.

"Already done," said Adam simply as J.B. kept evading pursuit. Harry heard and felt machine gun fire dance across the ship's shielded back, but J.B. stayed on course, the Malfoys' sub not much farther ahead. It wasn't long before J.B.'s maneuvers got more erratic, as if he were getting desperate, unable to shake their pursuers. They were taking even more fire, as well. If the shields failed at this depth, the water pressure would crush the ship like a soda can. Just as Harry feared that after all that hard work, only a watery grave awaited them, he glanced out the cockpit window again. There was something shining brightly, giving off a resplendent, green veneer. And it was falling fast. A closer look revealed more of the glowing green things were quickly dropping toward the Pacific floor.

"They got the message. The crystals are dropping," said Samus. "The engines can handle far worse than this, J.B., even underwater. Go to maximum acceleration, before that charm goes up and we're stuck behind it! Adam, tell the Malfoys to do the same." Punching in the necessary commands, J.B. willed the ship to give them one final burst of much-needed speed. With one last lurch, the ship shot forward, and Harry watched as they passed under one of the descending crystals. Looking at the cockpit's scan readouts, he watched as the nearest crystals dug themselves into the ocean floor, glowing more brightly than ever. "Adam, if you would be so kind, bring up the rear view," Samus told him.

Adam silently obeyed, part of the cockpit window now giving them a view from behind the ship. Their pursuers were several hundred yards behind them, and suddenly, a glittery, emerald barrier shot up between them. Inferno's underwater craft couldn't turn sharply enough, and wound up slamming into the freshly-erected barrier, exploding on contact.

Harry continued to stare at the rear view readouts. Now that all of the crystals had hit the bottom, erecting the specialized Quarantine Charm worked into each and every one, emerald light now penetrated the murky Pacific floor. With the oppressive darkness dissipated, Harry finally got a good look at Inferno.

With the copious green light, Harry could now see why Inferno blended so perfectly with the ocean's murky bottom. Most of Inferno was either a rocky, greyish-purple or a dull, metallic blue-grey. The nation-state seemed to stretch on for miles in either direction, and impossibly tall, spire-like towers rose up into the water. It briefly made Harry think of all the Atlantis legends, but reminded himself Atlantis was just that: a legend. Nothing more than a myth, while Valkyrie had made something very real, something no human, Muggle or wizard, had even done before. Something that could be regarded as a paradise better than anything in any legend, a place even the Dursleys and the Malfoys would have come to call home. From what Harry briefly glimpsed in Inferno, he could see why. If Valkyrie had been content to keep Inferno a secret from the rest of the world and settled for making this her legacy, instead of subverting his mother's innocent wish to share magic, things would be different. None of them would've bore her any ill will.

But Valkyrie would never have been content with that, and now, it had come to this.

"How long d'you reckon that big ol' Quarantine Charm can stay up?" asked George suddenly.

"I am no expert on sorcery, George Weasley. However, since this charm is dependent on having identifiable bits of the Ragnarok virus lurking in over 80 percent of the entrapped hosts, and since all my findings suggest females will pass these bits on to developing embryos via amniotic fluids...I estimate it could hold for centuries," explained Adam.

"That's the best news I've heard in a long time," said Samus. "Give me more, Adam. Tell me it was premature to say that what's left of Dr. Kasumi Hinada is too badly corrupted."

"My dear Lady, I don't know what to say about that," said Adam gravely. "I retrieved petabytes of information, but whatever Dr. Hinada did to herself, it was not the same procedure used to safeguard my own consciousness. Simply assessing all this data and making a proper prognosis would take some serious time and a concentrated effort."

"Once this war is over, I'll help you do just that. I'll relish the opportunity to take a break from all this senseless fighting," replied Samus coldly. The bite to her voice both chilled Harry and filled him with confidence. "Hopefully, that should be soon. The Reformers are beaten, the Ragnarok virus has been wiped out, Inferno's topside bases have been secured and Inferno itself has been bottled up forever. There's only one thing left to do."

xxxxxx

So much for getting the climactic showdown wrapped up this month. Speaking of finales, I went and saw _Shrek Forever After _since last time, easily this year's biggest surprise. After the assiness of the last one, I didn't know what to expect, but it felt like a perfect sendoff. Fourth go-rounds aren't supposed to be any good, they say, but there's been a whole bunch. A fourth _Die Hard_ in 2007, a fourth _Indiana Jones_ in 2008, a fourth _Terminator_ in 2009, and now a fourth _Shrek_. Of course, the trend was supposed to continue next year with a _Spider-Man 4_ that had Lizard and Black Cat but noooooo...

What else? Oh yeah, the other day I noticed that one of my older fics, _Attack of the 100-Foot Meg Griffin_, not only got recommended on the TVTropes site, but got its OWN section. Pretty interesting. _Fusion of Destinies_ is a recommendation, too, but no page of its own yet. This fic hasn't shown up at all, save for that brief mention in the Villain Sue section (which was removed for some reason) , but unfinished fics shouldn't make it there. Hopefully the 'unfinished' part'll be fixed in a month or two.

So long,  
Grey-X


	47. Destroy or Be Destroyed

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning  
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover  
Chapter 47: Destroy or Be Destroyed  
6-30-2010  
by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

Valkyrie had no idea how long she squatted there, in a daze, clutching the railing with her good hand as if it were a lifeline. When she first felt that some of her Metroids had been cut down, the paralyzing backlash and shock was nothing compared to how stupified she felt. Who would possibility dare infiltrate _THAT_ far into her home, where all her Metroids, her ultimate insurance policy, should've been perfectly safe? The part of her calculating mind that still worked suspected the Malfoys, though she couldn't bring herself to accept it. It turned out she was only half-right. Once Valkyrie regained her composure and focus, took command of her Metroids through their bond, the answer was even more shocking.

"Samus Aran...of all people, how could you?" Valkyrie hissed as she tried to ward off the paralyzing shock that still plagued her. The sensation of feeling so many Metroids cut down, so fast, nearly made her heart give out. And it continued until none were left, save for the eggs she goaded the Queen into laying _during_ the fight. Valkyrie smiled to herself slyly. "Best place to hide something is in plain sight, they say. No way Samus and Harry, sharp as they are, would suspect I'd have the last off the Queen's eggs laid in the midst of a firefight." But it was small comfort. Those eggs would be weeks away from hatching. No, just as if all of Voldemort's accursed Horcruxes were wiped out to make him mortal, nothing was left to anchor her spirit. "So be it," Valkyrie muttered to herself. "You've made your stance clearer than ever, Samus. If my end is all you can think of, go right ahead and try."

Try as she might to pump herself up with bravado, the backlash still plaguing Valkyrie drove home how all her hopes were collapsing around her. How those who were supposed to be at her side were hellbent on tearing down half a lifetime's work. Thanks to Dr. Kasumi Hinada, she knew what Samus Aran was all about well before Voldemort pulled her into this time, and she had watched every move her best friend's son made. All their recent struggles before Inferno's big push, crises she could empathize with. Why could they not empathize with her? Her, who knew better than anyone what it's like to be radically different?

Robbed of a family at a tender age, and growing up determined to keep others from suffering like that? She understood that pain all too well. Those you found the courage to bond with later in life, taken away just as mercilessly? All three of their hearts had such scars that would never heal. And like Samus Aran and Harry Potter, she was blessed with incredible gifts and talents from birth. And just like her, they were praised openly, but distrusted and scorned in secret...until something let people's ungratefulness and jealous hatred be vented. Like the B.S.L.'s destruction and Cornelius Fudge's smear campaign.

And those who they strove to serve were all too happy to turn a blind eye, let you be used and abused. Valkyrie knew exactly what it was like to be backstabbed when those in power had no more use for you. Valkyrie thought back to Dolores Umbridge, how she helped foist this poison on her. After suffering at Umbridge's hands himself, how could Harry pick any side the craven toad was on? And then there was how the Galactic Federation would undoubtedly make Samus an outlaw after wrecking their precious research station to wipe out the X. What was Samus thinking, trying to keep her from changing galactic history for the better, ensuring _that_ was the future she'd go back to?

For Harry Potter, a supreme opportunity for revenge against Voldemort and the weak, cowardly, ungrateful witches and wizards of England, all too happy to dump the responsibility for squashing him on his shoulders. For Samus Aran, a chance to help her change centuries of history and keep the scourges that plagued the galaxy in her time from ever happening. Undoubtedly their darkest, wildest hopes...Valkyrie would've been all too happy to help fulfill them if only they'd help her bring about her vision, seek her own style of vengeance. But instead of siding with her, letting her give them what they really wanted, they were doing everything they could to take away everything she had, everything she slaved for for almost sixteen years.

Did they actually believe this wild accusation, that her magic-giving virus would be lethal for some? Was the totality of the entire human race being blessed with magic too much for even Harry Potter to imagine? How, when it was what his own mother secretly wanted!

At last, Valkyrie found the strength to pull herself up. She gripped the railing again, which surround a huge, enchanted glass cylinder in the center of her base's collection chamber. It stretched from the ceiling to the floor, and inside was the writhing, shrieking, raging spirit form of Kor-Zor. Sensing Valkyrie's confusion and anguish, he snarled at her from within his new prison, as if trying to taunt her.

Valkyrie lazily looked up, watching that smoky, etheral beak open to howl at her impotently. She couldn't help but smirk at her captive. "What's that, Korzy? You say you know what it's like to be turned on those you once called your brothers and sisters? Those who you wanted to benefit from your research?" she asked sardonically. "Perhaps, in that sense, we're much alike."

She ducked under the railing, then stood and put both hands on the glass. Incensed, Kor-Zor howled with venomous rage again. His swirling, inky-black face prssed against the glass, abyss-like black eyes staring directly into Valkyrie's. She wryly smirked at Kor-Zor yet again. "Cry all you want, Kor-Zor, you're not getting out anytime soon," spat Valkyrie. "But you should be thanking me, really. After getting yourself cooped up for a thousand years, you'll finally get to see your theories and models, not to mention the dark energy and dark matter you self-generate, put to some good use. You'll transform all of Earth with the power you yourself unlocked. A vision that'll do you proud, of a galaxy where there's no boundaries on pursuing knowledge, full of sentients convinced that nothing should hold them back. It'll spread from my quaint little planet like a supernova and change the galaxy, just like you wanted."

The billowing darkness surrounding Kor-Zor raged and swirled as violently as ever, but Kor-Zor's spirit itself stopped thrashing about, staring intently at Valkyrie through the glass. "Just something to chew on is all," Valkyrie continued. "Of course, can't really blame you for still being pissy. After all, when we really get down to it, although I can't help but appreciate your zest for payback, ultimately your quest for knowledge was entirely selfish. Me? My aims are a bit...broader."

Kor-Zor glowered at Valkyrie even more intently, but still he did not revert to his futile thrashing. "A pity I can't trust you, have to doom you to being milked like some cosmological cow. I suspect, in some sick way, we'd make a nice team," said Valkyrie. "I mean, with all my Reformers MIA, and Samus Aran and Harry Potter too self-righteous to know what's good for them..."

"Val? Val, I have troubling news," came a voice from the entrance to the collection chamber. Valkyrie turned away from the mad Chozo spirit, watching as Severus approached the glass tube, trying to read his face. Severus, naturally, was his usual, impassive, stone-faced self. To anyone else, Severus would be entirely unreadable, but no one could know the man like Valkyrie did.

"Worse than how every single one of Inferno's surface instillations was blitzed, am I right?" Valkyrie asked calmly, fighting her hardest to contain her brewing rage. "Something worse than Samus Aran and Harry Potter somehow wiping out all my Metroids?"

That got Severus to drop his usual, stoic veneer, his face falling. "What in...what makes you think..."

"Unlike Voldemort and his Horcruxes, I can still feel what I've infused with my soul," said Valkyrie harshly. "I saw everything happen through their eyes. Samus Aran, of all people, took it upon herself to doom them to extinction again! Luckily she didn't succeed this time. Some eggs still remain." She looked over Severus again, reading the telltale signs that gave away the gravity of his news. "But the damage they did while infiltrating Inferno...it's goes much farther than that, doesn't it?"

Severus nodded curtly. "I'm afraid so. From the looks of it, the Malfoys did indeed conspire to smuggle Aran and Potter in."

"I feared as much. No doubt Voldemort already survived and re-established contact, holding their son hostage. Or perhaps they were conned into thinking only such an act could coax Voldemort into sparing Draco," said Valkyrie, still struggling to supress her rage. The thought of even more old friends backstabbing her threatened to make her lose control. She had high hopes for Horace Slughorn, sure, but Valkyrie hadn't expected much from the card-carrying members of the Order. But the Malfoys, to whom she offered so much, put so much trust in! Why did those she offered the best deals spurn her! "In any case, dealing with our old friends will have to wait, I'm afraid. There's something even worse in the offing, isn't there? So tell me, Sev, how much havoc did Harry and Samus wreak in our home?"

"That's the most horrifying part, Val. It seems that Potter and Aran were only interested in exterminating the Metroids; somehow, they must've learned of your bond with them," said Severus gravely. "After that, from what garbled reports I've gathered, it looks like they simply fled. But as they did, all of Inferno, it's...it's been..."

"Go on. It's been what?" Valkyrie demanded impatiently.

"It looks like heavily-charmed giants' topaz crystals, dropped all around Inferno's perimeter," explained Severus. "Clearly, they were to be dropped as soon as Potter and Aran escaped to safety. That's all I can tell from here. After they were dropped and their collective charms went up, all contact with Inferno...was cut off."

Valkyrie's eyes widened from mind-numbing shock. For a moment, there was silence in the collection chamber, save for occassional mocking snarls from Kor-Zor. It wasn't long, however, before Valkyrie put the pieces together. "A massive Quarantine Charm, just like Cissy said. There's no other explanation. Our underestimation of those two was even worse than we thought. They've turned my virus against us! Cut us off from our sanctuary! They knew there was no hope of ever destroying Inferno, so they settled for making it a city in a bottle!" Now Valkyrie felt ready to explode with inhuman fury. On top of everything else Samus and Harry had done, to outmaneuver her like this, to try and bottle up her life's work as if Inferno's people were a plague...

At last, the point of no return was reached.

"But...for you, shouldn't it be child's play to undo such a charm, right?" asked Severus delicately.

Valkyrie looked back over to Kor-Zor. "In time, and with his near-limitless power, perhaps. But as much as I hate to say it, that'll have to wait. Tell me, are all measures to conceal this place still up?"

Severus glanced at her quizically. "Indeed. Your stealth field is still up."

"Then go deactivate it," said Valkyrie sternly.

"VAL!" demanded Severus harshly, looking as if she told him to chug a cauldron's worth of the Draught of Living Death.

"You heard me, Sev. Turn off everything that's meant to conceal our presence here. Stealth fields, signal scramblers...off, all of it. All internal security measures as well, shut them down," said Valkyrie.

"May I ask what's brought on this bout of insanity?" Severus asked curtly.

"Consider everything that's happened, Sev. Samus Aran and Harry Potter traveled to the four corners of the Earth trying to assemble the only weapon that'll annilihate Korzy here. They beat all my Reformers, repelled the attack on Washington, figured out the secret behind our magic-giving virus, wiped out my Metroids and even sealed off Inferno itself. With that sort of track record, d'you _REALLY THINK_ anything set up here will keep them away from us!"

Severus bit his lip, eyes narrowed, but said nothing. "Face it, Sev. There's no putting this off any longer. They won't stop, especially now, considering they undoubtedly blame us for the disappearance of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. And they must answer for what they've tried to take from _us_, what they've _ALREADY_ took from us. Kago, a foster son you never got to know. The means to fulfill Lily's wildest dream..."

At length, Severus asked, "So, you intend for Potter and Aran to find this place, thinking they located us on their own, and lure them into a final confrontation?"

"There's no point trying anything else until they're dealt with," said Valkyrie simply.

"And...Lily's son...must we..."

"I gave him ample opportunities, Sev. Explained that my loyalty to his mother was at the core of all of this. And at every turn, he spat in my face," Valkyrie shot back acidly. "I know how desperately you wanted him on our side. It was the same for me. I still can't quite grasp why he's determined to make an enemy of me, make this so personal. But face it, Sev, he's made all this _very_ personal. So it's time we deal with your rebellious old pupil _personally._"

xxxxxx

**July 4, 1997 A.D., 1:18 P.M. Western European Time**

**The Burrow**

After everything thrown at her in the last few weeks, it felt so odd returning here, to the Weasleys' home. The place where Molly Weasley insisted she stay, that their home was hers as well. Samus eventually dared to think that could be so, but soon they were all caught up in Valkyrie's farfetched scheme, and then dragged all across this world. Samus realized it should have been a relief to come back and rest up here, but nothing could've been further from the cold truth. The mere fact that she and the Order could even return here signified how Inferno would never menace them again. But it also meant returning to the home of Harry's best friend, who was gone thanks to her botched leadership.

Her suit still undergoing a recharge and repairs in her ship, Samus stared out the window, taking in how the afternoon sun beamed straight down onto the Weasleys' gardens. It was in a messy, disorderly state, but a little gardening work could fix that in short order. But this family and this house would never be the same with Ron gone. He and the rest of his family had put so much trust in her, and like mostly everyone else who dared confide in her, she let them down. The Ragnaork virus was wiped out, though, thanks to Ron, and the Weasleys and the rest of the Order were gearing up to retake Hogwarts. Absolute victory was within their grasp, but yet again, Samus found the price for achieving it far too high.

Samus looked down at herself. Her hands were still trembling from rage and despair; what little sleep she got since returning here had done nothing to allieviate her anxiety. Or guilt. Then she glanced out the window again, to where she knew her ship had landed, invisible. The Ford Anglia was parked next to it. While the Order and whatever was left of the Ministry went after Hogwarts, Samus and Harry would be taking the ship out, searching for wherever Valkyrie and Kor-Zor were. She impatiently longed to do just that: jump into action and blow away the guilty party. It wouldn't be the first time. But she knew, ultimately, it would solve nothing. Wiping out the Phazon in her time didn't bring back Gandrayda, Rundas and Ghor. Obliterating Mother Brain didn't return the Metroid Hatchling to her. And taking down Valkyrie wouldn't give Ron and Hermione back to Harry.

"So much for sparing us anguish," Samus thought aloud, thinking of Valkyrie's offer weeks ago. Now, because none of them were willing to take what Valkyrie had to offer, Samus's worst fears came true all over again.

If for no other reason than that, she would see Valkyrie pay. Pay dearly.

"Come again, Samus?" came Molly's voice from behind her. Several people had just walked in, and judging by some rather heavy footfalls from someone in boots, J.B. Granger was there too.

_Another person suffering thanks to my deadhead calls, _Samus thought to herself sorrowfully. Out loud, she said, "Nothing Molly, it's nothing. Just anxious to end this all for good."

"Then if you're ready, I'll be more than happy to take your ship for one last spin," said J.B. flippantly.

Samus couldn't stand how casual and mellow the captain sounded. His long service couldn't have desensitized him _THAT_ much, could it have? He loved his niece just as much as his own twin girls, perhaps even more so. Perhaps he was just waiting to get back onto the battlefield to vent his rage, as he did over Washington, D.C.. Still, it vexed Samus to no end. "How can you sound so...so..._CAREFREE_, Captain Granger! Your niece is _GONE_ thanks to my idiotic call!" she demanded hotly, wanting him to rage and storm at her, yet still not turning around.

J.B. waited a few minutes before answering. "Samus, don't forget I'm a bit of a fighter, too. I went along with your call because I understood the tactical necessity for splitting your team. If you hadn't, Valerie's bug might be crawlin' all over the Earth, and me and my whole family could very well be dead," explained J.B.. "Hermione understood it, too, and went along with it because she _chose_ to, not because she was obligated to."

"She probably trusted me to make the right decision. In hindsight, sending her out into space with Voldemort as backup classifies as a 'Too Dumb To Live' moment," spat Samus. "Only Ron and Hermione paid the price instead of me."

"Actually, Samus, it's still too soon to write them off," said J.B.. "Y'see, right before she ducked onto that platform, I gave her a little something she promised to give back. And Hermione's the type who'll always fulfill a promise."

Sighing, thinking it was wishful thinking, Samus turned around. Molly was still there, Arthur and George right behind her. "Please tell me you won't be as obtuse," she implored Molly. "All the ranting and raving you did two years ago about Harry...I just know you're just dying to unload on me after what's happened to Ron. So have at it, please. I deserve it."

Molly initial response was to conk Samus on the head with a large, wooden clock.

"Don't _you_ be so obtuse, hoping everyone'll be in a right state over you. I swear, girl, this streak of self-loathing you get on sometimes borders on masochistic," said Molly sternly. "I'm not taking the bait, Samus. I know you did all you could for Ron, make sure he'd survive. Giving him that suit, training him in how to use it. And he's of age now. Fighting with you was his decision."

Samus rubbed her head, not sure how to respond. Then she noticed something funny about what Molly said. Like J.B., she also spoke as if she harbored hope that Ron and Hermione were still alive. "M-M-Molly, you don't also think..."

"I don't think my youngest boy is still out there, Samus. I _know_," replied Molly. "I'll admit, once we got back here, I was ready to tear into you, but then...I remembered this." With that, Molly held up the clock she just beaned Samus with, and her eyes widened with sudden realization.

It was the enchanted clock that showed the status of everyone in the Weasley family. Some were indicated as being at home, most of the others were shown to be in 'mortal peril'. But Ron's clock hand was simply pointing at 'lost'.

Samus simply stared at the clock, bewildered, for many moments until she worked up her courage. "This clock, when it says a Weasley is 'lost'...does that mean just the body, or...can it really mean..."

"Molly and I crafted this clock together, Samus. Trust me when I say we'd know if it said our boy is gone for sure," Arthur cut in. "It's not much to hang onto, but it's given us a shred of hope, and by Merlin's beard I'll be hanging onto it a good, long while. Adam told us about what happened up there, how Ron fought off Draco and set Asara's station to blow. You gave Ron everything he needed to do that, save millions of Muggles. I just know you'll bring him back before this is over."

Samus stared at the floor, at a complete loss for words. "I...really don't deserve such trust. I...I don't know what to say..."

"Just say you'll do me a favor," said Arthur, a bit of liveliness returning to his voice. Samus could almost feel his rogueish smile beaming at her. "Tell me that you'll take me up with George and J.B.."

"Honestly, Arthur, is NOW the best time to indulge your obsession with Muggle flying machines?" asked Molly hotly, shaking her head. "The Order'll be ready to move out within the hour!"

"This is no pleasure trip, Molly, I can promise you that," said Arthur, in a tone more serious than Samus could ever recall hearing. Still, his old enthuiasm for technology was still there. "George told me about how Muggles in Samus's time make machines that work in tandem with magic. Who knows, perhaps I could, well, figure out how to push it...push it a bit further. Who knows what Samus'll run into the next time she heads out?" he pleaded.

"In that case, if you're going, I'm coming along too!" cried Molly. "If Ron's out there, we'll find them, then we make Valencia pay for almost blowing up our boy!"

Samus stared at the pair. Beyond J.B. and George, her ship didn't require any more crew. But these were Ron's parents, hurting just as badly as J.B., and Samus couldn't deny them this chance to search for their son. "Fine. You're both in. Just be ready to move out when Harry and I am," she said. Looking around, she then asked, "Speaking of which, where _IS_ Harry?"

At that moment, all the Sneakoscopes the Weasleys had set up around the house started spinning. A litany of other Dark Detectors must have been set up as well, because droning, blaring alarms echoed throughout the entire Burrow. Samus reflexively slapped her hands over her ears to block out the din.

"Something's coming. It's close, and judging by the noise, getting closer," said George.

xxxxxx

Now back in full armor, Harry jumped down from the ship, the rolled-up form of Samus's legendary suit in hand. Like Samus, sleep mostly eluded him these last few hours. Just like her, there could be no real rest until this crisis was finally resolved. As he walked around the Weasleys' home, his ears picked up some telltale signs. Looking toward a copse of thick trees, he said, "I know you five are hanging out in there. Come on out."

Slowly and sheepishly, the three Etecoons scampered out of the thick grass and into view, expectant looks on their faces. The big Dachora and its infant ran out from the trees an instant later, warbling curiously. "You all know something's up, don't you?" Harry asked airily. "Don't worry, since Hagrid's not around at the moment, you'll be tagging along," he told them. Harry then continued to make his way around the Burrow, the Etecoons and Dachoras following him. It was then that Harry heard all the Dark Detectors go off inside.

Harry almost dropped Samus's suit. "Oh great, who's crazy enough to come around here at a time like this!" he thought out loud. Indeed, with his suit and his current, furious state of mind, he doubted even Voldemort would want to have a go at him anytime soon. Then again, Voldemort and his followers weren't exactly the brightest tacticians, and the time it'd take for them to backstab ex-allies required a stopwatch to measure. Holding Samus's suit securely under his left arm, Harry popped his wand and charged the spazer by itself. He cautiously looked over the edge of the forest, but didn't spot anything out of the ordinary. The Etecoons and Dachoras had tensed up, fully alert, but it didn't look as if they could pinpoint the source of the trouble either.

"Harry!" exclaimed several voices from behind him. Harry whirled around to see Samus there, leading J.B., George, Arthur and Molly. J.B. had his assault rifle at the ready, the others had wands drawn, but all had anxious looks, Samus most of all. She looked out into the forest, then back to Harry. "Harry, there's..."

"I heard the Dark Detectors, I know," Harry said quickly. "Here Samus, time to lock and load," he went on, tossing Samus her suit.

Samus caught it with both hands, then dug her fingertips into the circles in the centers of both hemispheres. With one swift motion, she pulled the hemispheres apart. A blinding explosion of dazzling light temporarily dazed them all, but thanks to his helmet's visor filtering some of the glare, Harry glimpsed some of what was happening. The golden, metallic parts of her suit were spreading over Samus and locking into place, and the blood-red membraney portions extended over it moments later. Her arm cannon reassembled itself over her right forearm, and the lion reliefs on her shoulders sprang up once all that was in place, right before the pieces of her helmet materialized and clicked into place over her head. Her anxious, pained expression was now completely concealed save for her fearful, narrowed eyes.

Despite whatever she was going through, Samus was more than ready to deal with whatever was coming after them. "I'll be taking point, everyone. J.B., stick close to me. Harry, Arthur, cover our flanks," she said quickly. Harry smiled. Despite her insistence that she made a terrible leader, she was able to think fast and act faster. She edged toward the trees, arm cannon at the ready, no doubt glancing over everything with her x-ray visor. Samus nudged ever closer, but it still didn't look like she noticed anything that shouldn't have been there.

As the tension mounted, one of the Etecoons suddenly jumped onto Samus's shoulder. "What are...hey, not now!" said Samus vehemently. "Wait a minute, you think you hear where..."

Samus's unfinished question was answered when the Etecoon jumped down to rejoin its brethren, and all three took off with the Dachoras, running along the forest's edge and chirping excitedly. Harry watched them go for a moment, but then Samus took off after them, prompting the others to do the same. The Etecoons and Dachoras stayed far ahead for a while, but then, once they broke away from the trees and darted into a clearing, they stopped. Samus ran up behind them and stopped dead in her tracks as well, her body language betraying stupified shock. When Harry and the others reached her, he saw why, his own jaw dropping.

It was Tesla, her containment suit mangled in many places and sparking dangerously in many more. She stumbled forward, her bloodied, scorched face gazing downward as she held one hand outstretched, as if struggling to use her magnetism. Harry's soon saw what she was exerting it on. Aunt Petunia was lying unconscious on a piece of sheet metal, back in human form, looking even worse off than Tesla. The sight of her was the only thing that kept Harry from blasting Tesla away. At first, he was afraid Samus wouldn't hold back herself, but when Molly stepped forward with her wand raised, Samus grabbed her wrist. "No, Molly. According to Adam, they're the last ones who saw Ron and Hermione alive. If anyone can finally give us some solid information, it's them."

Myrtle and Petunia were still a few dozen yards away. Suddenly, Myrtle collapsed to her knees, her suit sparking worse than ever. Straps and buckles started flying off of their own accord. Her arm covering and entire chest piece slid off, revealing she had nothing but a sports bra on underneath, and now, electricity was freely arcing all over her body.

"What's her game?" asked J.B. nervously, understandably clutching his rifle even more tightly. "Why, of all places, come HERE if they're in such bad shape!"

"Good question. Let's ask them," said Samus directly. With that, she edged closer to where Tesla fell. After a moment's hesitation, Harry fell in step behind her. By the time they reached her, Tesla had stripped off the rest of her burned-out containment suit. Now left in nothing but that sports bra and cotton panties, she tried to stand up, but fell to her hands and knees, coughing up blood as more electricity arced over her.

"Still stuck, huh?" said Samus evenly, aiming down at Tesla. She seemed calm, but Harry knew she was on a hair-trigger. If Tesla had nothing for them, Voldemort's aim of leaving Tesla bound to a rotting corpse could very well be realized.

Tesla coughed up another glob of blood. "Unfortunately, yes," she croaked. "And right now, looks like there's only one way to cut me loose..."

"Let's get right to it, then," said Harry tersely. "Why the bloody hell did you come here, of all places, when you're half-dead? Er, when that body of yours is, at any rate..."

"You lot didn't leave us much options," spat Tesla. "After the platform blew, our pod was caught in the blast and damaged by debris. Engines gave out, couldn't plot a course for landing, and had to use my magnetic power to hold it together." Tesla paused to cough again, then groggily went on. "Wasn't too long after that that we found out the push against Washington fizzled, our outposts were taken out, and now, you somehow sealed off Inferno. Bravo, you two."

"Thank you so much for your vote of confidence," said Samus flatly. "So what, why did you finally land your escape pod now, and here?"

"We were trying to crash-land near Hogwarts, before your merry little band wrecks the place all over again. You left it a mess the first time around, don't forget," said Tesla snidely. "Couldn't reach that far before getting caught up in the atmosphere, could only reach somewhere around here. Decided it was for the best, here."

"Right on the doorstep of where the woman you nearly _tortured_ to death is staying!" Harry demanded.

"Wasn't exactly my safety I was worried about," said Tesla tonelessly, slowly turning to look at Petunia's still form. Harry stared over at her; her chest was barely moving, and looked horribly pale and weak. He then heard the shuffling of grass behind him.

Before Harry could turn around, he saw J.B. warily approach the two Reformers, gripping his rifle more tightly than ever. He circled around Tesla, watching her intently, but she didn't even seem to know he was there. Kneeling down and placing a hand on Petunia's neck, he said, "Got a really faint pulse, and she's running hot. She'll probably need some serious medical attention and soon."

"Pat yourselves on the back, people, you got farther than anyone would've dared bet on," grumbled Tesla. "It's too late for me, but you're the only one left outside of Inferno that ever give a damn about Tunes, Harry. As long as she's alive, the agony I went through keeping that pod together'll be worth it."

"What d'you mean it's too late for you?" Samus demanded. Tesla said nothing, but pointed over at her discarded suit. The back of it, which housed the bulk of her cooling system, had the appearance of melted slag. "Are you saying that using your magnetism for too long with a busted cooling system has doomed that body?"

"Yaaay," said Tesla with mock enthuiasm, weakly clapping her hands. "A gold star for Miss Chozo Princess of the Freakin' Goddamn Obvious over here." She stopped for a moment, catching her breath. Harry eyed her dubiously. With that containment suit off, she still had a slightly squat appearance, but clearly had a more athletic look than her ghostly state would've led one to think. Still, seeing her in such a horribly weak state...Harry couldn't keep himself from feeling a little sorry for her. "So yeah, along with keeping Tunes safe, Harry, there's one more favor I need..."

"Oh yeah, sure, anything for the psychotic bitch that left Ron and Hermione on that station to die!" spat George. Harry heard him dash forward, egged on by the warbling of the Dachoras and Etecoons, but he held up his arm, holding George back. He was just as worried about his friends, but any hostility like that would quickly shut Tesla up, Harry was sure of it. But Harry felt what little actual sympathy he had for Tesla ebb when she actually chuckled at George.

"OK then, maybe this'll convince you to do that first thing I wanted, Harry," said Tesla. "Did Adam bother telling any of you that the know-it-all and the long, strong guy she's desperate to get the friction on with _WOULD_ be dead if it weren't for Peddy?" Harry looked over at Aunt Petunia in disbelief, then back at Tesla. "That's right, Harry. Say whatever you want about her. Despite whatever she said to you, she was desperate for your forgiveness. We were in a chamber flooding with water from the coolant system, and they would've been stuck there if Tunes hadn't hauled them out. The sole reason she disobeyed Dr. A's orders was because she knew you'd hate her forever if she stood by and did nothing."

"But you left without them anyway, after that hallway's compartments started sealing themselves off," remarked Samus icily.

"With only seconds left, we couldn't get them out. I admit it, we just left," said Tesla. "But unlike back in that flooded chamber, where they would've been dead for sure, there's a chance that if they played it smart..."

"You mean they're still up there? Bollocks," spat George. "Adam and J.B. scanned the debris field for hours and found _NOTHING_."

Tesla chuckled at George again. "Didn't you hear anything that went on during our fight? About Dr. A issuing a 'code black'? Trust me, boys, if everyone was able to execute a code black, they wouldn't have been left there."

"Then where will they be!" asked Molly impatiently.

Tesla snorted and looked up at Molly disdainfully. "That's all I'm willing to say about that matter," she said with a dignified air of finality. "But to make sure you lot'll do the other thing I'll need, I'll point you all in the right direction. You still have to find where Dr. A stashed Kor-Zor, right?" Harry glowered at her, not sure how to answer. Tesla's gaze darted around among them, taking in their expressions. "I'll take that as a 'yes'," she said slyly. "Well, if you're all still butthurt about how she keeps on eluding you lot, then go take a dip in the Sea of Serenity."

"What the...where on Earth is this 'Sea of Serenity'?" demanded Arthur.

"It's not on Earth. That's one of the 'seas' on the moon," Harry pointed out, glancing up. The moon was partly visible in the afternoon sky. _Hiding Kor-Zor in plain sight all this time?_ he thought with disbelief.

"You always were brighter than the typical riffraff that blew through Hogwarts," said Tesla haughtily. "In any case, now that you'll all be on your merry way so Dr. A can stomp mudholes in all of you, perhaps you can do that second favor for me."

"Depends on what it is," said Harry. Despite what snide and cryptic hints Tesla just gave them, he was in no mood to cater to her.

"Oh don't worry, I think you'll enjoy it," said Tesla. "I want you and Samus to use your beam power and destroy me."

That was hardly what Harry expected to hear. He stared at Tesla for a moment, nonplusssed. Samus broke the awkward silence. "Part of the reason you came here was...so we could destroy you? Why?"

"Because not only has this body had it, but my ghost self has been pushed to its limits as well," said Tesla darkly. The electricity arcing over her was crackling even more fiercely now. "To have any real hope, I'd need to make it back to Inferno, but you just made sure that's not gonna happen. I just helped you lot, so I don't think it's too much to ask that you two make my end quick and clean?"

"In a way...you haven't changed one bit," said Molly suddenly. "You still have as cavalier an attitude about death as you always did."

"Only because I was no longer afraid of it, and constantly wondered what it really meant. I've experienced physical death plenty of times since joining up with Dr. A, but to actually go on...no. And Samus and Harry are the only ones who can make it happen for me."

"You're...really not afraid about what might be coming for you, are you?" asked Harry delicately.

Tesla rolled her eyes. "I guess this is the part where I defiantly say that spending these last four years working with Dr. A and now going for good is better than spending all eternity in a toilet, right?" she asked sarcastically. "That I go out unrepentant, trying to convince you that Dr. A had the right idea all along, listing everything she did for me and the rest of Inferno, right?"

Harry gazed at Tesla quizzically for a moment. "Well, you certainly set the stage for it, yeah."

"Well skip it. We all know I'm not sorry about the path I close, so we'll leave it at that," said Tesla.

"Yeah yeah, people who work for tyrants tend to not see the misery they helped cause. The last thing a fish notices is water," spat J.B..

"A tyrant, you call her?" jeered Tesla. "Tyrants are jerkasses that hoard power for themselves, but you know how Dr. A's dream was to freely give it away." She turned back to Samus and Harry. "It was her dream to forge a new world where there would be no oppression, make sure anyone could stand up to tyranny themselves. But since I said I won't brag about what Dr. A did for us, take some time to think about what she wanted to do for _you two_." Harry stared back at her coldly, determined to show off as much defiance as Tesla. "Well, unless you want a staring contest from me, too, you best clean up here and then take it up with Dr. A herself," Tesla added impatiently.

Harry kept on staring, but Samus slowly raised her arm cannon and charged a shot. A sudden flash of horror overwhelmed Harry. "S-S-Samus, w-w-we're really going to do what she asked?" he asked timidly.

"I'm a hunter, Harry. A good hunter knows that when the objective's to kill instead of capture, you make it quick and clean, don't let the quarry suffer, no matter how much they may deserve it," said Samus resolutely. Harry stared at Samus with disbelief, then looked back over to Tesla.

"One last thing, Harry. If by some miracle you beat Dr. A and it's back to business as usual for you...don't you _DARE_ lose to Tommy. You be damn sure that he's sent my way long before you, so I can brag about him spent years in mortal fear of you, while I had boobs of steel and meet my end at your hands on _MY TERMS_." With that, Tesla stood up straight, shut her eyes and spread her arms, patiently awaiting her end. Taking a deep breath, Harry fiddled with his suit's gauntlet, turning off all his beam upgrades before popping his wand. He charged a shot of his own, took aim, and when Samus shouted, "NOW!" he let it fly.

Both their blasts smacked into Tesla's battered, unprotected body at the same time. There was a stifled yelp, then deadening silence after her body was blasted upwards, only to land in a patch of tall grass with a morbid thud. Harry timidly approached the grass, at last finding the nerve to look down. Ugly burns now covered Tesla's torso, a good deal of the skin burned off, and her neck was canked at an odd angle, her eyes empty and lifeless. And then, even in the bright afternoon sunlight, Harry could see a faint, opaque mist rise from her burned body, then fade entirely.

"And thus the sad story of Myrtle Maxwell comes to a close," came Samus's suddenly from behind him, making Harry jump. She walked by him, knelt down, and shut Tesla's eyes.

"Just when I thought I got you, Samus," said J.B.. "Isn't this the little munchkin that nearly tortured you to death and fried your suit?"

"I'm not mitigating Myrtle's wrongs, J.B.. Taking down people like her is part of my job, but that doesn't mean I always have to like it," Samus said tersely. Standing up, she turned to Harry and said, "Myrtle had a point, we'd better take off and take this fight to Valkyrie herself. I'm tired of cleaning up all the manner of messes she's made. It's time to end it for good."

xxxxxx

Nearly a half-hour was spent sweeping the debris field, looking for any more clues as to Ron and Hermione's fates. Adam had protested about this use of their time before the sensor sweep began, and after completing a sixth cycle, he did not hesitate to vent his frustration again. "Lady, I scoured every square millimeter of this section of space with George Weasley and Captain Granger right after it blew..._MULTIPLE TIMES_. And even with Arthur Weasley lending his expertise with all manner of spells, the results are the same. I say it again, there is no trace of them here."

Samus was sitting at the side of the hip, fidgeting with her helmet. She caught how Arthur and Molly Weasley were bristling with indignation, but otherwise kept their mouths shut. To them, Adam must've sounded callous in the extreme, but Samus knew better. It was just that returning to scan the debris field brought back a bitter reminder of their loss. In his own way, Adam was taking this failure as hard as Samus was.

"Fine then, we know for sure Hermione and Ron aren't here," said J.B. from the cockpit. "What about scanning for something else, like trails from any other ships?" he suggested.

"I found several such trails, but it is difficult to determine how recent they are," said Adam. "More than one seem to indicate a path to the moon, where we now know Valkyrie hid Kor-Zor, but as to how recently a ship may have departed, I cannot say."

"In any case, I believe Myrtle. If they're still alive, they'll be with Valkyrie now. So we might as well check out the moon," said Harry.

"If she did find them, I'm afraid there's the possibility that she may have deemed it necessary to finish them herself," Adam pointed out. "Your suits mimic Samus's Chozo-engineered original in nearly every way, right down to bonding and becoming unremovable when the user is unconscious. In order to destroy the weapon pieces, she may have destroyed them along with their suits."

"Then let's hope she'll find them more useful as hostages," Samus said quickly, hoping to alleviate the Weasleys' terror. She only half-believed what she was saying, but refused to show her own fear. Turning to the cockpit, she said, "Captain, lay in a course for the Mare Serenitatis on the moon's light side."

"Already done, Samus," said J.B. brightly. She felt the ship whirl around and rocket toward the moon. As it came into view, she couldn't help but recall her search for the X. To everyone else, that was nearly two years ago, but for her that nightmare was still fresh in her memory. And now, another specter from her past, along with one from her friends' pasts _AND_ their uncertain future, awaited her there.

In moments, the moon's seas took up the entire cockpit window, and J.B. punched everything he needed for an approach. No one said anything as J.B. flew the ship over the moon's surface and as Adam got to work with his sensor sweeps. It wasn't long before the cockpit panels began to bleep plangently, like an excited bird chirping. The Etecoons and Dachoras echoed this sentiment, crowding around the cockpit like expectant children. After Samus forced her way past the adult Dachora, she got a glimpse of the readouts. In the middle of the flat expanse Tesla indicated, there was what looked like a landing strip and a freight elevator that led deep into the lunar surface. "Curious. According to my scans, there is a sophisticated stealth field apparatus installed in this loading area, not unlike the one for this very ship," said Adam. "And yet, it is currently inactive."

"You mean, this Muggle substitute for a big Disillusionment Charm...Valkyrie turned it _off_?" Molly asked dubiously. "Why on Earth would she do that?"

"We're _not_ on Earth anymore, Mum, and the answer is pretty damn obvious. She _wants_ Samus and Harry to go down there," said George in an eerily serious tone.

"Then heaven forbid we keep her waiting," said Harry as he refastened his helmet. Samus saw his eyes dart around, no doubt rechecking all the HUD data as he patiently waited for J.B. to land the ship.

As J.B. brought the ship down on the dusty, lunar surface, a few dozen yards away from the landing strip, Arthur spoke up. "Hold on a second...are you two actually going to obligingly march into whatever trap Asara's rigged up?"

"Valkyrie's too damn prideful to finish us with some cheap tricks," said Samus. "After everything we've screwed up for her, she'll want to end this up close and personal." Again, she only half-believed what she was saying, but she couldn't see any other option at the moment.

"Be that as it may, why just you two?" asked Molly.

"We've been through this already, Mrs. Weasley. Our Metroid DNA gives us at least some immunity to her Phazon energy. Anyone else...well, we saw what happened to Bellatrix Lestrange after Valkyrie bombarded her with the stuff. Trust me, it wasn't pretty," said Harry.

"Still, you must understand how it's not easy letting you march off like this," said Molly. "We still don't really know what's happened to Ron and Hermione. If anything should happen to you too..."

"We're hardly lambs for slaughter, not with every bit of gear the four Founders left behind for us," Harry reminded her. "Oh yeah, and Valkyrie still hasn't figured out our secret weapon...her own early work, which she obligingly left lying around for us too," he added, holding up Snape's potion book. "Been looking over this again, and I can't wait to turn more of her own inventions on her."

"On _them_, Harry. We haven't heard anything about that overgrown bat she snogs, so it's a safe bet he's down there, too," George added. Samus noticed his expression seemed to brigthen for a moment, but dismissed it.

"Fine by me," said Harry vindictively as he moved toward the ship's lower hatch. Samus followed him, about to put on her helmet, but felt someone tug at her shoulder. Turning back around, she saw George there, a smug look on his face.

"Samus, you _are_ coming back, right? You've had a lot of close calls with Valkyrie before," he said.

"I know more of what to expect from her now, and my suit's regained most of its power," said Samus. "I'm as prepared as I could possibly hope to be."

"Well, can't blame your adoring fans for being curious," said George brightly. He looked over to the cockpit, watching the tranquil lunar landscape outside and J.B. monitor the controls. "Y'know, J.B. had his own little trick for making sure Ron and Hermione got back, giving 'em these dog tag things. Since we're not quite sure that's worked yet, I think we'll need a more drastic insurance policy with you."

Samus raised an eyebrow, completely confused. "Insurance policy? What'd you have in mind?"

It happened before anyone could even blink. George grabbed Samus's head in his hands, pulled her down, and planted his lips onto hers. At once, the ship was filled with deafening, dead silence. Even the Etecoons and Dachoras fell deathly silent, just as complete, utter bewilderment took hold of Samus's mind. She was so stupified and flummoxed, George was able to force her mouth open with his tongue. And Samus, being as bewildered as she was, simply let him.

It only lasted a few seconds, but Samus had no idea how long George kissed her. He broke away from her as suddenly as it had begun, smiling more broadly than ever. "There, now you _definitely _can't die on us, otherwise you'll never have the chance to rearrange my face," George said smugly.

The implication was that she should have been furious at him, but Samus just stared down at George, as confused as that day they met again in his joke shop. Again, she had no idea how long she spent just standing there, at a complete loss, but then Adam interjected delicately. "Lady, your helmet."

"Oh, right Adam," she said sheepishly, finally slapping it on. Then the hatch slid open and the two were lowered down onto the lunar surface. Samus kept on staring at George, and he gave her a double thumbs-up before he disappeared from her sight.

xxxxxx

Call me hopelessly ritualistic, but I'm cutting this short just to make sure I have two chapters out this June. No less than two a month will do, methinks.

Anyway, been hyping this final battle up for a year and a half, and now it's finally time to wrap this sucker up. Some things I felt I did right (the four 'levels' themed after the Founders), and some things I could've done better (Valkyrie, but hopefully these last few chapters will work as damage control) , but all in all I'm glad I took the plunge. So for those who've stayed with it THIS long, prepare yourselves...

So long,  
Grey-X


	48. A Prince And His Angel

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning  
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover  
Chapter 48: A Prince and His Angel  
7-23-2010  
by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

The mic that Adam made Harry place on his ear was uncomfortably itchy, but the commands blared out in his grating, synthesized voice were even more insufferable. Since this lunar station didn't cause radio interference anywhere near as powerful as that of the Founders' four sanctuaries, Adam gave him and Samus the same communication devices he outfitted Ron and Hermione with. Remembering that, Harry gladly put up with Adam's usual gruff bluntness, since with his help, they might be led right to them.

"Coming up on your left there should be another long hallway. According to these latest readings, the dark energy signatures will get stronger in that direction. Kor-Zor, and perhaps Valkyrie, may be down there," buzzed Adam's voice. The deeper they delved into Valkyrie's last holdout, the more garbled Adam's transmissions became, and Harry didn't like it one bit.

Samus slowly advanced down the maintenance shaft, arm cannon at the ready. The apprehension and anxiety she clearly felt was a tangible thing, radiating off of her, mirroring Harry's feelings perfectly. "I don't like this, Adam. We haven't encountered anything in the way of internal security systems, or Inferno personnel. Now I'm starting to think Valkyrie really is leading us into some sort of cheap trap," she said testily.

"As for the lack of her Inferno comrades, that's easily explained away. This entire lunar instillation seems to be built for the sole purpose of harnessing dark energy and dark matter, a task Valkyrie would want to oversee personally in the end stages," said Adam. "Regardless, trap or not, you two must press on. The entire mission depends on it. Ron and Hermione's safe return and Valkyrie's defeat cannot be carried out by anyone else."

"Sure, Adam. No pressure, right?" spat Harry tersely.

Samus sighed, then said. "Can your sensors penetrate any deeper into the lunar surface? Any life signs that could be Ron and Hermione, or a concentration of dark energy that could be Kor-Zor?"

"I'm afraid that's a negative, Lady," replied Adam. "On top of that, it looks like our communications will be knocked out quicker than I calculated. Soon, you could very well be on your own."

Samus looked back over to Harry, a strange glimmer in the eyes behind that visor. "Somehow, I think we'll manage," was all she said.

And so, the pair pressed on, ducking down yet another dark, foreboding hallway. The walls themselves were almost always long stretches of lunar rock, with occassional arrays of pipes, wires, and support beams. As they ran down, they came across a lone hatch on their left side. Before Harry could say anything, Samus was prying the door apart with her left hand. Within seconds, she had forced herself in. Harry caught a glimpse behind her visor, that glimmer now replaced with an icy hardness.

Following her in, Harry realized this room was some sort of workstation, with computer terminals everywhere. As he approached one, wondering if he could get anything out of it, he noticed Samus was apparently staring at it. He backed off sheepishly, realizing she'd get work done faster by scanning and hacking these computers. "Find anything useful, Samus?"

A moment later, Samus shook her head. "Nothing about Ron and Hermione or this 'code black' that Myrtle mentioned," she said in a defeated voice. "It did give me the basic layout of this upper level, the methods Valkyrie's using to harness Kor-Zor's power and, most importantly, where it's all originating from."

Harry caught on right away. "So, if we trace the dark power to its source...we find Kor-Zor. And hopefully Valkyrie."

Samus nodded in approval. "You sure you're ready for this, Harry?"

"D'you even have to ask at this point?" Harry asked defiantly.

Harry could tell Samus was smirking at him. "I suppose not." With that, Samus blew apart the door at the adjacent side of the workstation, and the pair promptly ran through. Using the schematics that Samus had just downloaded, navigating the maze of corridors got a whole lot easier. Many minutes passed with dreadful silence hanging over them, darting down one long, dark, abandoned walkway after another. Their path took them through what looked like a sort of warehouse, full of crates packed with all sorts of strange machines and magical artifacts that Harry couldn't begin to describe. But four items in particular caught their attention.

"Samus, those statues. Some sort of ceramic, but...please, use your scan visor. There's something dodgy, just LOOK at them," Harry croaked, staring apprehensively at four amber-colored, glassy statues. The craftsmanship was impeccable, recreating to scale perfectly the four recently-defeated Reformers.

Again, Samus just stood there, seemingly staring at their objects of interest. At length, she said, "My visor hasn't picked up anything unusual about these things, magical or otherwise."

"Then nothing dodgy should happen if I do this," said Harry flatly, aiming his wand at the one modeled after Ped. A Reductor Curse instantly smashed it into powder, and soon the other three were blasted into oblivion as well.

A moment passed, and the shattered remains did nothing whatsoever. Samus glared blankly at Harry, then motioned for him to keep following her. Eventually, they reached a hallway that was essentially a huge ring, with a huge column of pipes in the center. As Harry approached them, he could sense some terrible, wrathful energy flowing through them. Samus later confirmed his suspicions after scanning them, saying, "Dark energy and dark matter are being siphoned through sonme of these pipe relays, with the rest housing wiring and supplying things like coolants. If we can trace the darkness back to its source, we'll find Kor-Zor for sure. Adam, can you hear me? Any chance you can find where the dark energy and dark matter's being shunted, and if you can destroy it from the surface?"

For a moment, nothing but static blared through the mic attached to Harry's ear. Then, Adam's voice weakly came through. "My apologies, Lady, but it looks like the energy was further shunted far below the surface once it goes up out of that room. Too far down, can't even give you an estimate on _HOW MUCH_ Valkyrie's harnessed so far," he said apologetically. "However, I think I'm detecting a spike of Phazon radiation, somewhere fifty meters below your current location. If so, Valkyrie must be nearby."

Harry glanced around, hoping to find a ladder, a service elevator, anything that would lead down. Samus, rather, was looking over the pipes and wires forming the column in the center of the ring-like hallway. All of a sudden, she went into morph ball mode and rolled into the mass of pipes, eventually falling somewhere, out of sight.

"Of course," Harry thought aloud, kicking himself for overlooking what should have been an obvious shortcut. He went into morph ball mode himself and tailed behind Samus. He rolled through tunnel-like spaces and soon caught up to Samus, as she was stymied by huge vertical slopes upward that required skilled use of bombs and the spring ball, as the pipes weren't affected by magnetism. Eventually, both made it up, but Harry couldn't help but mull over how their bombs hadn't damaged the pipes at all. He doubted even power bombs would do anything. More and more, it looked like the only way to stop the flow of dark power was to annilihate Kor-Zor for good.

But if Ron and Hermione weren't here...

The two soon dropped down into a wide-open space, which made Harry nervous, as the sonar range his ball form afforded didn't extend too far. After they unrolled, Harry and Samus found that they were indeed in a very spacious machine chamber, this one with another column in the center. Only this column was thin, glass tube, and Harry's insides froze when he got a look at what was inside.

There was Kor-Zor, howling and flailing as hysterically as when Valkyrie came for him. Looking around, Harry didn't need his own scan visor to see how this entire chamber was built solely for harnessing dark power directly from Kor-Zor. Just the ominous pulsations from under the floorboards the hairs on the back of Harry's neck stand on end. Looking back up to the banished, despised Chozo spirit, Harry's mind went blank, completely at a loss for what to do. One quick glance over at Samus told him she was just as clueless, and infinitely more terrified.

But just as suddenly as numb terror took hold of them, a series of interconnected metal plating slid up the length of the glass tube, effectively sealing it off. Then, a jarring voice rang out behind them. "You were right to be in awe of such a dangerous beast. But do forgive me for taking precautions, in case you get over your awe and try something stupid."

Harry steeled himself as he and Samus whirled around, hoping they were ready for anything. Sure enough, Valkyrie was slowly levitating herself down to the floor, her expression one of labored, stony calmness. But the pernicious glow of those pink and indigo eyes gave away her true feelings.

"Some would say we've already tried something stupid, venturing down here in the first place," Samus shot back. "You deactivated whatever security measures you built into this place. You clearly wanted us to follow you down here, and we've played right into your hands again, haven't we?"

Valkyrie smirked defiantly at them. "You can read me like a piece of parchment, can't you?" she asked dryly. "Too bad I couldn't read you two just as well."

"Give yourself some credit. You must've known we'd follow you anywhere after you showed you were willing to blow Ron and Hermione away. And here we are," snarled Harry, his venomous animosity finally boiling to the surface.

"So let's get right to it, Asara," Samus chimed in. "This 'code black' you ordered, which supposedly means that Ron and Hermione would be brought here if they were found floating in space. Come clean, Asara. Do you have them here or not?"

The fierce glow in Valkyrie's eyes seemed to fizzle for a moment as he cocked her head to the side, sizing up the two of them. At length, she said. "Don't know how you found out about that little detail, but it's true that those two would've been delivered here. And though I'm happy to say the code black was successfully carried out, your friends, unfortunately, were nowhere to be found."

Harry couldn't contain himself. In a flash, he lobbed a missile and a Cruciatus Curse at Valkyrie. But with equally swift swipes from her wand and bionic arm, she batted away both. "YOU LIAR!" he roared, ready to jump at Valkyrie and tear her apart.

"Well, perhaps you should talk to the one who helped me carry out the code black's end phase," said Valkyrie, calmly but sternly. Valkyrie's gaze drifted upward, behind them. Risking a glance over his shoulder, he saw Snape lowering himself down with conjured winds. The Polyjuice Potion had long since worn off, his wounds from Hufflepuff's tunnels healed, but he still had an armored breastplate, those odd mechanical boots, and a submachine gun. And, of course, a face as stony and unreadable as ever.

"George called it right. Everyone's here," Harry muttered under his breath. "Fine by me." Terrible rage flowed through Harry again. If it wasn't for Snape, Valkyrie could never have duped Samus into freeing Kor-Zor, giving her the means to make her virus work. Ron and Hermione never would have had to infiltrate that orbital platform...

"Tell me something, Sev. Did you ever explain to Harry how his father would never dare bully you unless Lily and I were never around, unless the rest of those so-called Marauders had his back?" Valkyrie asked smoothly.

Snape's lip curled as his cold, black eyes narrowed at Harry. "Indeed I have."

"Well, if things get out of hand here, he may soon find out why," Valkyrie said dangerously.

"The prince and his beloved angel, together again," Samus spat sardonically. "Good for you, back with an old friend from your Hogwarts days, boasting about it, just as you told Harry that his are gone forever..."

"We never wanted it to come to that," said Valkyrie, shaking her head. "You know full well I wanted all four of you with me this whole time, and still held out hope..."

"Spare us, Valkyrie!" howled Harry, cutting her off. "Adam heard the orders you bellowed onto that platform! You wanted them cooped up there as it blew!"

At last, Valkyrie's composure was shaken. The glow in her eyes dimmed again, and her head fell a little. "I lost my temper and acted rashly, I won't deny it," she said at length. "But can you really blame me? I tried offering all four of you everything you dared dream of, and instead, you've been hellbent on undoing my life's work."

"Too bad your life's work involves mucking up the fabric of time and space itself," snapped Samus.

"Yeah. For someone who's obviously an atheist, you have a curious obsession with playing God," added Harry.

Whatever shame Valkyrie was feeling evaporated in an instant, and her surly, self-assured demeanor returned. "You really think I haven't heard lines like that before, Harry?" she asked delicately, smirking at him. "Ever since I was three, people tried to drill that into my head. That everyone who simply accepts evolution as a reality simply want to be gods themselves. Does that really apply here? It's not power for myself I'm after, but giving away a power our kind has squandered for too damn long."

"Even if your virus won't wind up killing millions of Muggles, d'you honest;y think we'd go along with this war you stirred up?" demanded Harry. "How can all this chaos possibly change the course of humanity's evolution for the better?"

"It's like I tried to tell you before, it's simply retooling the two components driving the engine of evolution," said Valkyrie. "With the virus I created thanks to your Metroid DNA, triggering desired mutations was taken care of. Natural selection, though...for humans nowadays, that's the tricky part. It should be obvious, though. Our kind has become too soft and content, hiding away from the rest of the world, as evidenced by Voldemort accomplishing so much through fear alone. Well, isolation will no longer be possible, will it?

"As for the Muggles...look at the ones living under oppression, poverty and terror in the so-called Third World right now. Utterly powerless, too afraid to make a stand. That's why I was so proud of Kago. Like me, he would've been cast out, treated like garbage. But I raised him into a prime example of how the right education and motivation can give anyone the strength to fight back, given the chance. Just like all the other Reformers. That's my specialty, y'see. Taking in those the rest of the world callously toss away, and forging them into a force to be reckoned with. Not to mention I made Kago a promise, doing everything I could early on to spark that same metamorphosis in the rest of his old country."

"Like what?" asked Harry.

Valkyrie smirked again. "You really think Nelson Mandela got that far without a little help from moi?" she asked smugly. "Anyway, once the Day of Reckoning comes, all our hopes'll be realized in one fell swoop. All of a sudden, frightened, oppressed people the world over will wake up and realize they have the power to take matters into their own hands. Slowly but surely, entirely new societies will emerge, doing what they can to adapt and survive in a brand new world. Even I can't predict how things'll progress, but I always planned to be around, nudging things along here and there.

"And finally, the sticky issue of the global superpowers like England, China, Russia and, of course, the so-called greatest nation on Earth, America. How long have they _ALL_ used fear as political weapons, too? Keeping their people in line, making sure they go along with pointless wars and arms races that cost trillions of dollars, money that could be better spent elsewhere? Well, now the Muggles in those countries've seen their governments can't always protect them, and let's see how much longerthe status quo'll last after the Day of Reckoning. And of course, there's the added bonus of watching billions of Muggles squirm, coming to grips with a power they don't understand, and sometimes raised to think as evil. Well, come to grips they will, as they try to bring order to the chaotic world I've left them."

"And you still think you're doing this all for Lily Potter's memory, that this is what she really wanted?" demanded Samus. "That she would've wanted her dream realized at any cost, destroying before you could create?"

Valkyrie's smugness faded as her eyes narrowed, glowering at Samus, but it was Snape who spoke up. "We knew Potter's mother better than anyone, Aran. She completed us, stabilized our lousy lives in ways you couldn't ever imagine. There was both a strength and a profound vulnerability to Lily, an ocean's depth of empathy. Her heart bled for this world, Aran, more than you two will ever know."

"And when she was gone, no one felt the loss more deeply than us," added Valkyrie with a venomous bite. "And it wasn't just Voldemort responsible, but a world that tolerated him and others like him. We won't quit until we know we've got a world that won't see repeat performances of what happened to her and us," she continued, pointing at Samus.

"There've been plenty of repeat performances, family and friends lost because of what you've done!" cried Harry, refusing to buy into Valkyrie's manipulativeness any more. He kept the argument going, though, watching and waiting for any opening, any slim chance at striking back. "You're right, I never knew my mother. But I know in my heart that if she could see both of you now, she'd think she'd be better off dead!"

Valkyrie gasped a little, but quickly regained her composure. "You think I enjoy doing all this, being driven to these extremes?" she demanded. "Are you so determined to see me as pure darkness and evil? Fine. Be that way. But maybe you're right. Maybe Lily and I were like everyone always said: yin and yang, light and dark. When Lily was taken away, the balance was gone, and only darkness was left for me. But if embracing that darkness means I can do whatever it takes to change a world that let Lily's light be snuffed out, bring about a world she dreamed of, so be it!"

"And yet, while they claim they know and understand Lily better than her two best friends, perhaps there's another reason for their obstinance," said Snape smoothly. "Perhaps they fear a world where there's no need of Harry Potters and Samus Arans."

"What's THAT supposed to mean?" demanded Harry. As usual, Snape's words infuriated him to no end, but Valkyrie's ranting still rankled more. She talked as if the Day of Reckoning was still coming, even with her virus gone and Inferno sealed off...

"Please, Sev, you should know better by now," chided Valkyrie. "As confusing as some of their decisions still are, I have no doubt they're tired of everyone in the universe being so weak and spineless, dumping all their burdens on their shoulders. No, they'd gladly give up their roles as saviors if they could. At least, I thought they would. I offered them exactly that..."

"And now we know we made the right call, watching everything you did from that point on! You only dueled Voldemort so you could take his place, and cause devastation on an even greater scale!" roared Samus. "And you ordering Ron and Hermione to be left to die clinched it!"

"Just as you offing all the Reformers, including my son, clinched it!" Valkyrie shot back, the pink and indigo glow of her eyes now back in full force.

"So there's no way out, is there? Both sides are convinced they know what Lily Evans stood for, and won't let the other side get away with the losses they've incurred," said Samus dryly, as if resigning to fate. Harry looked over to her anxiously. The gauntlet was about to be thrown, he knew it...

"I suppose there isn't," said Snape flatly.

"Then let's not waste any more time," said Samus with a tone of finality. No doubt she was eager to start pounding Valkyrie's face in, but at that moment, Harry felt his resolve ebb. He still couldn't see any way to take Valkyrie head-on and expect to win, and he had a nagging feeling that even if he could, she'd have one last trump card to play...

"Let's not," Valkyrie repeated darkly, in an icy tone that belied her burning, glowing eyes. In an eyeblink, she flung her wand forward as her bionic arm shifted into her arm cannon. A double blast of Phazon energy grazed across the collection chamber's floor plating, which Samus and Harry dodged desperately. Even when anticipating such a sudden move, they barely ducked aside in time. Even so, Harry felt the intense heat of the radiation through his suit, making him sweat nervously. Turning that power back onto Valkyrie would be tougher than he thought.

Valkyrie's barrage ceased suddenly, and Harry instantly knew she was on the move. Before he could get set, Valkyrie flew right at him, tackling him to the ground. They skidded along the floor for a moment as Harry struggled to shake Valkyrie off. After slamming into the wall, Valkyrie drew back her left fist. With blinding swiftness, she brought it down, and Harry barely jerked his head aside. Her metal fist plunged into the floor instead, giving Harry a chance to land a Cruciatus Curse, blasting her away. Her scream let him know Bellatrix was right all along. _WANTING_ to cause pain was the key.

Putting herself back together in record time, Valkyrie started floating around the collection chamber, keeping her distance while firing down at Harry with beam shots. For good measure, she levitated metal tiles they just upturned and transfigured them into massive, crushing hammers. Harry ran around as he ducked and dodged the beams and flying, spinning hammers, firing back with charged shots of his own. He fired a few missiles for good measure. Some shots got through, but the ones that did hardly fazed Valkyrie, even with the plasma beam effect. On top of that, it was getting harder and harder to evade everything she threw at him. At one point, stray beams clipped his side, draining nearly a whole tank. This gave Valkyrie an opening, chucking a hammer that caught him square in the chest.

Harry went flying across the chamber again. Not only that, Valkyrie played it so he slammed right into Samus. He caught a brief glimpse of Snape, with whom she'd been fighting. Both of them crashed into the far wall. Harry looked up to see Snape skating on air, coming right for them, his black cloak billowing behind him. In despeation, Harry swept the chamber using Aguavenenumenti, but Snape gracefully leaped up and out of the way, then sent down a hail of enchanted lead and magical, freezing mist.

"Move Harry, scatter!" Samus thundered as she shoved Harry aside. Harry ignored the stinging pain from the bullets, more worried about the blast of Glacius as he sprinted away. Turning back, he was ready with a charged shot, but instead of keeping his distance, Snape was coming right for them. Not only that, Valkyrie was swooping in, levitating more hammers while her arm cannon crackled with Phazon energy.

Samus fired up at Valkyrie while extending her fins, no doubt to slash at Snape as he skated past. Unfortunately, he ducked and blasted her with Avada Kedavra at point-blank range, firing his submachine gun at Harry at the same time. Harry threw up a Shield Charm, deflecting his fire, but Valkyrie had closed in, firing blasts of Phazon down at him both him and Samus.

Harry kept dodging both their attacks as best he could while firing back with any magic he could think of. But then, Valkyrie levitated the hammers so they were almost right above him. Then, in a flash, they were transfigured into some sort of drilling missile angled straight down. Being too focused on Harry, Samus had an opening, and fired a fully-charged blast that ripped right through Valkyrie, following up with a volley of missiles.

Still, whatever magic Valkyrie put in place was done, and her drill missiles dropped. Harry ducked and rolled, barely avoiding them as they bore into the floor. Just when the last one dropped and Harry thought he could breathe easily, he heard the missiles hum. Suddenly, they cracked open, sending up spinning disks, which burst open to send out smaller disks, blazing with white-hot flame. Harry had been dumbfounded for a second, and was too late to avoid them completely as the razor-sharp disks rained down, detonating and searing his suit on contact, the pain nearly overwhelming.

Even over the explosive din, Harry heard the crackle of Valkyrie's pent-up Phazon. Waving his wand, he blew away the lingering haze, just in time to see Valkyrie had landed a few yards away, bionic arm reared back. A purple aura washed over her as Phazon energy arced all around her. Then, in a blinding flash, she surged forward with impossible speed, meaning to drive a Phazon-charged metal fist through Harry.

Only Samus ensured that didn't happen, tackling him to the ground as Valkyrie rushed past. As they untangled, Valkyrie plowed into the wall which such force, the whole collection chamber was rocked. Samus sat up, immediately firing as Valkyrie pulled herself free from the metal plating that was now little more than slag. It took a second to get over his shock, but Harry joined in, letting her have it with curses and missiles. They had to break off, however, when Snape skated toward them, cutting loose with Glacius and a hail of enchanted bullets again.

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Harry targeted Snape and fired his missiles. Samus did the same. Unfortunately, he Banished them right back at them as he moved in to cover Valkyrie. As they ducked and dodged, Harry aimed and shouted, "_Expelliarmus!_" But Snape effortlessly flicked that aside as well.

"Still haven't gotten a handle on nonverbal spells, eh Potter?" Snape taunted. "Get with it, Potter. This isn't training or Defense class...this is FOR REAL!" He had to shout that last sentence of the whining roar of Phazon energy fired from both Valkyrie's wand and arm cannon. She levitated above Snape, firing wildly and forcing Samus and Harry to scatter. Then, she started using continuous, lancing beams, sweeping the chamber. It was all Harry and Samus could do stay one step ahead of those wide beams. On top of that, every time they tried to fire at Valkyrie, Snape flicked their attacks aside.

It wasn't long before a sweeping beam of Phazon clipped Samus's leg as he jumped. She fell back down with a scream, just as the other one started coming for her. Harry ducked and rolled under it, grabbing up Samus just in time and jumping away. "Go limp, Samus! I've got you!" he hollered in her ear over the roar of crackling Phazon.

As he carried her and kept on ducking the sweeping beams, Harry looked back over at Snape and Valkyrie. Even at this distance, Harry could see the unhinged fury in Valkyrie's face, thrown into sharp relief by the purple glow of Phazon. Every other time they fought, Valkyrie had held back, but not any more.

Just when Harry was convinced Valkyrie had endless reserves to tap into, her sweeping beams began to lose intensity, and then faded completely. Snape then skated toward them again, Valkyrie flying closely behind him. Even though she had to cut her sweeping beams and already took quite a pounding, she hardly looked winded at all. _No no no, it's just like all the other times. Even with her Metroids dead, she can shake off everything we heap on her...unless it's her own power._ He jumped away a bit more, then landed and steadied Samus onto her feet. "Samus, we're not doing too good. Don't think we've got any choice. Let's hope those last-minute modifications Adam made on your suit's weapon systems worked."

"It was gleamed from what data he could recover from Dr. Kasumi Hinada, her own genius involving radiation and physics. It should," said Samus resolutely, though Harry picked up the shakiness in her voice.

"What about Snape? He'll catch on fast," Harry reminded her.

"True, but we can't focus too much on Snape, remember that. Valkyrie's our top priority," said Samus.

"No taking either of them one-on-one, Severus. Let's keep on smashing them _both_ down, together!" cried Valkyrie hatefully. Harry carefully watched as they closed in, seeing the cold determination in their eyes. That 'yin and yang' analogy was righter than anyone knew. It went beyond just Valkyrie and his mother. It was _both_ his parents that were all about utter and total abhorrence of the darkness, while these two, their counterparts, embraced it entirely, let it consume them...

"That'll make it harder. Try to keep Valkyrie occupied, draw her fire. Hopefully Snape won't catch on until it's too late," Harry whispered into his mic, hoping only Samus heard.

And then, Snape and Valkyrie were finally on top of them. Valkyrie hovered high overhead, lashing out with Phazon from both barrels. Samus deftly ducked through them, shoulder-charging Snape to knock him back before firing at Valkyrie. Harry quickly joined in, but again, most of their beams and missiles missed their mark, what with Valkyrie darting around too fast. The shots that got through, Valkyrie barely seemed to feel, and she kept cutting loose with pure Phazon energy.

On top of that, Snape recovered in record time, sending out another burst of frigid mist as he skated around them. Knowing Snape had to be out of the way for his plan to work, Harry switched everything off but the spazer and charged up. Jumping over the mist as Samus kept the heat on Valkyrie, Harry unleashed a trio of Cruciatus Curses, one homing in on Valkyrie, the other two veering toward Snape. Snape batted away one of them, but the other two found their mark. This let Samus unload on Valkyrie with impunity for a few seconds, and let Harry run right at Snape.

_This is it. Time to see if I can out-Slytherin the head of Slytherin,_ Harry thought. He waved his wand as he ran, concentrating hard on casting the one spell he made sure he could cast nonverbally. Snape regathered his wits just as Harry moved in with an uppercut. With stupifying swiftness, Snape grabbed his arm and chucked Harry over his shoulder. Once he was floored, Snape tried bringing his armored, clawed foot down on Harry, but he rolled aside, focusing more on Valkyrie as he kept weaving his charm. As he hoped, Valkyrie was focusing more on Samus, who wasn't even firing back anymore, simply charging a shot...

"A wizard's duel against me is hopeless enough, Potter, but a Muggle's duel? Even moreso," Snape said smoothly. He came right at Harry with a series of kicks, his armored legs lashing out with deadly speed, nearly impossible to block with his left arm alone. Snape nearly toppled him, and each hit drained considerable energy. Harry had hoped it was the smallness of Susan Bones's body that had made Snape so fast and deadly, but back in his own skin, he was more lethal than ever.

But it didn't matter. Harry kept surreptitiously weaving his web of charms. The Half-Blood Prince had already played right into his hands, something that was just dawning on him.

"Hold it. Those wand movements..." Snape began, breaking off his attack, staring at Harry. It was then that he noticed a telltale rippling in the very air in certain spaces, which became more pronounced as Valkyrie's Phazon blasts passed through them. Eyes widening, Snape turned around to look at Samus...and how her charged blast now radiated with crackling, purple energy.

"You wanted nonverbal magic from me, Snape? There you go," spat Harry. While Snape was distracted, he aimed up at Valkyrie. "_Incarcerous!_" he shouted, instantly ensnaring Valkyrie in a tangle of thick cords. She would burn them off in seconds, but it gave Samus the opening she needed. With one explosive burst, she released the pent-up Phazon energy right at Valkyrie, and with a shriek, she tumbled to the floor, hacking and wheezing.

Snape, still dumbfounded, was easily shoved aside by Harry, who joined Samus in piling everything they could on Valkyrie while she was on the ground, hunched over, weak and helpless. But it wasn't long before Phazon arced all around her once more, and she hovered again. "PHAZON ENERGY?" she roared in disbelief. "How in...how did you harness Phazon again, with no infected suit or P.E.D.?"

Snape quickly skated back under her. "Is was Bangsasunis Chapaprotego, Val," he sneered. "I don't know how, but Potter somehow cast it all over the place. Setting up several charms like mirrors, all angled so ambient radiation was bounced at Aran, who absorbed it all in a charged shot."

If Valkyrie was impressed by their cleverness, she did not show it. All that showed in her face was rage akin to Snape's reaction when Harry used his invented spells against him. But also in those glowing eyes, finally, a hint of real fear...

Valkyrie landed beside Snape, sneering evilly at them. "You see what I've tried to tell you about Harry, Sev? To master such a complex charm in so short a time. But let's see him bounce this next attack around." Valkyrie raised her wand up, angling her arm slightly to her right. Then, Snape crossed his wand with hers, and as he shouted the Glacius incantation, Valkyrie yelled, "_Torrentus!_"

In an eyeblink, what looked like a cyclone of frigid air appeared in the collection chamber. Snape's clawed boots anchored him to the floor, while Valkyrie stood her ground with the same anti-gravity power that let her fly. Their coats fluttered violently as the icy cyclone drew closer to Harry and Samus, and by now, huge chunks of ice were swirling around the chamber as well. Then, Harry felt the cyclone's suction, drawing the two of them into the deadly vortex.

"Samus, the speed boosters! They have to kick in! RUN!" Harry pleaded, yelling into the mic since the cyclone's howl was drowning out everything. Facing away from the cyclone, they desperately broke into a run. At first, their feet useless scraped against the plating as the cyclone drew them in, but eventually, their speed boosters kicked in. Valkyrie obviously anticipated this, though, as the cyclone's power suddenly became dozens of times more intense. Even at full speed, they were only inching away from it.

To make matters worse, ice chunks were constantly conjured up, swirling around. Harry and Samus narrowly managed to shoot them down before they were slammed by them. Eventually, though, a block of ice slipped by and smashed into Harry, draining a whole tank. But that was the least of his troubles. Losing his footing and speed, Harry was sucked backward, but Samus fired her grapple beam back at him just in time. Pulling him back toward her, Samus held him against her chest as she kept running and shooting down ice chunks.

Looking up, Harry caught that pained, hardened look behind the visor. _Don't worry, Samus. You didn't lose anyone. No one'll lose anyone else today. It's going to end here,_ he thought defiantly. Seeing his opportunity, realizing that Valkyrie and Snape probably couldn't even see him, Harry began erecting the Bangsasunis Chapaprotego charms again...

"This is ridiculous! If Valkyrie couldn't keep up those sweeping Phazon rays, than this tornado sure as fuck can't last forever!" came Samus's exasperated voice over Harry's mic. And then, as if to prove her point, the icy cyclone died away as suddenly as it had come. Even before it dissipated, Snape and Valkyrie charged again. Killing Curses lanced out across the chamber from Snape, while Valkyrie cut loose with Phazon, clearly not expecting that Harry could have set up Bangsasunis Chapaprotego again.

One of the Killing Curses clipped Harry's shoulder, overwhelming him with dizziness, but still, he refused to break his concentration. As he jumped away from Snape, he manipulated the still-standing charms on the fly, so that all the stray radiation was reflected right at Samus. Again, Snape caught on first. "Val, he's got the charms up again! Stop with the Phazon before..."

It was too late. Samus already had another pent-up blast of Phazon energy ready. After finally landing a Disarming Charm on Snape, Harry soared over him as he hit the floor, his submachine gun and wand flying in opposite directions. Valkyrie turned her attention away from Samus an eyeblink too late, and took Harry's screw attack full in the face. Dazed for a moment, it gave Samus the opening she needed, unleashing a second burst of Phazon and flooring Valkyrie.

This time, however, they had no opportunity to unload on Valkyrie. Snape quickly regathered his weapons, widly spraying magical, freezing air and bullets everywhere as he skated around. As he looped back around, he came at Samus with a flying kick, sending them both careening across the collection chamber. Shocked by how suddenly Snape recovered, Harry was distracted for a second, and when he turned back to Valkyrie, she was dashing at him, bionic arm drawn back. She bludgeoned him with it, sending him flying, until he crashed into the shielded tube housing Kor-Zor.

His head was a gaggle of clanging bells, but Harry forced himself to get it together. And just in time, for as he rolled aside, he narrowly avoided a crushing kick from Valkyrie as she slid across the floor. She rebounded off of the shielded tube, floating in midair again. "You got me twice back there, Harry," she said, her voice cracking. "No way around it, you suckered me twice in a row, fair and square. No excuses for it. All that lecturing I gave Voldemort early on about so readily dismissing you, and what do I do? Break my own cardinal rule again and again, letting you blindside me..."

"Then I'll go for what Captain Granger calls a 'hat trick'. _Lumosolis!_" The wide beam of focused solar energy cut a swath through the air. Valkyrie effortlessly swerved around it, but the blinding glare was enough to let Harry jump up and strike with the screw attack again. He tried firing some missiles after landing, hoping Valkyrie would still be dizzy, but she swatted them away. Her bionic arm converted back into an arm cannon, but she held back, no doubt wary of whatever tricks Harry still might have. "You were right. Easily blindsided again. You're more like Voldemort than you can possibly know..."

"HOW DARE YOU?" Valkyrie roared, lashing out with a sweeping burst of Phazon. With no Bangsasunis barriers up, Harry had to leap aside, barely making it in time. "How can you still be so dead-set on seeing me in the same light as Tom Marvolo Riddle? He does nothing but grab power for himself to launch a campaign of genocide! Me, I've made it my life's mission to take in and empower Muggles and wizards, house-elves and goblins, centaurs and merpeople..."

"Partly because of this sick, egotistical need you have to always be worshipped, to constantly have people praise you!" Harry shot back as he kept dodging Phazon blasts. Maybe, if he could rile Valkyrie up some more, she wouldn't catch on to more Bangsasunis barriers going up. "You're the brainiest witch of our time, no one can deny that. But you've become so conceited, you need to constantly have people fawning over you, so you can keep on convincing yourself you're actually doing the right thing! That's how I knew the Malfoys could sucker you. I made sure they told you everything you wanted to hear!"

A sweeping blast of Phazon punctuated the retort that came next. "So you conned the Malfoys into backstabbing me. Big whoop!" Valkyrie shot back defiantly. As she kept cutting loose with Phazon from her arm cannon, she placed a hand over the Inferno insignia on her shirt. "Look at this, Harry. Call it a perversion of the Order of the Phoenix's symbol if you must, but it's given millions and millions who had absolutely nothing something to believe in, to fight for!"

"More like you brainwashed them into fighting your private wars for you, infecting them with your hatred!" cried Harry. Soon, he hoped, Valkyrie would be enraged enough. "Face it, it's not just Voldemort you were out to punish. North Korea, the United States, the Ministry of Magic, every religion that ever demonized magic, the Order of the Phoenix. You tried to pretty it up with all this talk about my mum's secret dream, but it's just your cover to keep venting your hatred at the entire world! I'm ashamed I was ever tempted by someone like that, someone that's the _EXACT OPPOSITE_ of my mother! I'll _NEVER_ join up with someone that full of hate! _**NEVER!**_"

Before Valkyrie could snap back at him, Harry made a leap toward the shielded pillar, dodging all her shots. He kicked off of it, rocketing toward her with the screw attack again, taking her completely by surprise. It stunned Valkyrie for a long as Harry needed to reach the ground, where she spun around and shouted, "_Fumoraestus!_" Blinding, billowing steam rose up and around him, eventually reaching and burning Valkyrie, fueling her rage even more. She blindly fired Phazon blasts down into the steam, too enraged to think straight and blow it away. And under that cover, Harry wove more barriers with Bangsasunis Chapaprotego. "Samus, more's on the way," he whispered into his mic.

Once it finally occured to Valkyrie to conjure a gust to drive away the steam, there was a loud crack, and Snape sailed past them. He was dazed, bleeding from his nose and mouth. The sight of her husband in such a state distracted Valkyrie for a moment, long enough for Samus to fire another burst of collected Phazon radiation that brought her to her knees.

Obviously, Samus was worked up into a right state herself, for instead of firing on Valkyrie some more, she pulled her up and bashed her skull with her helmet. She let Valkyrie groggily land on her feet, only so Samus could plant some satisfying punches and kicks. Just as Valkyrie got herself back together, swiftly lashing out with a Phazon-charged karate chop, Harry blinded her and beat her back with Lumosolis. He then rushed in, grabbed Valkyrie by the throat, and planted a few satisfying punches right into her gut.

But as Harry unloaded, he heard Snape cry out with, "_Avada Kedavra!_" As his suit's systems were overwhelmed, forcing Harry to let go, he heard his gunfire, and instantly knew Samus just went down. Once the vertigo abated, he whirled around to see Snape skating at him. With one swift motion, Snape waved his wand, blasting Harry backward into Samus as she got up. They skidded along the ground, trying to untangle themselves. Once they did and wheeled back around, shots charging, they saw Snape and Valkyrie standing side-by-side again, wands crossed.

"Aw, not again," Harry groaned as another icy cyclone burst into existence between them. They tried firing their shots through the cyclone, but had no way of knowing if they connected. The fact that the cyclone was still building up power pretty much told them they didn't. Icy dread clawed at Harry's heart and he and Samus turned and ran, their speed boosters barely kicking in in time.

It wasn't long before chunks of ice were whirling around the collection chamber with deadly speed. At first, Harry quickly took them out with Reductor Curses, and Samus was as good a shot as ever, but more and more were forming. Some got dangerously close before one of them blasted them away. But then, just as Harry expected an ice chunk to knock them back into that cyclone any second, a faint, staticy voice shrilled in his earpiece. "Mate, just hang on for a few more seconds! Reinforcements are on the way!"

Harry's eyes widened as they kept running, utterly bewildered. Who was that? He desperately hoped no one back on the ship was crazy enough to try and have a go at Valkyrie. Then, out the corner of his eye, Harry thought he got a glimpse of two icy swirls high up along the collection chamber's walls. Harry braced himself, expecting a new trick from Valkyrie and Snape. Instead, he heard shouts of "_Glacius!_" and "_Bombarda Maxima!_"

One bomb-like, explosive burst of icy power and a tightly-focused beam of ice lanced out and struck something behind the cyclone. At once, the icy winds died. Samus and Harry shot forward, now that nothing was pulling them back. They clumsily skidded to a halt, looking back. There was a thick stalagmite of ice where Valkyrie and Snape stood. Seconds later, it cracked open, revealing a livid but frazzled Valkyrie, but Snape was nowhere to be seen.

"What in the...where'd Snape go?" Samus demanded. "And who, wait...the Glacius and Bombarda Maxima combos? It can't be..."

"You and Harry aren't the only ones who're nearly impossible to kill," came Hermione's sharp, forceful voice from high above. Looking up, confusion and elated swelled within Harry, as Ron and Hermione were dropping down. They touched down as gracefully as they could and looked up. "As for your first question...believe it or not, Snape's the reason we're here."

"_SNAPE_ saved you two?" Harry cried with disbelief.

"All we know is he carried out this 'code black' thing, involving salvaging stuff from that wrecked weapon platform," said Ron. "We figure he must've found us, dragged us here to the moon. We only came to a few minutes ago. Left us a message, told us where we'd find you two fighting him and his wife, told us to ambush the bitch at just the right time. That's all we know, mate."

Harry kept looking from one to the other, beyond confused, yet at the same time overwhelmed with humbling relief. Seeing his confusion, Hermione spoke up. "Harry, I know you've got loads of questions, and even I'm flummoxed about all this. But we've got a job to do, and...we're low on missiles and suit power. Judging from Samus's suit, you got through Gryffindor's sanctuary. _Please_ tell us you got all the gear in there."

"Did we ever!" cried Harry, reaching out to grab Hermione's shoulders, just as Samus touched Ron's.

A blinding glow instantly engulfed both of them, and Harry reached over to touch Ron before it abated. When it faded, Ron's armor had changed from a dull navy blue due a sparkling bronze, while the snakes wrapped around Hermione's torso looked an even more poisonous green, seeming to slither over lusterous silver plating.

"Now THAT'S more like it!" shouted Ron, his eyes excitedly taking in his HUD readouts. His eyes then turned to Valkyrie, losing none of their fire as Phazon crackled around her.

xxxxxx

Samus stared blankly at the trio gathered around her. She was always a woman of few words, but still, no words of hers could possibly express the swelling of relief and joy she left. Even if it was because of a lucky chance that Snape, or all people, turned on Valkyrie like Dr. Hinada had, it didn't matter. Ron and Hermione had survived. The group of young hunters she had surrounded herself with, who trusted her, was whole again. Whether it was due to dumb luck or skill as a leader, it didn't matter. The four of them were together again, and now, with all the pieces of the Founders' weapon, they had a chance to claim victory...

But the sound of Phazon energy insidiously arcing over Valkyrie as she collected herself snapped her back to their grave reality. "Ron, Hermione, keep back. She's getting desperate, she'll be slinging around more radiation than ever..."

"No worries there, Samus. Snape said he injected us with that potion that gives her mates immunity to Phazon," said Ron.

"Yeah. We can't absorb and harness it like you and Harry've done, but...at least we can get close enough to pound her face in!" Hermione added wickedly.

Samus smiled to herself. Their voices made it plain: these two were ready to fight alongside Harry, and now her, to the very end. Still, even alone against the four of them, Valkyrie had proven to be a deadly force, and Samus was determined to bring everyone out of this alive. "Then let's get to work. Fan out, approach her from all sides, give Harry a chance to use Bangsasunis Chapaprotego again..."

Valkyrie just stood there, Phazon crackling all around her as the foursome slowly drew closer, trying to surround her. Even with all the energy Valkyrie was giving off, her eyes glowed the brightest of all as she leered at all of them. "So, the two of you survived after all," she said evenly, eyeing Ron and Hermione as they came up on her left.

"No thanks to you, but thanks to Snape," spat Ron derisively, obviously not liking that idea.

"Severus?" Valkyrie screamed, looking about in a panic. "I...where'd he go? What'd you four do with him?" she demanded.

"Slithered away, like he always does," snapped Samus. "Whatever his reasons, he secretly brought Ron and Hermione onto your lunar base, making sure they'd revive in time so the four of us could smash you down together."

"Again resorting to lies!" Valkyrie shot back. "Sure he must still be sour after I left him alone all these years, but I came back, gave him everything he needed!"

"You just don't get it, do you Valkyrie? Some people just can't be bought, no matter what you offer," said Samus. "You never had a chance of winning the four of us over, and we've got news for you: Snape wasn't the only one to stab you in the back."

"Yeah, and it wasn't just the Malfoys that let us blow through Inferno and squash your Metroids. Believe it or not, Dr. Kasumi Hinada turned on you, too," Harry added spitefully. "She faked her death and let her consciousness linger in Inferno's servers, just so she could shephard us to your Metroids when we finally got there. Turns out she'll fulfill the duty the time travel charm put on her after all."

Valkyrie looked over to Harry, agape, completely nonplussed by the notion that Dr. Hinada, of all people, would switch sides. Ron took that opportunity to jump in. "So much for being the Wizarding world's ultimate genius, smart enough to unite us with all the Muggles! You thought you were so damn smart, as if only you could fix all the world's problems! It never occured to you that the people you thought you were closest to wouldn't let you go through with it!"

"And let's not forget Professor Dumbledore and Harry's mother," added Hermione. "If Snape and the Malfoys couldn't even stomach your Day of Reckoning, d'you honestly think those two would be happy you did all this in their names?"

For a moment, that dumbfounded look seemed to be plastered on Valkyrie's face, but soon, it twisted into a chilling, hideous snarl. "Still determined to see me as a monster," she growled softly. "Very well, if it's a monster you four want, it's a monster you'll get. You're about to see why I always used protective wards to chop down my body's power. It's not just the excruciating pain..."

Valkyrie clamped her teeth down on her wand and suddenly hunched over. Seeing an opportunity to strike, Samus charged forward and fired her missiles. But Valkyrie's bionic arm shifted back into a cannon, sweeping the floor with a beam of Phazon energy, driving them all back.

Samus jumped back a little, keeping her missiles armed as she looked back over to Valkyrie. She gasped as what looked like purple fire flared up around her hunched body, as if consuming her. Instead, that intense flame was incinerating her clothes, which were supposedly fireproof. Her coat, shirt and pants burned away, and her armored boots crumbled into nothingness. There was a blinding purple glow as Valkyrie stood back up, but when it abated, Samus could make out her skeleton and most of her internal organs, her skin now transparent, her muscles like translucent, violet glass. Her eyes were like pink, pulsating orbs within her visible skull, and her five hair braids whipped about like living serpents. But most ominously, intense, purple fire still swirled about her, caressing her like a lover. As was as if Valkyrie was embracing her hate-fueled power, now that even the man she loved could no longer side with her.

Her wand was still intact, and within an eyeblink, Valkyrie pulled it out of her mouth and fired off a Phazon blast, one more deadly and concentrated than ever before. Ron and Hermione dove aside just in time. Still, the Phazon scorched their suits, their flickering shielding visible. Valkyrie then whirled around and took aim at Harry, firing a continuous burst with both her wand and arm cannon. In desperation, Harry had shouted, "_Bangsasunis Chapaprotego!_" and threw up a barrier. But the instant the Phazon smashed into it, Samus knew it would soon give way. "SAMUS! The radiation's too intense! I can't hold it all back anymore!" he screamed. With a sound like shattering glass, Valkyrie punched through his barrier, sending Harry flying clear across the chamber as Phazon coarsed through him.

Now it was Samus's turn to be livid beyond all reason. She let her missiles fly as he darted right for Valkyrie, extending her fins. Valkyrie's attention still elsewhere, some missiles found their mark, stunning her for a few seconds. Samus moved in and slashed at Valkyrie with her fins. Valkyrie ducked and tried an uppercut with her bionic arm, but Samus ducked backward, driving her foot up into Valkyrie's face. She followed up by bludgeoning Valkyrie with her arm cannon, then reared back her left arm to slash at her again.

But suddenly, Samus felt something coil around her wrist. Looking down, Samus saw that two of Valkyrie's hair braids had snared it. In a flash, Valkyrie jerked her head around, flipping Samus over her and smashing her down against the floor. She did this again and again as Phazon energy overwhelmed her suit's systems, leeching energy away. Helpless, Samus could only watch as those pink orbs fixated on her, radiating inhuman fury. After slamming Samus down so hard that she was practically embedded into the floor plating, Valkyrie turned both her wand and arm cannon on her, and fired. Samus still had half her tanks full at this point, but now, even that was dwindling away by the second...

But as Phazon racked her suit, arcing all over her, Samus could make out a high-pitched whine, one that steadily grew louder. She looked up just as Harry rammed into Valkyrie with the speed booster, pinning her against the shielded pillar. Harry wasted no time, punching every inch of Valkyrie that he could reach while she was dazed, but soon her hair braids ensnared him too. Samus struggled to get up, doing her best to ward off the vertigo and ringing in her ears, but Ron and Hermione were already on it. Ron planted three Blasting Curses on Valkyrie, forcing her to let go, then Hermione used the Glacius Beam to pin her against the pillar.

Finally, Samus got back on her feet, though her legs were still wobbly, just as the ice trapping Valkyrie began to melt and crack. Even after blasting her with her own Phazon, Valkyrie just seemed to keep getting stronger, a fear mirrored by Harry as he looked over to her. "Samus, what do we do? I can't make Bangsasunis strong enough to hold her radiation back anymore!"

Ron looked over to Valkyrie, who just freed herself. "Maybe _one_ of us can't, but there's _three_ blokes with wands out now..."

Ron's idea instantly got Samus thinking of a plan, or at least half a plan. "Everyone, let me go in again, keep Valkyrie occupied. Then, once you three think you've got a clear field, all three of you weave the Bangsasunis charm around her. Completely surround her with it!"

With that, Samus ran right at Valkyrie, rapidly firing beam shots. Valkyrie flinched and teetered backwards, but then flung her arm cannon forward. Multiple missiles rocketed out at her, forcing Samus to roll and duck as they dug into the floor all around her, all the while charging a shot. Seeing Valkyrie was still groggy, Samus unleashed it, driving her back further, while everyone else pitched in with curses. Keeping her on the defensive with a missile volley, Samus kept marching forward, until they were practically face-to-face again. With a furious snarl, Samus unloaded on her again, mercilessly bludgeoning Valkyrie with her arm cannon. The hair braids suddenly whipped out at her, but Samus jumped and planted a spinning jump kick to Valkyrie's face, slamming her against the shielded pillar.

"NOW! Everyone, do it now!" Samus cried out vehemently. The collection chamber echoed with three cries of "_Bangsasunis Chapaprotego!_" and three seperate, flittering barriers completely surrounded Valkyrie. She picked herself up, readying her arm cannon and wand for more Phazon blasts. She tried punching through the charms, but the triple-reinforced charm held her back. Still, the pained looks on Harry, Ron and Hermione's faces told Samus Valkyrie was pushing them to their limits. Those pink orbs glowed even more fiercely, her inhuman snarling loud and clear through the charms. But then, that furious glow became softer, as if something made Valkyrie panic.

"It's working! It's like a greenhouse effect! She's putting out so much Phazon radiation that it's feeding back onto her, completely destabilizing her!" Samus shouted. Indeed, Valkyrie was on her hands and knees, quivering and shrieking, the Phazon energies of her own body growing dangerously unstable. Unfortunately, the three of them couldn't keep their charms up forever, and eventually sagged on wobbly legs, their wand arms hanging limply at their sides.

Wanting to give them time to recover, Samus slowly approached Valkyrie with a diffusion missile charged up. Valkyrie was just picking herself up, on wobbly legs herself as she glared over at Samus. "Impossible...all three of them..."

"You admitted you keep underestimating us, yet you keep right on doing it," spat Harry. "You honestly think you and your lot in Inferno are the only ones who can use a little scientific know-how with their sorcery?"

"That's your real problem, Valkyrie. You keep thinking you're the only one who can take the best of both worlds. It's not just your radiation shielding charm, don't forget. Harry's the one who figured out how to turn your own virus against you, sealing off Inferno," Samus added.

"Give it up, Asara. There's no way to win this time," said Ron. "It's four against one, and we know how to send your own Phazon right back at you!"

Her face little more than a resplendent skull, it was hard to tell, but Samus thought she saw the muscles in Valkyrie's face twist into a devilish sneer. "Then maybe I should even the odds some," she jeered. Valkyrie made one broad slash with her wand. Samus braced herself, but nothing happened. Valkyrie kept looking from one to the other, as if daring them to strike. Then, up above, Samus saw four separate streams of amber-colored particles swirling down into the collection chamber. They struck the ground...and reformed into the four statues Harry had reduced to dust earlier.

"Oh no. Just...oh no," Harry groaned. With a shrill laugh, Valkyrie raised her bionic arm, and out flew what looked like four small, glowing eggs. One was fused into each of the four Reformer statues, and suddenly, their amber sheen faded. Now, they looked like exact replicas of the vanquished Reformers.

"No, don't tell me these things can..." Hermione began, but she got her answer when the Tesla double unleashed a huge stream of electricity right at her. Hermione jumped backwards, but the Ped double leaped after her, tackling her to the ground. Harry and Ron turned on the Wildflower double, but just like the original, it swung her staff around so fast, all their curses were batted away. Meanwhile, the Faction double dove down where much of the metal plating was upturned, digging into the exposed lunar rock.

Samus sidestepped an electrical bolt from Tesla, who was now flying around, and went straight for Valkyrie. Her diffusion missile still charged up, she fired it at the shielded pillar behind Valkyrie. The swirl of mist dazed Valkyrie for a second, letting Samus blast her at point-blank range.

But it wasn't long before Valkyrie rushed at her, planting a Phazon-charged punch that immediately overwhelmed Samus's systems. A blast of freezing mist from her wand and Phazon from her arm cannon drove Samus back further. A quick glance at her HUD revealed only five tanks out of twenty were left. Undaunted, Samus charged a shot and moved in again. But before she could fire, Ped bounded in from out of nowhere, delivering a drop kick that knocked Samus senseless. Ped then blasted Samus with Glacius at point-blank range. Blocking out the numbing pain, Samus rushed ahead to avoid another Phazon stream from Valkyrie, swiping at at Ped with her wisp whip. Ped merely backflipped out of the way, lashing out with her tongue while doing so and flooring Samus again.

On top of that, balls of lunar rock were exploding out of the ground, breaking up into chunks that flew everywhere. Samus easily shot down any chunks coming for her, but now Ped was leaping at her again, her wand already billowing with icy mist. Luckily, at that moment, Ron cried out with, "_Aguavenenumenti!_" A stream of putrid water hit Ped dead-center, making her clatter to the ground unceremoniously, coughing and sputtering. "HEY EVERYONE! Whatever these things are, they've got the same weak points as the originals! LET 'EM HAVE IT!" Ron shouted out.

Ron then used Incendio to create a ring of fire around the Ped double while she was still down. Her hacking got worse, no doubt because the flames were dehydrating her. Valkyrie fired blasts of Phazon Ron's way, forcing him to break off the flames. As they died away, Ped was back on her feet, but her frog skin has lost its luster, looking horribly dry. Samus fired a missile at her. Ped sent out a Reductor Curse, but the missile was too close and blasted her onto her back. Samus rushed in, fins extended, and drove them down into Ped's chest. The double immediately crumbled apart, like a stone statue weathered by age.

Looking around, Samus saw the others were making short work of Tesla's double. Ron was jumping around, drawing Tesla's fire as she flew about while waiting for a clear shot at her back. Suddenly, Tesla began manipulating the floor plating, firing them at Ron like shuriken. One clipped Ron's shoulder, making him drop down. Tesla swooped down, crackling with electricity, but Hermione jumped up behind her, firing missile after missile into her back. Tesla dropped like a rock, her entire containment suit sparking. Ron had a ice beam blast charged, and cut loose with the Bombarda Maxima combo, blasting the Tesla double to pieces.

Meanwhile, Valkyrie was flying around again, cutting loose with sweeping beams of Phazon. The Wildflower and Faction doubles now filled in for Snape, deflecting everything Harry and Samus sent Valkyrie's way. And between the two of them, they had plenty of opportunities to fire back with curses to trip them up, espeically Faction with his two wands.

At one point, Harry found an opening, pointing at a small shard from a metal tile and saying, "_Ferruseullo!_" It shot forward, right into Faction's right eye. Now, with only one working wand, they had even more openings. Samus ducked and rolled under one of the sweeping Phazon beams and, seeing an opening, firing a charged diffusion missile. Again, it got too close before a Reductor Curse took it out, and the icy swirl it released engulfed Faction, and the edges even washed over Wildflower. Three simultaneous Blasting Curses from Harry shattered the Faction double, and Samus fired quick shots with the plasma beam alone, finally scoring some hits on Wildflower. Eventually, the last double crumbled away into nothingness along with the others.

"So much for her backup. Now let's end this once and for all!" cried Harry, running toward Valkyrie. But that soon proved easier said than done. Valkyrie suddenly turned toward Hermione and Ron, who were approaching from her left, and fired down at them. She turned so swiftly, fired off her Phazon so quickly, they had no time to react, and were swept up by the crushing beams. "NO!" Harry cried, but then, Valkyrie swooped down and grappled Harry, carrying him back up with her. Harry screamed as Phazon energy flooded his suit's systems. Then, with a vicious punch from her bionic arm, Harry rocketed back down to the floor, leaving a creater in the exposed lunar rock.

"Just you and me now, Samus Aran!" Valkyrie roared as she flew straight for Samus. Samus desperately fired up at her, but Valkyrie merely shrugged off her shots, and swiftly delivered another Phazon-charged punch that had Samus skidding across the floor.

In a flash, Valkyrie was all over her again, hoisting Samus back up. "How could you, of all people, be such a fool, Samus Aran? Such a thankless, senseless fool?" Valkyrie demanded as she cocked back her metal fist. Samus found the strength to parry her blow, but then Valkyrie drove her knee into her midsection. Just the Phazon delivered by her blow was nearly enough to make Samus black out. "You were just like me, superior to everyone in your time and you knew it, infinitely smarter and tougher! THAT'S why you're an outcast! You should've been running things in your time, giving the orders instead of taking them, and you know it!"

Valkyrie still held fast onto Samus, and she extended her fins and wisp whip, ready to strike while she hung on. Unfortunately, Valkyrie caught on, backhanding Samus with her bionic arm and sending her flying toward the shielded pillar. "But I offered you a chance to set everything right, stop every blight those soft, cowardly people were content to let you fight...CENTURIES in advance. Create a new future where people aren't so weak and fragile, and stand up for themselves! One of peace and prosperity, while staying in an era with the only people you could truly call friends! And how did you repay me? By trying to take away EVERYTHING I EVER WORKED FOR!" Another punch knocked Samus into the pillar, leaving Samus with less than a tank. Still, Samus refused to let herself black out. There was still one, last chance...

"Well, I could go on and on about how I'd refuse to be a conqueror like the Space Pirates, or how the Chozo taught me to put the needs of others over my own desires. But really, there's only four words I need to say to you," Samus shot back defiantly.

Samus could tell Valkyrie was sneering as she stood over her. "Oh, and those are?"she asked, sounding amused.

With one fluid motion, Samus ripped off her helmet and grabbed the wand behind her ear. It now crackled with pent-up Phazon energy, and she pointed it at Valkyrie. "Right back at ya," she sneered.

"What in...the Lambasplendolio spell? How..." Valkyrie began, but was cut off as Samus fired her spell at Valkyrie. She had cast Lambasplendolio, the same custom spell Harry used on Wildflower, before venturing down into the moon base. Every single Phazon blast Samus's suit took...some of the energy was absorbed into her wand. She let it build up power during the whole fight, waiting for the right time to use it.

And that time was now. The concentrated beam of Phazon radiation bore into Valkyrie's energized body. Valkyrie shrieked as Samus poured more and more of her own power back into her, destabilizing her worse than ever. Samus concentrated with all her might, making sure every last bit of radiation was drained out of her wand and back into Valkyrie.

When, at last, her wand was out of power, Valkyrie looked ready to collapse, her legs weak and wobbly. Still, she didn't fall, and actually looked about ready to regather her wits. Knowing she had to act fast, Samus flung her wisp whip and ensnared her. With one forceful yank, Samus flung Valkyrie over at the shielded pillar, smashing her against it. Then, glaring back defiantly at Valkyrie, Samus aimed her wand again, charged it up, and cried, "_Diabolexura!_"

First came the flaming snake, which wrapped itself around the pillar, pinning Valkyrie against it. Then, the badger, lion and eagle were conjured up, and immediately dove at Valkyrie, clawing and gnawing away at her, digging in with their fiery power. Samus's missile barrel was open, humming violently as steam poured out, but Samus ignored it, focusing solely on willing the fiery beasts to tear into Valkyrie.

At last, all of Samus's missiles were used up, and the four flaming animals faded away. Valkyrie slid down from the pillar, but somehow landed on her feet. The purple flame that had surrounded her body returned, and she brought up her arm cannon. Thought it trembled, she was still capable of channeling her Phazon. Samus stared back at her in disbelief, refusing to believe Valkyrie could still be standing after everything she just threw at her. But then, just as Valkyrie fired, three separare cries of "_Bangsasunis Chapaprotego!_" rang out. The protective charms made Valkyrie's shot ricochet right back at her, instantly flooring her.

Harry, Ron and Hermione kept their charms up for as long as they could, letting more of Valkyrie's radiation feed back onto herself. At last, Valkyrie collapsed into a crumpled heap in front of the pillar, just as the three of them released their charms, unable to take any more. As the three of them tried to recover their strength, Samus warily watched the unconscious Valkyrie, her Phazon-fueled flame having fizzled to practically nothing. They all slowly crowded around Samus, looking shaky themselves. "I...it's too good to be true," Harry said breathlessly. "It's...finally over! Samus, you put her down for good!"

"Not without help. A LOT of help," Samus said, grinning as she put her wand back behind her ear. Here was her most dangerous mission of all, and in the end, Samus finally did what she feared she could never do with her toughest jobs: come out on top while leading a team.

"Hate to break it to you, but it's not over yet. Not until we find Kor-Zor and figure out how to work this weapon," Ron reminded everyone.

"Well, Kor-Zor's inside that pillar, isn't he? All the stuff collecting dark matter and dark energy led back here," said Hermione. "We'll have to find a way to deactivate that plating, then, of course, figure out how to combine our weapon pieces, then..."

A soft groan from Valkyrie made the four of them look down. Valkyrie was slowly propping herself up on her arms and legs. "No...not yet...won't...let you destroy my life's work."

"If you just had Inferno keep to itself, it'd never have come to this," Hermione shot back. "Just give it up, Valkyrie. Inferno's bottled up, the virus is gone, you're barely holding yourself together, and even Snape's abandoned you. You can't even stand up, and there's no one left to help you. Face it, Valkyrie, it's over."

Valkyrie chuckld to herself softly, and it was enough to unnerve Samus all over again. "Wrong. There's...one left..." With that, Valkyrie pushed a button on her wrist. The shield plating that covered the pillar folded away, once again revealing the thrashing, enraged spirit form of Kor-Zor. "Didn't want it to come to this. Say whatever you want about me. But...I made a promise to Lily. And. I. Always. Keep. My. PROMISES!"

With her last ounce of strength, Valkyrie stood up and rushed toward the pillar, her bionic arm drawn back. Samus aimed her arm cannon while her friends brought up their wands, but they were a second too late. Valkyrie planted her fist through the glass...and at once, Kor-Zor's spirit form poured out and latched onto Valkyrie, as if trying to consume her.

Samus stood rooted to the spot, numb with cold terror. The monster that once caused no end of suffering for both her peoples, human and Chozo alike, was on the loose again. "Oh no no no no NO!" Samus shrieked as Valkyrie stood up, the dark, flaming head of Kor-Zor's spirit form hanging right above hers as black mist billowed around her. Black, shadowy wings formed as Valkyrie spread her arms. "It can't be...THEY'RE MERGING TOGETHER!"

xxxxxx

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! IT'S NOT OVER YET!

So long,  
Grey-X


	49. The Final Reckoning

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning  
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover  
Chapter 49: The Final Reckoning  
8-4-2010  
by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

As the waves of swirling darkness continue to build up around Valkyrie, Samus could feel their intensity, pushing all four of them back as if they were gale-force winds. They stood their ground as best they could as Valkyrie glowered back at all of them, the seething hatred in her eyes as palpable as Kor-Zor's pure malevolence. Having had enough, Hermione brought up her arms and slung three Blasting Curses and a missile at Valkyrie. Two noxious peals of laughter echoed in the collection chamber as they were all effortlessly tossed aside. Kor-Zor's shadowy wings got bigger and spread farther, while he lended his strength to Valkyrie, who seemed to be self-generating Phazon all over again.

"Turns out I was breaking one of my own cardinal rules yet again," boomed Valkyrie's crazed voice. "Here I though Kor-Zor was too dangerous and untrustworthy to be utilized for anything beyond milking him for dark matter and dark energy. But now that we're becoming one, I see how alike we truly are. Unappreciated genius, cast out by everyone no matter how hard we tried to fit in, to work among our peers. Like me, his only solution was to go over them and prove his superiority, and unleash his genius on an entire galaxy, whether its inhabitants liked it or not!"

"Valkyrie, could you be any more mental?" screamed Harry, daring to nudge forward against the waves of darkness. "Thousands suffered and died because of this monster!"

"In that respect, they're a perfect match," muttered Samus dryly.

"Forget talking with these two! We're _WELL_ beyond the point of no return!" bellowed Ron. "Hurry, we got all four pieces. Let's figure out how they go together before..."

"Fool! Think you'll get the chance?" shrieked Valkyrie. With a wave of her shadowy wings, Ron and Hermione were blasted off their feet, slamming into the wall behind them. Harry and Samus stood their ground, though, and were set to charge. Smirking evilly, Valkyrie raised her wand and arm cannon. Both took a concentrated blast of Phazon dead-center, flying back toward the others. "I, or rather we, have no time to waste here. The time to use our combined genius is at hand. The Day of Reckoning, when every human will have a choice to either accept the tide of change or be swept away by it, is here!"

With that, Valkyrie pointed hr arm cannon straight up, blowing a hole through the collection chamber's roof. As Samus struggled to get back up, she could only watch helplessly as the single-greatest abomination her people ever spawned was about to make a getaway. So full of fear and a crushing sense of failure, she was barely aware of a noxious hacking sound next to her.

Turning to her left, she saw Harry on his hands and knees, hanging his head as if he was about to be sick. She could hear him breathing heavily, his chest plate heaving. And then, suddenly, his head jerked up...revealing that he was back in his Metroid form. With a hideous, bird-like shriek, Harry launched himself clear across the chamber at a dmbfounded Valkyrie. His armored fingers dug into her shoulders, and at once, Samus saw him drain away Valkyrie's Phazon energy.

For a moment, Samus dared entertain hope that Harry could render Valkyrie powerless again. But those hopes were soon dashed when, with an explosive wave of darkness, Harry was blasted off her, landing back near the others. Harry's suit glowed from the pent-up Phazon energy he absorbed, but one look back at Valkyrie told Samus that he hadn't stolen nearly enough. "Like I said, no time to waste here!" Valkyrie sneered as she and Kor-Zor soared straight up like a rocket.

"HARRY! Harry, please, say something!" pleaded Hermione as she, Ron and Samus crowded around Harry. They helped him stand up on wobbly legs, but the vindictive glint in his solid, obsidian eyes had dimmed.

"Tried...tried to suck up as much power as I could...not enough..." Harry said weakly.

"And now, she says she's going through with her Day of Reckoning," said Ron. "H-H-How's that possible?"

"Not sure, but we'd better follow her and make sure she doesn't," said Samus.

"I'm afraid that would be a futile measure," came the voice of, of all people, Snape, coming through their earpieces. "Val has already initiated the measures to bring about her vision. Your only hope is to return to your ship and intercept her in space."

"SNAPE! Just what's going on? Where are you right now, and what are you doing?" demanded Samus hotly.

"While the four of you distracted my wife, I went off trying to sabotage all her equipment. Under her watchful eye, I didn't dare do anything until now," said Snape smoothly. "I have been attempting to render the pods that will disperse all the accumulated dark energy useless, but I had no luck, and now Val is deploying them. Even worse, I could do nothing for the missiles containing her transmutative virus."

"WHAT missiles? Ron made sure they were all destroyed!" cried Samus.

"Unfortunately for you, Val initiated the 'code black' just in time. That meant that all the missiles were stuffed into pods with extremely potent Undetectable Extension Charms placed upon them. They all survived the platform's destruction," explained Snape. "I carried it out, but Val would have known if any of the pods or missiles inside were tampered with. Luckily, there was no way of her knowing that I found Weasley and Granger clinging to each other, unconscious but alive."

"So, you just set us up like a bomb to go off at just the right time," sneered Hermione.

"You're welcome, Granger," Snape bit back sharply. "In any case, all my efforts have failed. Val has already collected the missile's pods and ventured into orbit with them. If she is to be stopped, it will be in orbit with her.

"Why are you doing this?" demanded Ron all of a sudden. "It looked like you and Asara had made up, that you ditched the Death Eaters for good! What made you..."

"I have my reasons, Weasley!" barked Snape. "Just know that this was perhaps the hardest decision I ever had to make! Don't make it all for nothing, you four! Get back to your ship and put an end to this!"

With that, Snape's connection went dead. The four of them just looked to each other, confused about what to do next. "Can we...really trust him?" asked Harry. "He duped us all before. What if this is some new trick?"

"That involved getting all four pieces of the anti-Kor-Zor weapon in one spot, right where he was held? Somehow, I don't think so," said Ron.

"Ron's got a point. Besides, if Snape's right, and Valkyrie still has her virus, we've got to go after her now," said Samus.

After checking the map on her HUD and blowing a hole through a nearby wall with missiles, Samus led her friends back to the loading elevator. The whole time, it was a struggle to curb her fear and anxiety. Just when it seemed that this mission was at an end, the very monster they were supposed to destroy for good was on the loose. Centuries of galactic history, the very safety of the galaxy itself, now rested on her shoulders. Sparing a glance back at the trio, however, she reminded herself it wasn't her burden alone.

At last, the freight elevator reached the lunar surface, just as Samus's ship came back down for a landing. Impatiently, the four of them jumped up to it, soaring higher than normal due to the moon's lower gravity. They entered through the top one-by-one, Samus coming down last, taking in all the panicked expressions of everyone who came along. Even the Etecoons and Dachoras looked subdued.

But in the case of J.B. and all the Weasleys, no doubt it was partly due to the shock of seeing Ron and Hermione alive and whole. Molly immediately rushed forward, easily smothering Ron in a hug even with his suit on. "Oh Ron...I feared but, I knew...our clock...knew you weren't gone..." she spluttered.

"Yeah, good to see Harry's knack of surviving anything's rubbed off on you two," quipped George. He them looked over to Harry, receiving a shock after seeing his Metroid form.

For a while, everyone in the ship was taken aback by Harry's metamorphosis, but Adam quickly got them to focus on the task at hand. "Lady, we picked up a radiation spike moments ago, coming from what looks like a humanoid figure. No doubt it's Valkyrie, travelling through space somehow, but...she's surrounded by a field of what I can only guess is dark energy and dark matter. The way it's affecting gravitational fields...it can't be anything else. Stranger still, there are several metal orbs being dragged along with her."

"It is Valkyrie, and Kor-Zor's merged with her. Those orbs have Undetectable Extension Charms and house the missiles we thought were destroyed," said Samus gravely.

Everyone's expression grew even darker, but it was J.B. that seemed to have the courage to speak first. "Well then, I'm setting a course and going after her! If this ship can amplify and aim spells, and you four are back together with the weapon pieces, we can..."

"It may be more complicated than that, Captain Granger," said Adam suddenly. "Something else is being launched from the moon's surface."

Looking out the cockpit window, Samus's blood ran cold as she watched a score of huge, cylindrical pods jettison from the lunar surface. J.B. instantly took off after them, arming the forward plasma cannons, but Samus instantly knew they were moving too fast to intercept. They flew on, unabated, toward orbits around Earth.

xxxxxx

**July 4, 1997 A.D., 6:20 P.M. Western European Time**

**Hogwarts**

Ginny ducked under a hail of curses, at the same time aiming up and taking out an Infernian house-elf with a rocket launcher, perched on one of Hogwarts's walls. She was here with the combined might of the Order of the Phoenix, the remnants of the Ministry and some troops the British army could spare. Hogwarts itself was one of the very last pockets of Inferno influence left on the surface. And thanks to how her overprotective mother was off in space, Ginny had a golden opportunity to take part, and show everyone what she was made of.

The group Ginny was in had already secured their courtyard, but more Inferno troops came pouring out of a nearby set of double doors. Ginny effortlessly threw up a Shield Charm to deflect a hail of bullets, but an Aguamenti shot shattered a nearby statue, and some of the debris hit Ginny in the head. For an instant, she went down, and out the corner of her eye, Ginny saw a goblin aim his wand at her. However, two Stunners downed him before he could fire off a single curse.

Rubbing her aching head, Ginny looked up. Neville and Luna were standing right behind her, having covered her. "Watch yourself, Ginny. Y'know what they say about cornered tigers and all. They're as ferocious as Crumple-Horned Snorkarks after you try picking their noses for them," said Luna airily as Neville offered Ginny his hand.

Ginny let Neville hoist her up. "Wow, didn't see you two in the initial raiding party," she said, sounding surprised.

"Well, Gran decided she wanted a piece of the blighters that overran Hogwarts, so I tagged along to keep an eye on her. So did Luna," said Neville. "But Luna's right, you have to play it safe. Merlin's beard, don't tell me we'll have to watch you as close as we did Hermione's uncle."

Being compared to the boisterous Air Force captain filled Ginny with pride. "Well, since he's flying Samus's ship again, looks like it's us three again."

"Just like last month," said Luna dreamily. "Bad news for the Death Eaters, it was, and now bad news for Inferno."

"Speaking of which, it's not like any Death Eaters are still hanging around," Neville said bitterly as the three of them headed for the doorway, ready to sweep the halls.

"Come on, Neville. You know the deal Harry made with Lestrange and the Malfoys. They got Harry and Samus into Inferno, and those three get to go find Voldemort and plead for Draco's life," said Ginny. Ginny belatedly realized she said Voldemort's name, and half-expected Luna and Neville to shiver. Strangely, they showed no fear. _No real surprise. We've all realized the worst things we've ever feared are only the start of our nightmares._

The trio tagged along with many of the Order, namely Hagrid, McGonagall, Kinglsey and Slughorn, as they searched each and every classroom, sweeping them for enemy troops. The whole time, Slughorn never stopped looking distraught, McGonagall was exceptionally grim and reserved, while Kingsley and Hagrid seemed to relish all the takedowns. Bit by bit, their castle was being reclaimed. But the more they combed Hogwarts, the more it broke Ginny's heart, seeing how if the war Valkyrie started ravaged Hogwarts like this, then no place in the world was untouched. Not only that, in the aftermath, in all the confusion, it would now be that much easier for Voldemort's terror to take hold once more...

Their group neared the end of a long hallway, more troops rounded a corner, setting up protective charms and pelting them with curses. Ginny and the others responded in kind, but Hagrid took a far more aggressive approach. He took the full brunt of several curses as he charged forward, waving his umbrella-wand over his head. Rings of fire lit up the ground near the Inferno troops, too close for comfort. As they fell back, Hagrid howled and aimed his crossbow, firing an explosive arrow at the wall behind them. It sailed past the distracted troops, blowing apart the wall and burying half of them in rubble. Short work was made out of the rest after that.

"I do believe you enjoy using those a little too much, Rubeus," McGonagall remarked as she looked over the unconscious troops. "Nevertheless, this wing ofthe castle is now secure."

"We've still got a long way to go. Many of the upper levels have yet to be swept, and there're still some Hinds and wyverns circling around," Kingsley reminded them. At that moment, as if to emphasize his point, they all heard screams overhead. Ginny rushed to a window where the glass was gone. She had a perfect view of the Astronomy Tower, where it looked like some of the Aurors riding broomsticks were caught in a crossfire, stuck in between the fiery breath of wyverns and curses lobbed from the tower. Squinting to get a closer look, Ginny thought she recognized one of the figures leaning out the Astronomy Tower's window. Pulling out Harry's Omniculars, her suspicions were confirmed, making her lip curl.

Susan Bones was in the group defending the Astronomy Tower.

"I'm going up there," said Ginny sternly. Before anyone could say anything, Ginny swiped Hagrid's crossbow and a few of his arrows, then turned back down the hallway and yelled, "_Accio Firebolt!_" Seconds later, the broomstick Harry lent to her family soared toward her.

"Ms. Weasley, you...you cannot be serious about taking down the Astronomy Tower by air yourself?" cried Slughorn, aghast.

"Watch me," said Ginny simply as she mounted Harry's Firebolt and took off through the window. Within seconds, the wyverns circling the Astronomy Tower were in range, about to breath more flames out at the remaining Aurors.

With a devilish smirk, she started flinging Bat-Bogey Hexes at the wyverns, scoring a direct hit each time. As the wyverns veered out of control, Ginny dived for the tower, aiming Hagrid's crossbow. An explosive arrow shot through the window, and the muffled screams let Ginny know most of them were either unconscious or seriously injured. Ginny briefly thought of how this was far more brutal than what people thought her capable of, but after what Inferno put her family through, and what_ THIS _particular Infernian did...

Ginny loaded another arrow as he willed the Firebolt to dive through one of the windows. Jumping off, she wildly looked around, aiming her wand and the crossbow. As she suspected, most of the troops were either (hopefully just) unconscious or too badly burned to fight any more. For a moment, Ginny felt a surge of revulsion. This is where Dumbledore died, and now she had done even more violence here...

But all sense of guilt vanished when Susan Bones stepped from an array of turning clock gears, half her face badly scarred, some of her hair burned off. Whatever pain she was experiencing, Susan blocked it out, her narrowed eyes filled with rage. "So, you're the one I have to thank for this," she said bitterly. "A bit bold and aggressive for you, never would've figured..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Ginny, occassionally glancing at the submachine gun that hung at Susan's side, not to mention the body armor and those weird robotic boots...

"Just thinking of how ridiculously passive someone has to be to let Voldemort take over her mind, and then, years later, willingly side with him again," jeered Susan. That did it. Ginny raised both her wand and crossbow, but Susan beat her to the draw. Ginny barely threw up a Shield Charm to stop of hail of enchanted lead, but then Susan aimed her wand at a nearby array of gears and yelled, "_Expelliarmus!_"

The charm ricocheted off a gear, soaring at Ginny at an angle that went past her Shield Charm, striking her square in the chest. Her wand and crossbow went flying away as she teetered backwards, and Susan rushed at her, pinning Ginny to the wall. Ginny grimaced as Susan glared back gloatingly, pressing the barrel of her gun under Ginny's chin. "Why, Susan?" Ginny managed to get out. "We trained in the D.A. together. We were friends."

"And I truly would've been sorry it had to come to this, if Harry hadn't stupidly chosen to side with Voldemort over his mother's best friend, and then all of you falling in with him like sheep!" spat Susan. "Are you _THAT_ hopelessly infatuated with Harry, that you'd let Voldemort dupe you all over again?"

Ginny was about to spit out that because of Voldemort, Harry was determined to keep his distance from her. But then, a calm, singsong voice rang out. "And are you that obsessed with revenge, you'll let yourself be duped...as hopelessly as those convinced there's no Crumple-Horned Snorkarks?"

Eyes widening, Susan whirled around, but was too late. Luna had cast her own Disarming Charm, knocking away Susan's gun and making her wand retract. With her free hand, Luna rushed at Susan, grabbed her by the collar, slammed her forehead into hers, then planted a kick into her armored chest. As Susan teetered back, something was thrown at her feet, something like a potted plant. Ginny recognized it at once: a bud from Neville's _Mimbulus mimbletonia_. It spurt out a stream of inky-black liquid that pinned Susan to a pillar, sticking her to it like superglue.

"Been waiting to try that out again," mumbled Neville as he walked over to Luna and Ginny to retrieve his bud. As Ginny forced herself to steady her breathing, she saw McGonagall, Hagrid, Kingsley and Slughorn coming up the stairwell.

"Ms. Weasley, that was incredibly foolish of you! Brave, but foolish!" McGonagall chided at once.

"Well, you have to admit Minerva, it worked," said Slughorn, looking around. "Knew there was a good reason I made her a Slug Club member..."

Hagrid found his crossbow laying near where Susan Bones was hopelessly stuck. As he bent to pick it up, he gave her a cold, hard look. "Why, Bones? After six years here, why'd yeh turn like this?"

"You look at this world and the way it is, and ask why, Hagrid. Infernians look at what hasn't been and ask, 'Why not?'" said Susan defiantly.

"Spare us the pseudo-philosophy," growled Ginny as she retrieved her wand. "All you should ask yourself is why you lot had no chance of winning, especially now. Inferno's bottled up, this castle'll be ours again by nightfall, and..."

A sudden, booming pop from high above cut Ginny off. Luna had been staring dreamily around as she stood on a balcony, hopefully just on the lookout for any more wyverns. But she must have spotted something else. She pointed up at the sky, looking uncharacteristically grim. "Whatever this is, I think you all should have a look."

They all clambered out onto the balcony with Luna, looking up. Something huge was settling overhead, something high up in the atmosphere. And it looked like something was spreading out from it, something dark and billowing.

Ginny Summoned a telescope to roll toward her, and quickly calibrated it so she could get a better look. Peering through the eyepiece, she saw it was some colossal metal cylinder settling itself over Earth. Five thin, metal rods slowly branched out from the cylindrical pod, and out from them issued something dark and otherworldly, something that certainly didn't belong in their world. Not only was it spreading sideways from the pod, but the stuff was slowly filtering down toward Earth. Flummoxed, Ginny let McGonagall have a look, but she was just as dumbfounded and speechless.

"If you don't mind, I can tell you exactly what you're looking at," Susan called out from inside the tower. "It's one of the specially-designed pods that Dr. Asara made to house all the dark matter and dark energy she collected! If she's deployed them, then the 'code black' saved the missiles, and she's still ready to fire them down! So you see, Ginny, nothing you lot did here today matters. Beating the Reformers and sealing off Inferno doesn't matter! Dr. Asara will still have her Day of Reckoning! Your brother got himself blown up for nothing!"

With a hideous howl, Ginny ran back into the Astronomy Tower and punched Susan so hard, she instantly blacked out. Still fuming, Ginny looked back outside. The dark matter and dark energy was still spreading at an exponential rate, coming close to blotting out the sunset. Ginny felt her heart pound even faster at the thought of Valkyrie and Kor-Zor's darkness smothering the whole world. But still, despite her seething anger and mind-numbing fear, a slight hope was still very much alive in Ginny.

If Harry was still up there, he'd find a way, at the last minute, to turn back the darkness. He always did.

xxxxxx

Harry watched helplessly, his heart (or rather, the nuclei in his abdomen) sinking as Valkyrie's pods kept spurting out dark energy and dark matter, saturating Earth's atmosphere with it. Adam said there were twenty in all. From the looks of it, soon Earth would be concealed in one huge dodecahedron of dark, otherworldly power. At which point, the conditions would be right for Valkyrie to disperse her virus around the world, bringing about her Day of Reckoning and killing countless Muggles in the process. And everything he and his friends suffered through would have been for nothing.

Rage pounded through whatever Harry had for blood vessels now, the thought of Valkyrie still winning even after all this unbearable. "Adam, J.B., any chance we can blow enough of those pods away before the virus can survive in free air?" he asked, his inhuman voice laden with desperation.

"We're about to find out. We're closing in on the one that's pretty much set right over India," said J.B.. Harry looked out the cockpit window again, just as J.B. opened fire. But hope quickly turned to despair as the plasma bolts ricocheted off of energy shielding.

"It is no use," said Adam gravely. "According to my scans, each individual pod has deflective shielding mentally monitored through Valkyrie's bionic arm. So long as she is conscious, she will be able to reinforce whichever pod or pods the ship goes after."

"So we're back to our original plan: take out Valkyrie permanently," said George. "So let's pull this ship around and let her have it."

"Won't be that simple, George," said Samus. "If Valkyrie can survive in space now, she'll be too maneuverable, a harder target. This ship, not quite as much. She immobilized the entire ship before and can do it again."

Still, J.B. was changing course and going after Valkyrie anyway. She and Kor-Zor were heading for the debris field left by her weapon platform, the spheres with the missiles inside in tow. Harry watched her carefully as Valkyrie sped away from them, suddenly realizing something. "Then me, Samus, Hermione and Ron...we'll just have to go out there and finish the job."

A shocked silence fell over the ship. "Harry, I'm not the astronaut here but...I'm pretty sure you'll find it a trifle bit difficult to fight normally out there in space," said Arthur incredulously.

"Maybe. Maybe not," said Harry simply. "Adam, didn't you say there were attachments for these suits, some sort of rocket packs?"

"Indeed I did. I also said that their power demands rendered them unsuitable for practical use," Adam reminded him.

Harry held up a hand and concentrated, letting a little Phazon energy crackle over his armor. "Right now, I don't think supplying extra power'll be a problem," he said wryly.

Samus, Ron and Hermione all looked at him with dawning expressions, understanding exactly what he was saying. Adam must have understood as well, for instead of arguing with him further, panels in the ship's floor opened up, revealing rocket packs with wing-like structures that would obviously fuse right into their GF suits. "We're in luck. For some reason, only three suit prototypes were stored on this ship, but extra rocket pack attachments were stored as well," said Adam.

"Will it work with Samus's suit, too?" asked Hermione.

"These were made for suits reverse-engineered from my very own. It should," said Samus.

Adam went through the process of linking up each of their suits with the rocket pack attachments, the four of them standing in silence as he went about his work. At last, when all four were fastened, Harry held out his arm. With a nod, Ron and Hermione placed a hand over his, and Samus clasped her left hand over theirs. At once, Harry willed some of the Phazon energy he stole from Valkyrie to flow into their suits, giving their rocket packs ample power.

"This is it, then. Just like the Founders predicted. The four of us against that undead blighter out there," said Ron.

"And...what're we supposed to do while you four let your heads get bashed in again?" asked J.B. coyly.

"Be ready to back us up if we need it, but for the most part, leave the heavy lifting to us," said Samus.

With that, the ship's lower hatch opened, and one by one, the quartet jumped down into the vastness of space. Harry willed the thrusters on his back to activate, and found himself rocketing forward. It was an awkward start, but soon, he felt as comfortable flying through space as he did riding his Firebolt. Sparing a quick glance over his shoulder, he smiled as he saw Ron, Hermione and Samus effortlessly tailing him.

"Everyone, you do realize that out here, in the vacuum of space, the ice, wave and plasma beams are completely useless?" Samus asked delicately over their comms. It was an eerie feeling for Harry, hearing nothing but his own breathing and the voices coming over his mic. "All we've got to rely on are our spazers, missiles, and your magic."

"I figured as much," came Hermione's voice. "But Adam refilled our energy and missile stock, we're as ready as we'll ever be."

"But Hermione, you OK with this?" Ron asked suddenly. "I mean, we all know flying is a sticky thing for you, and here we are, out in bloody space..."

"How many times do I have to explain it to you?" came Hermione's sharp retort. "Flying on brooms is nerve-racking for me because before Hogwarts, I trained on flight simulators where there was instrumentation right in front of me to focus on and I never could see the ground right below me. Well, there's _NO_ ground out here, and I've got a target right in front of me!"

Harry looked ahead, noticing that Valkyrie had slowed down, and now idly hovered in the middle of the debris field. Suddenly, Adam's voice rang out over their comms again. "Everyone, after recomputing the equations Voldemort pulled from Dursley's mind, along with other data our fair Lady retrieved from Valkyrie's lunar base, I have computed the time it will take for those dark energy pods to do their work. Earth's atmosphere will be able to accomodate Valkyrie's virus in exactly ten minutes."

"Ten minutes to avert total catastrophe. I've done it in less, when on my own," Samus said confidently. "Harry, you're taking point. Have at Valkyrie first, keep sucking up Phazon energy to repower our flight packs."

"Me? Shouldn't you lead the charge?" asked Harry, shocked.

"You're the Quidditch player, you're the one more used to flying like this, and you're the one with a Metroid's energy harnessing power," Samus reminded him. "For now, you're calling the shots."

As they neared the debris field, Valkyrie seemed to sense their presence, slowly turning to face them. Even in the blackness of empty space, Harry could see Kor-Zor's dark form billowing around Valkyrie. A little closer, and they could take out some of those missile-housing orbs...

Suddenly, Valkyrie's maniacal voice rang out over their comms, making Harry wince. "Well, that's a new wrinkle. Even in deep space, you're determined to take this fight to me," she spat. "Very well. I chose the name Valkyrie because I was determined to be even more fearsome than Voldemort, and gather brave souls willing to help me fight and usher in a new world. But since you've killed my closest companions and sealed away the rest, I guess it's time I make a stand myself...and look like my namesake."

Valkyrie spread her arms and wiggled her wand. Suddenly, parts of the debris field started to swirl about, and bits of jagged metal reshaped themselves as they coalesced around her. Still too far away, Harry could only watch helplessly as something started to form around Valkyrie. She crossed her arms, curling up into a fetal position as bits of glass seemed to melt and reform into a sphere around her naked body. Ambient water particles that were on the weapon platform flowed into the sphere, filling it, and wiring and tubing of all sorts latched onto the sphere and branched out.

More reformed metal plates and electronic components swirled around Valkyrie's sphere. Not only that, what were obvious parts of weapon systems zoomed toward her. In a dizzying blur, all these pieces began to reassemble themselves like a bizarre three-dimensional puzzle, as if trapping Valkyrie in a cocoon of machinery. The orbs with the Undetectable Extension Charms shot toward her too, hidden away in pockets of space in that bizarre structure with new Undetectable Extension Charms cast upon them.

At last, something took shape. Valkyrie's glassy sphere was set in the chest of a huge new machine, at least forty feet tall. It vaguely resembled a woman, only with feet resembling the talons of birds of prey, and a thrashing tail with a club at the end like a Hungarian Horntail's. Four huge, birdlike wings stretched out from the back, vaguely resembling solar panels. The right arm held some sort of lance, while the left arm was oversized, no doubt housing an array of laser weapons and missile launchers. And in places like the shoulders, hips and back, Harry could see more weapon arrays fused in with the bizarre creature.

To complete the picture, a metal sculpture resembling Valkyrie's head sat atop its shoulders. But it was adorned with a helmet that showed only the face. Huge wings were on its side and a large spike protruded straight from the top. The colors of this frightening new mech were hard to make out, since Kor-Zor's shadowy form rippled all over Valkyrie's new creation, making it blend in with the darkness of space. All that was instantly recognizable was the eerie glow of Phazon coming from the sphere in its chest, where Valkyrie still bobbed weightlessly in the water, idly floating as she concentrated, planning her next move...

The sight of Valkyrie looking so calm, still refusing to believe her virus had a serious flaw, filled Harry with a terrible rage. That, and the fact that even with her Horcrux-ish Metroids dead, she still had an annoying resistance to dying. Thinking fast, Harry said, "I'll fire off an opening volley, then the rest of you cover me as I go for the chest."

Charging a shot, Harry fired off three Blasting Curses at once while firing missiles. The monstrous construct brought up its arms, blocking most of his volley. But then, everyone else pitched in with beams, curses and missiles. Harry concentrated as hard as he could, trying to control his flight. It was nowhere near as effortless as riding a broomstick. He realized proper training must've been needed for flying in zero gravity, but with Earth having less than ten minutes left, he had to learn _fast_.

Valkyrie swung her massive lance, which billowed with Kor-Zor's dark power, but it was quite sluggish. Harry ducked under it, arms outstretched as he went for the chest, but suddenly, the leg's talons shot up and grabbed him, just as he was inches away. Valkyrie briefly opened her eyes to stare and smirk at him as her construct's feet slowly crushed him. Thankfully, a well-timed spazer shot from Samus to its glassy chest made Valkyrie relinquish her grip. Harry sped away as fast as he could, firing back furiously as he did so.

"Nine minutes left, Harry, and scans say this thing isn't weakening!" Hermione shrilled in his ear. "On top of that, our flight packs are already running low on power! Next time you move in, you've _GOT_ to drain off some more Phazon energy!"

That was easier said than done, for now Valkyrie was going on the offensive. Missile launchers and laser cannons welded into her shoulders and hips fired at them, effectively blanketing the space in between them. Ron, Hermione and Samus did their best to dodge and swerve around them, but they clearly were having just as much trouble adapting. Many attacks clipped their sides, and Harry saw a purple sheen flicker around them. It was then that he realized the Phazon energy he lent them was also boosting their shielding. Without more power, and soon, their suits' shielding would fail...

Grim determination taking hold, Harry dove at Valkyrie as she retreated further. He took out an incoming missile with one of his own, and deflected a laser blast with the strongest Shield Charm he could muster. Willing his flight pack to give him an extra boost, he swerved past Valkyrie's massive, weapon-laden left arm and latched onto her glassy chest at last. At once, Phazon energy flowed back into him. Harry flashed his saliva-drenched, pointy teeth as Valkyrie writhed within her makeshift haven, while Samus, Hermione and Ron kept pelting her machine with everything they had.

Finally, just when Harry thought he couldn't hold any more, he kicked off from Valkyrie's chest. Out in space, that flung him away a good distance, and thrust Valkyrie back a good ways as well. Harry kept on deflecting all the missiles and lasers Valkyrie lobbed at him, covering his friends long enough so they could get close. Reaching out behind him with his left hand, he let the others grasp it, willing a fresh supply of energy to replenish their shielding and flight packs.

Suddenly, Hermione's voice rang in Harry's ear again. "Hey, I just noticed something. When all four of us were touching each other, the serpents on my knuckles...it felt like they were all coming alive!"

"That's interesting, Hermione, but I don't think Asara'll let us investigate it," said Ron.

"Maybe she will," said Samus. "Look at her. Harry feeding off her Phazon energy again weakened her more than we realized!"

Harry looked back over at Valkyrie and, sure enough, the weapon arrays that had been blazing seconds ago were powering down. Valkyrie herself looked as if she was languishing, bobbing idly in that fluid again.

"A little over eight minutes left, people. She's vulnerable right now, so let's find a way to take advantage of it!" cried Hermione.

"Wait a minute, the Founders' weapon! All of us have to come into contact! _THAT'S_ how it's activated! And I bet Samus's piece is the one that fires it off!" shouted Harry.

"You sure about that?" Samus asked dubiously.

"Gryffindor was the master duelist and warrior, and you've got his part. Makes sense that you, of all people, got hold of it," said Harry. Wasting no more time on words, Harry swerved up and behind Samus, placing his hands on her shoulders, careful not to cover the lion heads. He looked over to Ron, then to Hermione, nodding at each of them, beckoning them to join in. Ron flew in over to their left, putting one hand over Harry's and the other under Samus's elbow. Hermione did the same on Samus's right side.

It happened almost instantaneously. The snake heads on Hermione's hands rose up, letting out a hiss everyone seemed to hear, even with no air to carry the sound. The blue eagles on Ron's chest, right shoulder and left thigh flapped their wings and squawked, while the badgers on Harry's armor gnashed their teeth. Lastly, the lion heads on Samus's shoulders seemed to roar as Samus raised her arm cannon. Something tanglible seemed to surround them all, an aura of absolute power both exhilerating and terrifying. They all felt this strange power build up, and Samus fired...

The space in front of them seemed to ripple violently as the weapon's effect travelled toward Valkyrie. Valkyrie was just starting to regather her wits, but then, she was hit by whatever it was. At once, the swirling, billowing darkness that nearly made her machine blend in with outer space seemed to abate, as if it were being sucked away. In fact, Valkyrie herself seemed rooted to that particular spot in space, unable to fly away or fire any weapons. It was as if something was slowly consuming Kor-Zor's dark form, and slowly, her machination along with him. This strange effect built up in intensity just as Valkyrie found the will to fight against it, thrashing and flailing.

"I...don't believe it," Samus muttered over their comm. "My scan visor's results...gravitational readings are off the scales! How could...wait, that's it!"

"What's it?" demanded Ron.

"GRAVITY! _THAT'S_ what the Founders made to do Kor-Zor in! The only reason dark energy and dark matter were ever discovered was because only their interactions with gravity were detectable! Under normal circumstances, electromagnetic forces have no effect, so the Chozo helped the Founders make a weapon based on gravity!" Samus explained.

"Are you telling me the four of them made a magical _black hole generator_?" Hermione cried out in disbelief. "No wonder they never dared test it. They weren't afraid of it not working on Kor-Zor. They were afraid of it working_ period_, and doing worse damage to Earth!"

"Well, keeping the Earth safe isn't much of an issue, where we all are now," Ron noted. "So let's keep pouring it on, crush both of 'em like bugs with this thing, and..."

All of a sudden, the rippling effect could no longer be seen, and the crushing black hole vanished. The four of them were flung back, and Valkyrie seemed to recover, just as camouflaguing darkness spread over her machine again.

"Oh great, I guess these weapon pieces aren't fully compatible with our suits after all," growled Harry. "We can't keep up the pressure long enough to make Kor-Zor implode."

"Then you just get back in there, suck her dry, so we can have another go!" shouted Ron.

"Ron's right. Only about seven minutes left. Trying the black hole generator again...it's our only shot," said Samus.

"Then we'd better move...she's getting away again!" cried Hermione, pointing. Valkyrie was veering off, backwards, swiftly circling around Earth again. In desperation, the four of them took off after her. Soon, they would be over the side facing the sun. Feeling anxious and nauseous, Harry spared a glanced down at Earth. A shudder of revulsion rippled through him as he saw that almost all of Europe was obscured from view, being smothered by Kor-Zor's dark power. Africa and the Middle East were nearly covered, too. It couldn't be plainer that time was running out.

Thankfully, Valkyrie seemed to be slowing down, which wasn't lost on Ron. "Alright, she must be running out of steam quicker than us!" he bellowed. "Let's finish this!"

As they rocketed toward her, Harry got the feeling that weren't that lucky. He caught a glimpse of Valkyrie in that fluid-filled orb, and her body language...it was far more self-assured. Taking note of her mechanical body, he saw the four wings were not only spread wide, but glowing.

"Wait, how can anything look like that in space...oh no...EVERYONE, SCATTER!" Samus screamed at them all. Her warning came just in time. Stream of deadly, radiant energy shot out from all of her wings, creating an array of lethal, sweeping lasers. "She's turning the solar winds on us!" Samus shouted as they ducked and swooped around. "It must be how she's flying around in space, manipulating the solar winds, and here, on the side of the planet facing its sun..."

In desperation, the rest of them cut loose with everything they had, but Valkyrie hardly seemed to feel all the weapon fire and curses smacking into her construct. The sun's reflected rays kept streaking across their flight path, slowing Harry's advancement to a snail's crawl. Even worse, Harry noticed a new indicator on his HUD, letting him know how much energy his flight pack had to spare. His was running out fast, and he knew it was the same story for all his friends.

"Harry, going to try something! If it looks like you've got a clear path to Valkyrie, take it!" Samus suddenly ordered over their comm. She swooped in past Harry, missiles armed. Deftly ducking under the redirected solar radiation, she fired at the exposed glass orb in its chest. This seemed to daze Valkyrie, as the solar lasers stopped moving as swiftly. Following Samus's lead, Harry rushed in, hands outstretched, hungry for extra Phazon energy.

Unfortunately, Valkyrie recovered in record time, and one of her wings began to angle itself to fry Harry as he swooped in. Harry winced, bracing for the worst, but all of a sudden, Valkyrie's redirected solar energy angled away from Harry. The same was happening with the rays from the other three wings. Harry risked a glance behind him, wondering where it was going.

He gasped as it was all absorbed into the cockpit window of Samus's ship. Harry caught a quick glimpse of George, Arthur and Molly standing behind J.B. with their wands raised, their pilot doggedly staying on course.

_Of course, the Lambasplendio spell!_ Harry realized with jubilation, just as the Weasleys released it. A wide stream of collected, deadly solar radiation shot out from the cockpit window and smacked into Valkyrie before she could veer off. Caught in its wake, helpless, Harry heard screams muffled by static over his comm. But no cries of pain from Kor-Zor. Samus was right, only the Founders' gravity weapon had any chance of hurting him.

"Harry, the Weasleys are just about spent!" J.B. shouted to him. "Get in there, suck up everything she's got!"

"On it," said Harry simply as he rocketed forward again. The Weasleys' beam abated just in time to grant Harry a split-second chance to move in. Valkyrie swung her massive lance again, but Harry shot past it just in time, latching onto the exposed orb again, willing his body to suck up as much Phazon energy as possible.

This time, though, Valkyrie found the strength to swing around her spiked tail, trying to impale Harry. Harry caught Valkyrie's jerky movements, and let go just in time. As Harry rocketed up, the spikes on her tail struck the orb housing Valkyrie. Harry looked on in dismay; the orb looked cracked, but stayed intact. As it was, however, he had more than enough Phazon energy to keep the four of them going.

As J.B. brought the ship in again, cutting loose with its own weapons, Harry used that time to beckon everyone to gather around him. The four of them took up the same positions. As Harry willed the Phazon energy he stole to repower their suits, he felt that strange, wondrous and frightening power build up all around them again. "J.B., get clear. We're immune to these black holes we create, but I don't think the same can be said of our ship."

J.B. obeyed Harry without question, making the ship veer off and out of range, just as Samus fired off the Founders' weapon. Once again, a miniature black hole sprang up out of nowhere, right behind Valkyrie's construct. Fueled by desperation, Valkyrie fought on in earnest, flying away from the anomaly. Or at least trying to. No doubt even the solar winds that Valkyrie now rode on were starting to be pulled into that black hole. And Harry smiled as he saw the shadowy ripples that shrouded her construct be pulled away into that black hole. They got a good look at the mech underneath, which now looked like an unimpressive hodge-podge of junk. _You tried putting your insane dream back together, just like that junk pile, but it'll all come apart,_ Harry thought vindictively.

But again, the four of them couldn't keep the black hole machine running long enough. Just as it looked like the gravity would crush Valkyrie's junkpile like an egshell and suck up Kor-Zor's darkness forever, the Founders' weapon gave out. Having been trying to free herself, Valkyrie now shot forward with deadly momentum, bringing up her huge lance to impale them. The four of them broke away just in time; thankfully there was no rush of air to scatter and disorient them further as Valkyrie rushed past. J.B. brought the ship in again, furiously firing its weapons as the Weasleys directed amplified Blasting Curses through the cockpit window. Harry, Samus, Hermione and Ron joined in, firing everything. Yet again, Valkyrie seemed to shrug off everything they threw at her, Kor-Zor's rippling darkness spreading over her armor once more.

"Only five minutes left people! We've got to get Harry close enough again, set Valkyrie up for another shot!" Samus cried over their comm. Harry spared a glanced over at Earth. Hardly any of its surface could be seen through the dark power that now permeated its entire atmosphere. Grim determination taking hold again, Harry shot toward Valkyrie, but she was ready. Valkyrie cut loose with all the weapon systems she slapped on, and this time, she used short bursts of redirected solar radiation, so that the Weasleys couldn't suck up enough to knock her silly.

"No, Samus. I'll be saving you and Harry from bleak, lonely futures, whether you like it or not," Valkyrie shot back over their comm. "A means to artificially create black holes, something the Founders had good reason to see as forbidden. What makes you four any diferent from us, the way I've tried to unlock the true potential of genetics and evolution, and how Kor-Zor wanted to utilize that dark, unknowable part of our universe?"

"Because we're using it to save lives, while you and Kor-Zor had no problems taking them!" Harry shouted back, ducking and diving around the missiles and lasers headed his way. But the weapon fire was getting too intense, and Valkyrie was moving too swiftly. It looked less and less likely that Harry could move in to drain more energy in time. The power for his flight pack was sinking fast, and only four minutes were left until Valkyrie could drop her missiles into Earth's atmosphere.

xxxxxx

Samus's mind raced as she watched both the indicators for their remaining time and her flight pack's power tick down. But as fast as her thoughts were going, her actions were even faster. She had taken point in the blitz on what remained of Kor-Zor and Valkyrie. Her beam fire and missiles rained down on them non-stop, and along with her three friends, her ship now made passes, blasting them with all its firepower. But no matter how hard they tried, nothing seemed to weaken Valkyrie enough to let Harry slip in one last time.

"Three and a half minutes left until a new era dawns!" Valkyrie shouted over her comm. "Since you wouldn't help me shape a brand-new future, time to wipe you out so you can't interfere with it!" More short bursts off redirected solar rays forced Samus to back off. As she retreated, desperately trying to plan their next move, Samus noticed something moving towards them. Or rather, a lot of things...

"Great...more asteroids chunks she flung at Earth, but didn't eneter the atmosphere!" Samus cried out, warning her friends. Huge chunks of space rocks zoomed at Valkyrie, and Harry, Ron and Hermione got the message just in time, swooping and diving to evade the asteroids. Many came at Samus herself, but after avoiding them all and looking back to Valkyrie, her mech was gone.

"Over here," Valkyrie's voice seemed to whisper. Whirling around, Samus gasped as her shadow-consumed mech seemed to rise out of nowhere, the oversized left-arm clutching a massive, mangled piece of her totaled weapon platform. Valkyrie haughtily held it over her head, smirking at them all from her vantage point in her chest before hurling it at them.

Fear overwhelmed Samus for a moment, but only a moment. She opened fire on the massive piece of space junk, desperately trying to blast it in two. Her three friends instantly got the message, letting loose a hail of curses meant to split it apart. When it was only a few meters from Samus, it finally started to break apart. Then, J.B. flew her ship in close, finishing the job with its plasma blasters, then took a few potshots at Valkyrie before veering off.

But Samus had little time to catch her breath. The asteroids Valkyrie brought to her moments ago zoomed past the four of them. Once again, they barely avoided getting smashed by the rocks. The asteroid chunks began to circle around Valkyrie at ridiculous speeds, creating an impregnable field as Valkyrie opened fire with all her weapons again.

"Only three minutes left!" Hermione shrieked. "Someone, come up with a plan! We're almost out of time!"

"Take out the rocks! Take out the rocks!" screamed Harry vehemently, immediately lobbing Reductor Curses at the circling asteroid pieces. The four of them kept blasting them apart as they evaded Valkyrie's weapons, but there were too many. Samus couldn't see any way to take out enough in time and let Harry slip back in. But then, just as almost all hope had faded, as Samus watched Valkyrie and the way she almost faded into the background of space, she noticed something else. Something else that blended in with the blackness...and was moving closer.

All of a sudden, Valkyrie was blasted from behind, and more asteroid chunks were taken out. At last, Samus could make out what it was: the shellfish-like submersible the Malfoys had stolen. Evidently, just like her ship, it could travel travel water and space. Suddenly, Bellatrix's cackling voice shrilled over their comm. "I do hope you can forgive us for showing up later, Potter, but when you see what..."

"Bella, we discussed this. My wife and I are the ones who know how to use the ship. _WE_ do the talking!" barked Lucius. "Potter, we know what you're planning. Get ready to have one more go at her."

"UNGRATEFUL TRAITORS!" roared Valkyrie as she suddenly turned her redirected solar radiation on the new arrivals. Luckily for the Malfoys, the ship was small and maneuverable enough to stay one step ahead of Valkyrie. The Malfoys kept helping them blast away the asteroid chunks, but eventually, some of Valkyrie's weapon fire winged their stolen ship. Smoke and plasma trailed from one of its engines as it veered off.

"Well, the Malfoys took care of most of the asteroid bits, but she's still got all her guns blazing! How am I supposed to get close?" demanded Harry.

"I think I see how. We've got a couple more old friends joining the party," said Ron flatly, pointing back over to the Malfoys' ship. Some hatch had opened on the top. Out shot Draco Malfoy, still clad in his power suit, and holding onto his back was Voldemort. Draco had a dead look, as if all of his willpower and spirit had been drained away, while Voldemort's was one of livid resolve.

Almost as soon as the pair cleared their ship, that same strange, semi-opaque bubble that Adam described encased Draco. Through it, Samus saw Voldemort wave his wand, and it rolled toward Valkyrie. Then came the glassy, white snakes that shot out from the bubble, which latched onto Valkyrie and held her fast. Valkyrie writhed angrily in her own bubble as her weapon fire was turned on Draco's, but all her missiles and lasers bounced harmlessly off his barrier. The snakes kept coiling around Valkyrie, holding her tighter as they chomped down on her built-in weapons, ripping them off one by one.

"HARRY! Voldemort's given you the opening you need! DO IT NOW!" Samus shouted over the comm. Harry glanced over at Voldemort for a moment, hesitating. But thankfully, whatever was going through his head, it didn't distract him for long. He shot right at Valkyrie, ducking around the few asteroid bits that still encircled Valkyrie, and latched onto the orb in her chest.

It wasn't long before Valkyrie shook all of them off, but judging from the purple aura that now surrounded Harry, he had all the Phazon energy he needed. And just in time, too. Samus noticed her flight pack's power was nearly gone, and now, less than two minutes remained until the darkness blanketing Earth became oppressively crushing.

Hermione, Ron and Samus all gathered around Harry, assuming their previous positions. "J.B., Lucius, all of you...get clear. This time, we're making sure that black hole stays put until both Kor-Zor and Valkyrie are sucked into it," said Samus resolutely.

Phazon flowed through all their suits as the weapon's power built up. Then, in one tremendous burst, Samus let it loose one last time. At once, Kor-Zor's shadowy form was pulled clean off its armor, rushing back toward the black hole.

On top of that, parts of Valkyrie's mech were coming apart, being ripped clean from its main body and then crushed by the oppressive gravity. The mangled weapon pieces were the first to go, then the bird-like legs, mace-like tail and giant lance were ripped free and swallowed up. Samus concentrated with all her might, willing the black hole maker to stay armed long enough to get the job done.

Sweat dribbled off her brow, and soon, Samus felt blood flow out of her nose. But she refused to let her willpower ebb, and soon saw her determination pay off. As more armor plates flew off, the hidden orbs housing the virus-filled missiles were ripped free of their housing, and got pulled into the black hole. Then, at last, the wings were wrenched off by the gravitational pull. Now, there was nothing to help Valkyrie resist it. At the same time, Samus thought she saw Kor-Zor's shadowy head over the mech's, its massive beak screaming silently as the rest of its dark, spectral form was swallowed up by the black hole.

"It's over. This curse that's plagued the Chozo people, it's finally over," Samus breathed in relief as she watched what was left of Kor-Zor get sucked up into that black hole. "And soon, Valkyrie can keep him company," she added vindictively.

"NOT JUST YET, SAMUS!" screamed Valkyrie. With one last, tremendous effort, Valkyrie burst through the cracks she accidently made earlier, shooting out at what had to be a velocity faster than light. It was only for a brief moment, but it was enough to shoot herself free of the black hole.

Valkyrie came right at the quartet, and they were so exhausted, concentrating so hard on keeping the black hole open, they had no chance to evade her. All four of them went flying, but Valkyrie made sure to latch onto Samus. They both shot downward toward Earth, out of control, hovering dangerously close above the dense field of concentrated dark energy.

Valkyrie no longer had any means of communicating over their comm, but her meaning was plain enough. Her wand was between her teeth, having already been used to cast a charm paralyzing Samus. Holding onto Samus with her right hand, she drew back her bionic arm, willing the long, serrated blade to pop out.

But just as Valkyrie was about to run her through, Samus's willpower and resolve came rushing back, and with that her strength. As Valkyrie brought the tip of her blade forward, Samus broke Valkyrie's hold and twisted her left arm around, willing her fins to extend. All three went clean through Valkyrie's chest, coming out the other side.

Valkyrie's eyes widened, a little bit of blood flowing out of her mouth and floated about in space. They were stuck like that for a moment, but Samus was purposefully holding on, trying to angle them into the right position.

Even though she knew Valkyrie couldn't hear her, Samus began to rant. "Even the brightest forget things from time to time. Here's a little something to jog your memory," spat Samus. She held up her arm cannon, which was charging...and absorbing the ambient Phazon radiation Valkyrie still gave out. Valkyrie's eyes widened even more, knowing that this was finally the end for her. "Like I said before, there's plenty of things I could tell you, explaining why I told you to stuff your offer. But right now, there's only one thing I want to say: GAME OVER!"

Samus retracted her fins and thrust the tip of her arm cannon into her gut, blasting Valkyrie with her own Phazon at point-blank range. Samus had calculated everything perfectly, for as Valkyrie was blasted back, her body destabilizing as she shot across Earth's upper atmosphere, she crashed into a stray asteroid fragment. It had just been caught up in Earth's gravity, but now, the asteroid chunk and Valkyrie were careening toward the nearest pod flooding Earth with dark power. Samus watched with a sense of finality as Valkyrie body's disintegrated completely, right before the asteroid chunk smashed into the pod. It exploded at once, and the asteroid piece veered off on a new trajectory, one away from Earth.

As Samus kept watching, she realized that with even one of the pods knocked out, the field couldn't be kept up. Not only that, its destruction set off a chain reaction, causing all the other pods to self-destruct. The dark energy field around Earth...it had taken several minutes to build in density, but with the pods self-destructing, it began to vanish instantly. Like winds blowing away foam along a coastline, the dark energy and dark matter dissipated, now that no pods were holding it all in place. It all went back to the barely detectable part of the universe, where it belonged...

While Samus watched, satisfied with her handiwork, she suddenly became aware of a falling sensation. Looking down, she clearly saw North America, but was keenly aware of how she was falling toward it, and already, the heat of re-entry was getting to her. Even worse, Samus realized she had diverted all her remaining Phazon energy into the blast that finished Valkyrie, not just what she absorbed from her aura.

"Anyone...can anyone hear me? It's getting a little hot in here!" Samus bellowed over her comm. As if to answer her call, Samus felt three pairs of hands roughly pull her back up. Looking up, she saw Harry, Ron and Hermione's strained, but joyous looks through their visors.

"We're almost out of power, too. But don't worry, we've got everything covered," came Ron's triumphant voice. Samus noticed their gazes were angled downward. Glancing down, she saw J.B. was bringing her ship in right under her. All four of them dropped down roughly onto the top of it, hastily clambering into the hatch.

At this point, with their mission accomplished, Samus's focus began to slip. She groggily collapsed to her knees, and was acutely aware of how her three friends faltered as well. Samus felt pairs of hands and Adam's mechanical limbs set her against a wall and remove her helmet. Adam and George were hurriedly asking her questions, but Samus couldn't comprehend any of it, her mind finally succumbing to fatigue.

However, something soon happened that brought Samus's attention back into sharp focus. Crackling noises echoed throughout the ship, along with cries of surprise from the Etecoons and Dachoras. Sitting up roughly, Samus looked over to see that her friends' GF Marine suits were sparking and smoking dangerously. In desperation, the three of them were prying them off piece by piece, Adam lending them a hand.

As the separate pieces of their armor suits hit the ground, they continued to smoke and sputter. Then, the badgers on Harry's suit bit the air a few final times, before their yellow color faded, changing to an ashen, dull black. The eagles on Ron's suit cawed and flapped their wings before the same thing happened to them.

Hermione bent down, caressing the writhing snakes on her suit as they hissed and sputtered, their final moments approaching. "We...were right. The Muggles in the future, they did their best. But...these suits couldn't withstand the pressure of using that black hole weapon, like the Founders' suits probably could," she said somberly as the serpents now hung limp and lifeless in her hands.

"Y'know...maybe, it's better this way," said Harry in a heavy tone. "We used the weapon where it couldn't hurt anyone else, Kor-Zor's beaten once and for all, and there's no chance of that black hole maker ever being used for anything else. I bet the four of them would've wanted it this way," Samus suddenly realized that Harry's voice...sounded almost normal again. Looking over to him, Samus saw Ron was holding Harry up, and his scaly hands and talons reverting back to human hands. When she got a look at his face, those solid, black eyes were the only trace of his Metroid form left. And soon, they changed back to the green eyes everyone said resembled his mother's.

"Then it's over, mate," said Ron brightly. "Valkyrie and Kor-Zor...gone forever! We finally won!"

"The battle for Earth's future, maybe," said J.B. suddenly. "But the war'll still be going on. Look outside."

Everyone turned to the cockpit window. Facing the ship, a few dozen meters away, was what was left of the Malfoys' stolen ship, still smoking and sparking dangerously. Then, that semi-opaque bubble protecting Voldemort and Draco settled on top of it. It faded as the two were lowered down into the ship, but Samus caught Voldemort's scarlet, murderous glare before he vanished. The ship just hovered in front of Samus's for a moment, as if daring J.B. to do something. Then, suddenly, it turned around and flew down into Earth's atmosphere, leaving a trail of thick smoke.

Arthur broke the awkward silence. "Do we...go after them?" he asked delicately.

"No. Shooting down that ship...at this point, Voldemort'll just come back as surely as he did after blasting himself with his own Killing Curse," said Samus. "Trust us, everyone, 'killing' him now will just make this war drag on longer."

"B-B-But...S-Samus, this is an opportunity we can't pass up!" cried Molly. "Once he gets close enough to Apparate to the ground..."

"He already can. He Apparated on and off that space station, remember?" Harry reminded everyone. "Besides, shooting that ship down would also kill the Malfoys, and I'm...not prepared to do that."

"He's right. Much as I hate to say it, we had a deal with them. Just let them go," said Samus with a tone of finality. As she gazed over Earth's surface as J.B. plotted a landing sequence for Hogwarts, Samus let a wave of calm sweep over her. At first, a part of her feared that that dark energy would come rushing back, but nothing popped up to obscure the breathtaking view below. Samus had travelled to countless alien worlds, but now, seeing the human homeworld looking so pristine from so high-up, narrowly avoiding yet another biological catastrophe, it somehow filled her with a sense of peace, of hope...

Samus was so occupied with the view from the cockpit, she almost didn't sense someone saunter up behind her. "So, wanna go ahead and get my arse-kicking over with now, or d'you wanna rest up a bit?" asked George coyly.

Smirking, Samus grabbed him and put him in a headlock, forcing him to look outside. "Just enjoy the view," she said simply as J.B. went on with the landing procedure.

xxxxxx

And so, at last, there you have it. The climactic final battle of this whole, sordid affair. I hoped it was everything you expected, especially after that massive build-up of over a year. Anyway, now only the epilogue remains, and the same rules apply as last time. This fic, once again, was loaded with references to other games, television shows, movies and literature. Show yourself to be a true Metroid-esque archaeologist and find them all!

So long,  
Grey-X


	50. Mission Final

Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning  
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover  
Chapter 50: Mission Final  
8-23-2010  
by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

**July 6, 1997 A.D., 9:28 A.M. Western European Time**

**Number 4, Privet Drive**

Harry noticed he was breathing heavily as he stared at Aunt Petunia, who was lying down, comatose, in a specially-prepared bed back in their house. For the last two days, she had flitted in and out of consciousness, her condition hardly improving. Harry couldn't understand why he was this anxious about Aunt Petunia. Despite her unbelievable transformation, the two of them wound up butting heads like they always did, only now it was in a deadly conflict that decided the fate of the world. She was still as prideful and petty as ever, and yet, her condition weighed heavily on Harry. _I guess I should be grateful I _DO _feel like this, _Harry mused. _Refusing to condemn family completely...it means I'm nothing like Bellatrix or Voldemort or Valkyrie..._

"Harry, are you okay? You look tense, mate," Ron said suddenly. Hermione and Samus were also there with him, the latter in her robe disguise. Looking over Petunia's still, frail-looking body were Professors Slughorn and McGonagall, scrutinizing her closely as they weaved a set of charms Harry couldn't quite figure out.

"I...I'll be fine. I mean, the worst is over for now, right? Valkyrie's gone, Voldemort won't be strong enough to try anything for a while, and...at least Aunt Petunia's still alive," Harry said, only half-believing his own words.

"Well, about that last part, she's very weak, m'boy," said Slughorn suddenly, looking up. "I won't pretend that I understand half of what my...well, what my old pupil did. But it looks like when her transformation wore off for the last time..."

"It left her in a weakened state yet again," finished McGonagall. "I'm almost sorry that there's no more of that special plant Asara made for her. It would be the only way of guaranteeing that Mrs. Dursley remains stable. As it is, it will probably be at least two weeks until the potions that Slughorn brewed for her restore some of her health. But if she ever ventures into Hogwarts again, or any place with a high concentration of enchantments, her condition will deteriorate once more."

"On top of that, according to what Adam gleamed for our last round of bio-scans, that'll happen if she so much as uses her _own_ magic again," said Samus, narrowing her eyes as she looked down on Petunia. "Strange, isn't it? She let herself be eaten up by jealousy over everything her sister had. Now that she finally has it all, she can't ever use it again. It'll tantalize her forever."

_Another bit of irony: that's the punishment Valkyrie loved most. Letting your enemies live to suffer psychological torture,_ Harry thought darkly. _Of course, Voldemort does a lot of the same thing..._

"Sounds fitting to me," Ron said bitterly, clearly not forgetting all the times she clashed with them as Ped.

"I guess I agree, even though she _did _save us," said Hermione weakly.

"Well, there's little more we can do here. Best to just let her rest until it's time for her next round of potions," said Slughorn as he motioned around the bed.

"Wait a second," Harry said, a horrible thought suddenly coming to him. "What about the enchantment on this house? Won't that trigger the Ragnarok virus again?"

"As far as Adam can tell, it's just not strong enough to empower the virus like all the enchantments around Hogwarts did," said Samus quickly as they filed out of the room. "Hopefully, none of the places the Order plans to ferret your family to will affect your aunt like that, either. In fact..."

Samus, who had led everyone out of the room Petunia was recuperating in, bumped into Dudley as he suddenly burst through a door. One look up at Samus was enough to make him as skittish as ever, and he nervously sidled along the wall past everyone else. As Harry watched Dudley go as he stared back at him curiously, Hermione said, "And who knows what's going through _his_ head these days. All that time in Inferno's base, him and his dad found and shipped back here after Maxime barged into that outpost...it'll never be the same for him either. Of course, his father...I think we can all agree that modifying his memory was for the best."

"To avoid a heart attack in his mid-forties, the raving, foaming-at-the-mouth old git? Truer words were never spoken," Ron agreed. "At least there's no need with Harry's cousin, considering how empty his head is anyway."

"I HEARD ALL THAT!" roared Dudley's voice from down the hall.

The six of them looked down the hall blankly, then they turned back to each other except for McGonagall, who looked up the stairs. "And now that the memory modification is done, hopefully Arthur and Kingsley will get it through his head that they have less than a month to stay here. Once Harry comes of age, Voldemort will be more than ready to descend on this house." Harry stared at McGonagall blankly. "What is it, Mr. Potter?" she asked.

"Nothing, just that I don't think I ever heard you use that name aloud," said Harry. McGonagall's eyes widened, as if caught stealing from Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. "It's alright, Professor. After everything that's happened these last few weeks, none of us will look at things the same way again."

"Funny. I was pretty sure everything would look the same to you, Harry," said Hermione. "Voldemort's still out there, you're back here, your family's all back here, the protection on this house is still set to expire..."

"When Hermione puts it that way, it sure doesn't sound like anything's changed," said Ron. "Valkyrie turned the whole world upside-down, but now, it just feels like all we did was just flip it rightside-up. The same things that we all wanted to change, that Valkyrie did too...it's all still there..."

"Makes you wonder. If Valkyrie's plan hadn't involved starting World War III, and if her virus hadn't had such a fatal flaw...would we have still went against her?" said Hermione.

Harry glared at the two of them, slightly shocked. "Don't tell me we're supposed to be having regrets now. I thought we already decided that it wasn't a choice between Voldemort and Valkyrie. Both are rotten to the core, and we just had to join up with the former for a while to beat down the latter. Now it's just time to focus on the former again."

"And it's not like Valkyrie hasn't made any lasting changes," Samus reminded everyone darkly.

"All too true," sighed Hermione. "At least Valkyrie never went the complete megalomaniac route and did something like, say, make a worldwide broadcast announcing the existence of our kind. Kept expecting something like that all these weeks, but...guess she was more like Voldemort than she cared to admit. Preferred to leave most of the Muggles in the dark and let their fear fester."

"Didn't need anything like that, not with how her armies kept causing chaos with magic before Inferno was bottled up," said Ron. "Sure, half of the chaos was seen by the Muggle militaries, and hundreds of wizards around the world are working overtime as Obliviators to work on the Muggles that saw the other half..."

"But there'll be no way to rewrite all their memories, no way to indentify everyone who witnessed their power firsthand," said Samus. "And too many in the governments of this era's nations got involved. On top of all the disasters Valkyrie caused, all the ships and buildings and structures destroyed..."

"All sorts of rumors and wild theories will be spawned in the years to come," said Hermione, finishing her thought. "Most Muggles'll still go out of their way to explain away what was obviously magic. But whatever happens from here on in...no way our two worlds can ever stay completely apart anymore. In a strange, sick way...Valkyrie still won in the end."

"No," said Slughorn sternly. "Asara wanted to bring everything in both worlds crashing down, and at the very end, you four kept that from happening, didn't you?"

"More or less. I doubt most of J.B.'s superiors back across the Atlantic would agree with you, though," said Harry dryly. "How they explained away the wrecked Washington Monument and that huge pile of dirt where half the White House stood, right before their Independence Day thing, I have no clue."

"Uncle J still can't believe we let Narcissa Malfoy go, by the way, for that very reason," Hermione interjected suddenly.

"I still find it hard to believe you let _Tom Riddle_ go," added Slughorn. "What, you finally stop one of my crazed old pupils, only to let a chance to stop the other one slip away?"

Harry stared sheepishly at Slughorn, not sure how he could worm out of that one. In a way, Ron had been right: they were right back where they were a month ago, wondering just where Voldemort's Horcruxes were. Until those were found and destroyed, Voldemort would just come back, and far more quickly than last time. At least there was no chance of Valkyrie ever doing the same.

Or rather, he hoped there wasn't.

In the end, Harry stuck with the same answer he used to back his choice in the first place. "Like I said before, there was no way to take out Voldemort, not to mention Bellatrix, without killing the Malfoys, too. I wasn't about to pull something that Voldemort would, blow someone I just made an agreement with away."

"Not like the Malfoys'll ever return the favor," spat Ron bitterly.

Harry paused for a moment. "You never know. Maybe they actually learned something and someday, hopefully, they will."

"Well, Mr. Potter, I must give you credit. The integrity you showed in dealing with the Malfoys, how you're looking after your aunt. As far as I'm concerned, you've long since come of age already," said McGonagall.

"It's certainly more than what I would've shown them, especially your aunt, given everything I heard about her even back when...well, when Lily was still around," said Slughorn uneasily.

Harry cast one last glance over toward the room his aunt was resting in, then walked out into the living room. "Say whatever you will about her, but...wizarding tradition applies here."

"Not really. Asara made her a witch artificially," Hermione pointed out.

"Doesn't matter how it happened, she's one of us now, like it or not," said Harry. "She kept me alive by letting me live here all these years, and she saved you and Ron for whatever reason. Making sure she recovers, making sure no one else finds out she was a Reformer, especially Scrimgeour and Umbridge...this makes us even," he said with an air of finality.

"Still can't believe they're back in charge of what's left of the Ministry, after the Valhalla Agenda finally come to light," spat Samus.

"Believe it. Our kind here in England are still scared and confused, and it's a mad dash to rebuild what's left of the Ministry, lest V-V-Voldemort take advantage of this discord and seize power himself," McGonagall explained. "For the moment, though it disgusts me to say it, that means leaving Scrimgeour in power."

Samus still looked murderous, but the patience and wisdom exuded by McGonagall seemed to rub off on the bounty hunter, and she quickly calmed down. "Their time will come, though. Promise me that," Samus replied sternly. "Anyone foolish enough to mess with both the fabric of time and something like Phazon...as soon as they've outlived their purpose, they've got to go."

"I'll gladly use the whip on your Paralyzer to drag them out of the Ministry myself, when the time comes," said Harry vindictively. "Even now, even after everything Valkyrie did, I still have to admit she had a point. Everything that was screwed up about our world before Inferno went on a rampage is still there. Guess I shouldn't beat myself up too much for being tempted at first, being offered a way to sweep it all away."

Hermione sighed heavily. "In a strange way, Dr. Asara's dream was a good one. It was just the dreamer who became corrupted," she said thoughtfully. "And she only left us with even tougher hurdles. Those Muggles who know about us, or at the very least suspect we exist now...it will take a long time before the fear and distrust can be worked around."

"We'll find a way," said Ron hopefully. "That's why, at the end of the day, I'm glad Asara's gone. Her whole plan, it was like taking the easy way out. Wiping everything away because you can't make do with the world you had. She was right, though. Getting rid of Voldemort and those Valhalla Agenda conspirators in the Ministry won't magically make all the world's problems go away. We'll have a lot of work to do here in England long after they're gone."

"And we'll do it. We'll show all the Infernians we can accomplish some of the things they aimed for...but _our_ way. The right way," said Harry. Still feeling mentally exhausted, and many muscles still aching since they took down Valkyrie, Harry plopped down on the couch, still deep in thought. Eventually, he spoke up again. "Y'know, in a way, we _are_ going to prove Asara right, about being able to adapt, survive, and build a better world. We're just going to prove that how _she_ wanted this evolution to go was wrong. She might've known better than anyone how evolution works, at least biologically, but...she never quite caught on to how it all gets screwed up when you try to manipulate it. When you try to mess with it the way Valkyrie did, well, it's not really _natural_ selection anymore, is it? It's just trying to bend everything to your will, using science as an excuse to do it."

Samus sat down beside Harry, placing a comforting, reassuring hand on his shoulder. "And here you thought you didn't understand the basic tenets of biology, and science in general, as well as I do. Now, as far as I'm concerned, you may understand them a bit better," she said kindly. "I guess there's no telling what in store for this era now, but...whatever happens to me, if I can go back to mine, yours'll be left in good hands. I was sure of it last time and I'm even surer now."

Harry smiled and looked at the floor, not sure what to say. Suddenly, he remembered something important that had to be done before Samus tried to go back. "Oh, Samus, that's right. I need to give this back to you," Harry said sheepishly. He fished through the pockets of his jacket and pulled out her Paralyzer.

Samus stared at it for a moment, motioned to take it from him, but then drew her hand back. "No. I want you to hang onto that," she said. "You've got some rough missions ahead of you and you know it, so some extra firepower could be crucial."

"Samus, no! This is part of your childhood! I-I-I can't just keep it!" Harry protested. "Besides, your whole reason for me having this was the element of surprise. Well, Voldemort and the Death Eaters know all about it now, so what's the point?"

"The point is that I'm telling you you keep it," said Samus with a tone of finality. "I mean, it's only fair. Something you were quite intimate with was just handed off to me. Or rather, the Etecoons and Dachoras," she went on, smirking wryly. A bit of an uneasy silence lingered in between them, and the whole room for that matter. Harry looked down at his hand, holding the Paralyzer and testing its weight all over again. Then, thankfully, Samus spoke up again. "So, all that talk about all the work that needs to be done in the years to come...what about the next few days?"

"Well, I want to spend a day or two over at the Burrow and at Hogwarts, help with getting everything back in order," said Harry. "Then...I'm coming back here until Aunt Petunia's ready to be moved. Right now, with Voldemort still out there and pissier than ever, don't want to take the chance of the enchantment breaking, because one or both of us is away too long again," he went on, his scar suddenly throbbing again, punctuating how his arch-nemesis was now more driven than ever.

"Not exactly tactically sound. Things could change drastically over the next few days. Voldemort could easily bottle you up here and wait for the charm's clock to run out," Samus noted.

"Like I said before, for me and Aunt Petunia to finally be even...I'll take that chance," Harry replied.

"Still say it's tactically unsound," Samus repeated. "Then again, somehow, those moves of yours that are tactically unsound tend to work for the best anyway."

xxxxxx

**July 6, 1997 A.D., 11:16 A.M. Western European Time**

**Malfoy Manor**

Even as a relative calm and a shaky sense of peace fell upon Harry Potter's old home, a dreadful, malevolent atmosphere had taken hold of what was left of Draco Malfoy's. Once Samus Aran and her little band of hunters had finally finished off Valkyrie, Voldemort had seen to it that all his remaining Death Eaters relocated there to start rebuilding it. His vehemence and impatience were strong motivators, making the wrecked manor a beehive of activity. The Dark Lord's insistence on seizing this ripe opportunity to further infiltrate the Ministry, along with planning another mass breakout from Azkaban, had all his followers in a panicked haste to carry out his plans.

But at the moment, Lord Voldemort was taking some leisure time, attending to the matter of disciplining Draco Malfoy. And his idea of discipline was long hours of grueling, meticulous torture, and letting his uncontrollable screams of agony permeate his ruined home. As a solemn, not-so-subtle lesson to his followers, but especially his parents.

As much as this barbarism was pure psychological torture for Draco's parents, it was just as traumatizing for Severus Snape as well. He stood outside the door of the small room Voldemort chose for his nefarious work, staring blankly as Draco's cries rent his ears. Snape could tell Draco was doing his best to not show weakness and not scream, and admired his tenacity, pride and quiet defiance. He made no secret of taking a liking to the boy even before he first stepped into his classroom. And now, he was forced to endure hearing Draco suffer. Even more galling was how, once again, he was relegated to the role of a spy, unable to directly act and prevent any and all of Voldemort's evil. Simply watching and waiting to fulfill the job Dumbledore left him...

Snape mused on how lucky he was to climb back into that role, that he was able to fool the Dark Lord so completely again. Once Snape realized he could not go through with Val's plan, all that was left was the hope of fulfilling his old vows, his old promises, realizing almost too late that he would break them if he helped Val succeed. To Snape's utter astonishment, the hastily cobbled-together collection of excuses and half-truths placated the Dark Lord.

Snape told him it was all a ploy to gain access to Kor-Zor's dark power for the Dark Lord to use, that at first he hadn't understood the scope of Val's plans for him, that he hastily seized the opportunity in the hopes of stealing Kor-Zor's secrets when the time was right. He stuck to the story of things spinning out of control for him. Thanks to his skill with Occlumency, Snape kept on bending the truth, saying that Val had too many safeguards put around Kor-Zor's spirit, that too many of her subordinates were always around, making it impossible. At least, until Val evacuated the lunar base and waited for Potter and Aran to come to them, where he played his ace in the hole in the form of Weasley and Granger. Even then, he claimed, reaching Kor-Zor proved impossible, and settled for copying all of the relevant data from Val's computers.

At least, that's what Snape claimed, but he purposely rigged the module he stored the terabytes of data in, rendering it useless. It was not as if the Dark Lord understood Muggle technology, or technology of any sort, enough to see through that lie. On top of that, he sabotaged the Infernian scout ship, but thankfully, Draco's power suit burned itself out while acting for Voldemort and was beyond all repair.

Voldemort might have been willing to bend his own rules about rejecting technology when the Chozo or Muggles from Samus's time were involved, but he'd never have the respect and intimate knowledge that let Val reach such dangerous heights with it. The late headmaster was right all along: the Dark Lord made no real effort to understand whatever he looked down on. How easy it was to keep exploiting that one flaw of his. Now if only Potter could exploit the rest in time...

"Potter," Snape whispered to himself, finding that, amazingly, the thought of that self-assured boy no longer made his blood boil. In fact, as much as Snape hated to admit it, Potter actually gave him hope, just as he did nearly everyone else. All the Chozo and Muggle technology and all the help he had notwithstanding, Potter finally proved he could rise above mediocrity when he put his mind to it.

That, combined with the fresh knowledge he gleamed from Val...Snape hoped it was enough to sustain him in the dark days to come. The full extent of Dumbledore's plans for both of them, the truth behind Voldemort's immortality, and the story behind the so-called 'Deathly Hallows'. Most importantly, however, was Val reiterating how there was a slim hope that, in a strange way, Lily's sacrifice would protect the boy from the Dark Lord one last time...

Snape shut his eyes tightly as tears started to come, the crushing guilt and anguish coming back in full force. Even moreso than usual, as Snape was left with the crushing realization that again, it was only his loyalty to Lily's memory, and the promise he made over her grave, that kept him from going past the point of no return. Before, it was fear for Lily's life that turned him away from Voldemort's evil. And then Val returned, once again showing him the love he desperately needed. But even after it became plain that hate had warped her soul permanently, Snape still refused to see it...until Val made it crystal clear that she intended to kill Lily's son if it meant fulfilling Lily's dream. And in the end, that, and only that, kept Snape from going completely over the edge.

_You always tried to reassure me, headmaster, that I was braver than I gave myself credit for. That I was a better man than I gave myself credit for,_ Snape thought bitterly to himself. _Bollocks. I'm what I always accused Potter of doing, shying away and letting others do the heavy lifting. And how I keep refusing to see the madness around me until it's almost too late...it goes to show I've learned nothing. At least it looks like Potter's finally learned a thing or two._

Draco's scream filled the manor's lower levels again, prompting Snape to finally walk away. _Hopefully Potter's learned to act swiftly,_ he added bitterly. Sticking his hand in his robe's pocket, he pulled out a mangled piece of metal. The remains of Valkyrie's wedding band, which was blasted off after she unleashed all her horrible, Phazon-fueled rage. Along with it, he still had his own, still pristine. A sad reminder of what he once had, what might have been. Unbidden memories of all the time they spent together in their youth, working on new potions and dark spells, the only ones who understood and completed each other, and of course, her subtle ways of entrapping and seducing him. Only now, nearly sixteen years later, she almost seduced him into betraying himself and the two people whose memories Val claimed to honor. Through sex, through promising vengeance for their unborn baby, Val almost took him down a darker path than the Dark Lord's.

He stared at them for a moment, then closed his fist around them as he closed his eyes again, the tears coming back. _I sacrificed my one last chance of living a happy life for myself, Potter, just to give us both one last shot at what we were originally destined to do. Don't you dare disappoint me now._

"You really did still love her, even after all this time," came a soft voice from behind him. Whirling around nervously, he saw Lucius and Narcissa standing there. They hid their anguish over their son's torture well. At the moment, though, their stares betrayed curiosity, silently asking why Snape switched sides yet again.

At length, Snape walked up to them and swiftly cast Muffliato. "Both of them, Narcissa. Loyalty to one's memory just won out over the other," he said flatly.

"And that's the only reason?" asked Lucius.

"Did Potter need to give you two any other reason besides saving Draco to turn on Val?" Snape replied delicately. Even those they were old friends, he wasn't in much mood for conversation. "Ah yes, I suppose the idea of giving Muggles our power didn't sit well either."

"It was...starting to, believe it or not," said Lucius.

"Severus, the point is, well, you don't have to worry about us betraying anything you revealed to us during our time in Inferno," said Narcissa nervously. "Our Occlumency skill isn't in the same league as yours, but...your secrets are safe with us."

"And how you hinted at Dumbledore and Potter having some plan for besting the Dark Lord, well, if that's true, I'd say we're all for letting the boy do it," added Lucius.

Snape regarded them carefully for a moment. "And If there's ever a time where you'll have to openly choose between Potter and the Dark Lord and his forces, what then? You know my answer, but what about you two?"

Lucius suddenly looked at the floor, crestfallen. "I...I am not sure."

Snape let out a little snort. "Well, if that is all, I will trust you both...for now," he said, then swept away, doing his best to tune out another scream from Draco. _Acting selfishly to live with myself...that's what turned me. Maybe one day it'll turn them too..._

xxxxxx

**July 8, 1997 A.D., 8:56 P.M. Western European Time**

**Hogwarts**

It was either fortunate or unfortunate, depending on how one looked at it. It turned out Dumbledore had left instructions for building another enchanted clock in his office, and it took McGonagall a little over a day to ready one for Samus. Thus, that gave Samus far less time to spend at Hogwarts, with friends she might never see again, than she had at the conclusion of her last mission. Forgoing any real sleep, Samus spent many hours walking the halls of Hogwarts, revisiting all the house-elves in the kitchens, and basically marvelling at the school's wonder and beauty all over again.

Of course, the castle didn't feel as lively without all the students there. On top of that, signs of the siege and occupation by Inferno were still there, hurting the mood, and leaving a grim reminder that Samus would soon be departing while leaving her friends with the same mess to clean up as before. In fact, thanks to Valkyrie, an even greater one. On top of finishing Voldemort, they were now left with a world that would never be the same. _And it's not like my future's any better, assuming I even have one to go back to,_ Samus thought morosely.

At any rate, it was finally time to say her good-byes and head back to her time. And so, with a heavy heart, Samus made her way to the courtyard she last landed her ship in. To no one's surprise, a whole crowd had gathered there, waiting to see her off. She spotted Harry, Ron and Hermione right away, and gathered around the ship, Samus saw Professors McGonagall, Hagrid and Slughorn, Arthur, Molly, Ginny, Charlie and George Weasley, Moody, Kingsley, Lupin, Tonks, Fleur, Neville, Luna, Dobby and, to her surprise, Captain J.B. Granger.

"Captain, you're still here?" Samus asked as she walked up to her ship. "I thought you would've been called back to your country by now."

J.B. snickered a little. "Well, the Pentagon needs me in the official role of liaison a bit longer, it turns out. Just as well. Like you, wanted to spend every last second I could here, anyway. Doubt I'll get an excuse to come back until my niece graduates." Samus caught Hermione looking at the ground, fidgeting nervously. No doubt even her uncle knew nothing about their plans to not return for the new school year.

"Can't blame you. We both have some rough times ahead of us," said Samus. "I mean, even after you get back, seeing how everything's changed between this planet's two worlds..."

"Please, don't remind me. This was one Fourth I think everyone back home would rather forget," J.B. said quickly. "Still, I'm optimistic. So hopefully when I go back home, I won't be dragged away from those would-be jet jockeys back in Hawaii that need me."

"A quiet teaching stint...we should all be so lucky," said Slughorn, thumping J.B. on the back. "Take care of yourself over in America. I mean, as far as Muggles go, you're one of a kind."

"Oh, don't worry everyone. I'll be looking out for any collabs with the Royal Air Force from here on in, I promise you," said J.B.. Arthur's expression suddenly brightened, which drew a look of ire from Molly. No doubt she suspected J.B. promised Arthur some hands-on time in an actual plane. After all, Samus let George and J.B. pilot her ship, but Arthur was a different story.

Suddenly reminded of George, she turned to where he was standing, right next to Fleur Delacour. He looked as self-assured as ever, more insufferably cocky than anyone she ever set out to hunt. Still, she had plenty of respect for George, and found herself strangely uneasy around him. It took a while to find her words, reaching out to grab his hand and shake it. "Thanks for all the help with my ship, George. Doubt this mission would've gone as well as it did without you."

"Anytime, Samus. Anytime," George replied with a wink.

"A pity you can't stay long enough for the wedding," said Fleur suddenly. "I think many were looking forward to seeing you as one of the bridesmaids. You would have looked oh-so-lovely..."

Samus heard many groans from all around her, especially from Ginny and Hermione. Deciding to play with their heads a little, she replied by saying, "Yeah, it's too bad. I think part of me was looking forward to it, too."

"You two weren't the only ones," said George in a hushed voice.

Predictably, this evoked gasps from almost everyone. Ron got over his surprise quickly, and delicately asked, "What...brought about that change of heart?"

Her flippant attitude suddenly fading, she looked over to George, memories of the SA-X's vision flooding back. For the first time, George looked nervous and taken aback by her gaze. "Let's just say I've learned there's far worse things to fear," she said at length.

"Well, in any case, 'bout time fer our mutual friends ter get inside th' ship," said Hagrid suddenly. The sound of a fist rapping on metal followed. Samus turned to what was securely fastened underneath her ship: Arthur Weasley's Ford Anglia, out of which the Etecoons and Dachoras stepped out. "Ye have no idea how much th' little blighters helped me out, Sammy. This here thing didn't show itself much, but when it did...oh holy hell. Guaranteed ter scare all th' hippogriphs and thestrals out of their wits. Dunno how they did it, but yer friends finally tamed th' beast."

"And now the only way to ensure this...sentient vehicle remains docile is for the Etecoons and Dachoras to take it with them," spoke up Adam. "How these beings formed such a bond, I am at a loss to explain. But it is of no trouble to us. Of course, how we will explain towing a terrestrial vehicle from Earth's ancient past to the Galactic Federation's patrols, I am also at a loss."

"Somehow, I still think explaining the B.S.L.'s destruction will be even harder," said Samus darkly.

"It still mystifies me, how you think your future is still there to go back to, after everything that's been affected in our present," Lupin pointed out.

"We didn't either, until Adam dug up some stuff and shared it with us," said Harry.

"Or rather, what I uncovered in my own data banks after removing a virus I didn't even know Valkyrie planted," said Adam. "A rather surreptitous fellow, this virus. I would not have been aware of its presence had I not also aided Captain Granger in purging Faction's more pernicious one from his country's computer network."

"And...by eliminating it, what did you find?" asked Moody.

"That Valkyrie deliberately had parts of Adam's historical database inaccessible," said Hermione. "She probably planted this bug before Samus even travelled back to the future that first time. My guess is, Valkyrie didn't want Samus and Adam too savvy about this time period, since her aim was to change everything forever."

"Which Valkyrie did. Valkyrie's now changed Samus Aran's entire future," muttered Dobby darkly.

"Not necessarily," said Ron quickly.

"Yeah. Valkyrie told us she had a peek at the not-too-distant future. But if she took a closer look at the present, she would've found that a lot of things she planned to do...were already part of Samus's recorded history," explained Harry.

"Something mucking up the Panama Canal, some storm tearing up America's capital, a nasty corona ejaculation, the Vatican wiped out by terrorists or whatever, the list goes on and on," said Ron.

"But, of course, that's all seen through a lens centuries after Muggles and wizards collaborated to keep the true scope a mystery to everyone else," Hermione added. "All of Valkyrie's talk of changing things forever...turns out this _was _one of those weird time paradoxes all along. The X parasites, Samus Aran and her Metroid DNA, the Phazon from the Valhalla...they all had to come back and affect the past to make the future what it's supposed to be. A future where we're not completely hidden, and even work with Muggles again."

Samus still wasn't sure what to make of all this. She had a certain amount of pride herself, and hated the idea that everything she did here, both times while in the past, was somehow preordained. Did that mean everything she'd do for the rest of her life was somehow preordained, too?

"Samus, I wouldn't think too much of it," said Harry, as if he knew what was weighing on her mind. "What we did, keeping the timeline the way it turns out it was supposed to be...it's because we chose to fight to keep it that way."

"It's our choices that make us what we are," said Samus, repeating Dumbledore's mantra.

"That's right. It's just too bad there's hardly anything about our world in Adam's database. Could use some...clues," said Harry, no doubt thinking about Voldemort's Horcruxes.

"Still can't believe we're parting under the same circumstances again," said Samus. "Me with my fight in my era, and you with yours. But...at least there's some comfort in knowing things'll progress the way they're supposed to."

"And, as far as this era's concerned, will end with Harry Potter's ultimate victory," chimed in Adam. "I hardly think Earth's history from this point on would have progressed from this point as it did, according to my now virus-free database, if Voldemort ran about unchecked for much longer. And seeing the courage, resourcefulness and resolve of Harry and all his friends...it is further proof that Tom Marvolo Riddle's days are now numbered."

Harry simply nodded, still humble enough to keep silent about all his recent successes. After that, Samus briskly walked around, saying an individual farewell to everyone who gather around to see her off. Dobby, in particular, had a particularly clingy display and a long, tearful farewell that consisted of an entire ballad. When she finally got back to Harry, Ron and Hermione, they had something else for her: an entire stack of their old spellbooks. "No telling what you'll face in your era from here on in," said Hermione. "Might pay to bone up on your witchcraft, just in case."

"Do us a favor, though, in case we ever see you again," said Harry. "Whenever it comes time to use that crazy fire spell on that Ridley bloke, make damn sure you get that on camera. That'll be priceless."

"Think we'll ever see Samus again?" Ron asked anxiously.

"Last time we saw her off, we figured the chances were slim, yet here she is again," said Harry coyly.

Samus smiled warmly, then hugged Harry one last time. Finally, it was time to board her ship. She stood under it with the Etecoon and Dachoras, who warbled and screeched as they were all levitated up. Casting one last, bittersweet gaze out of the cockpit window, down at the some of the most loyal friends she ever made, Samus then deftly manipulated the controls and ascended. The ship flew away from the castle and out into orbit, where the path back to SR388 in her time awaited...

"Harry Potter had a point, you know," said Adam suddenly. "Twice now, you two were thrust together to preserve the integrity of the flow of time. The single-greatest source of chaos that plagues his era and his world shall soon be eliminated, from the looks of it. Your presence will no longer be needed here, in his foreseeable future, but...what can be said about our future?"

Samus leaned back as McGonagall's new clock tumbled through space, where it finally reopened the vortex and the way home. Many things still troubled her, not the least of which was her uncertain fate involving the Galactic Federation Police. Not to mention, the Space Pirates, and possibly even Ridley still, were hiding somewhere, licking their wounds and awaiting another opportune time to strike. And what truly had become of the witches and wizards in her time?

Looking down at the stack of spellbooks her friends gave to her, Samus said, "Whatever's coming, Adam, we'll be ready. If Space Pirates and Dark wizards thought I was trouble before, well...the best is yet to come." And with that, Samus's ship shot through the vortex, and both vanished altogether.

xxxxxx

The Chozo's sacred home in the tunnels underneath the arid surface of Zebes were usually quiet and peaceful, a perfect environment for the sort of silent contemplation and meditation the ancient space-dwelling race valued. But right now, an uneasy feeling of anxiety permeated the home of this Chozo tribe. It had just come to their attention that something interrupted all long-range surveillance of certain solar systems at the far edge of the galaxy. For most of the tribe, this was little more than a mild inconvenience, a minor curiosity. Except for those of the tribe that knew the terrible truth about what the Chozo did on that world, many, many cycles ago.

Once they became aware, though, of strange solar activity coming from that world's star, most assumed that was to blame, and continued with their studies and philosophical pursuits with little worry. Eventually, though, some of the tribe investigated further...and discovered the probable cause for those solar anomalies...

And then, mere days ago, the detection of what was undoubtedly a collection of dark matter and dark energy removed all doubt. But just as the tribe's elders ordered a battleship to be prepared, to be dispatched to Earth at once, the dark matter and dark energy vanished as suddenly as it had come.

The battleship was deployed anyway, but the tribe's Chozo elders found no trace of dark matter, dark energy, or the being undoubtedly responsible for pulling it all there: Kor-Zor. The ancient prison used to seal him was gone, and the four sanctuaries housing the black hole generator left behind for the magic-users of that planet...the pieces were gone, and the sanctuaries sealed up permanently. Probes and scout ships routinely fed back survey data, but for days, nothing else looked amiss. That was, until they detected a ship with technology far beyond anything that world's inhabitants had, which promptly vanished into what looked like a wormhole.

"I am telling you, Teal Sight, we can scrutinize the surface of that world for the next ten decacycles, and we will find nothing," said one of the Chozo elders, Grey Sol, as they walked through the tunnels burrowed through Brinstar. "What we helped those four humans plan for has reached its fruition. The four pieces of their black hole generator are gone, and so are all traces of Kor-Zor. There can be only one logical conclusion."

"Would it not be prudent to keep monitoring Earth?" protested Teal Sight. "Kor-Zor may finally be a memory, but the weapon built to defeat him could cause greater evil if left unchecked in the hands of humans."

"You forget how our ancestors helped these humans' ancestors ensure that anyone who assembled our black hole maker be thoroughly tested, to make sure their wisdom matched their courage and power," said Grey Sol. "We must give that race credit for progressing as far as they have, especially if they triumphed over Kor-Zor without our aid this time."

"But...of course, elder. Please forgive my impertinece for questioning your judgment," said Teal Sight quickly.

At last, the pair came to a bubble door, which Grey Sol promptly opened with a tap of his energized cane. As they entered the deepest parts of the research facility on the far side of Brinstar, Grey Sol turned back to Teal Sight. "But you are still anxious. Another matter still preoccupies you."

"You understand me all too well, elder," said Teal Sight. "It's the matter of...that strange ship we discovered just recently."

As the pair passed a long row of bubble doors, Grey Sol carefully considered his response. "Yes, that is a mystery. And when I personally looked into the mystery, I stumbled upon more questions than answers. Would you believe, even though the technology of the ship itself is decidedly alien, unlike anything we've seen, its pilot was not only a human, but wears a suit derived from Chozo technology and is even infused with our blood?"

Teal Sight gasped, utterly speechless. "H-H-How is that possible?" he demanded.

"I do not know. But the wormhole the ship disappeared into...did you know it gave off chronometric particulates?" replied Grey Sol thoughtfully.

"Are you asserting that Earth had a visitor from its future, one from which another human was given a suit we forged?" asked Teal Sight.

"As improbable as it may sound to us, it seems a most logical assumption, given what facts we have," said Grey Sol. "There is much here we cannot hope to understand just yet."

"If that is the case, would it not be prudent to not only investigate further, but send..._him_ to help us do it?" inquired Teal Sight.

At last, the pair came across the one bubble door behind which was the one Teal Sight referred to. A bubble door only a Chozo elder could open, and Grey Sol lightly tapped it with his cane as well. It opened far more slowly than most of the other bubble doors. "I do not believe so. We required his services a mere cycle ago, and it will be many more decacycles before he is ready to aid us again in any way."

Grey Sol and Teal Sight stared thoughtfully at the stasis pod housed in the small room beyond the hatch. A small glass panel let them look at its occupant, a lone, aged human male, with a bald head and a small, white beard. His features beared an eerie resemblance to the creatures referred to as 'monkeys' on his homeworld...

xxxxxx

**May 2, 1998 A.D., 8:28 A.M. Western European Time**

Time marched on for Harry Potter as his lifelong destiny to resist Lord Voldemort, and everything he stood for, approached its climactic conclusion. The skills and lessons he and his friends learned from Samus proved invaluable. They hunted down each and every one of Voldemort's deadly Horcruxes and uncovered the true secret of the Deathly Hallows' power. Though it was by no means easy, and there were heartbreaking losses along the way, in less than a year, Adam Malkovich and Samus Aran's predictions came true. In the end, for all Voldemort's talk of being the most powerful and brilliant sorceror of the age, Harry came to realize the Dark wizard outsmarted no one but himself...and saw to it Voldemort's own power blew him away.

At long last, a terrible chapter in Earth's history came to a close, and all of Harry Potter's kind breathed easier. Though, that morning, Harry, Ron and Hermione had to reflect on what they discussed with Samus months before. That eliminating Voldemort was by no means the end of their struggles, that they all had a duty to keep fighting, to make sure they left their world better than they found it...

But as their destinies continued to unfold on Earth, it was just yet another trifling detail in the tapestry of the entire universe, which kept on being woven. Earth's sun kept swirling around the Milky Way Galaxy along with the rest of its stars, comets and meteors kept zipping across Earth's solar system, all the planets kept revolving around their sun, and the universe marched on.

As everything in that solar system kept on progressing as it should have, any casual observer could be forgiven for overlooking one little bit of an asteroid as it shot past Neptune, barely escaping its gravitational pull, and kept on its way out of that solar system. And anyone who had been watching could also be forgiven for missing a tiny blip of strange radiation coming from that asteroid chunk, and what was giving it off...

Nestled in between two sharp pieces of rock that were jutting out, there was a robotic appendage resembling the left arm of a human. As it soared past Neptune, it looked inert. But then, spontaneously, its mechanical fingers flexed in an uncoordinated, random matter. This went on for a few seconds as the asteroid chunk left the solar system, but then, its fingers clenched to form a fist...

xxxxxx

**May 4, 1998 A.D., 10:15 P.M. Western European Time**

**St. Mungo's Hospital**

"Thank God that Longbottom kid probably won't be coming over to St. Mungo's for a while," said one of the Healer assistants as he and his co-worker worked on tidying up the hospital room that, among other patients, Frank and Alice Longbottom were committed to. Thankfully, both of the insane patients were fast asleep, along with all the other patients there. Including the one that was separated from the rest by a thick curtain. "Hate to be the one to explain why _THIS_ particular patient is in here with his folks. You don't mess with a kid who has the balls to wave a sword in Voldemort's face."

"Look, what the kid doesn't know won't hurt him," said the other assistant. "The whole place has been flooded with patients both because of all the Death Eater takedowns, and the reckless partying afterward. There was no other place to put her for the moment, and that's that. By the time this Neville Longbottom revisits his folks, she should be long gone."

"She should _ALREADY_ be long gone. That spell she was hit with, and where...no one should've survived that. Nothing human, anyway," said the first assistant, waving his wand to reset the covers over Alice Longbottom.

"Think who we're talking about. She ceased being human a _LONG_ time ago," replied the second assistant as they left the room, leaving the patients alone.

Including the one concealed behind the curtain. A quick peek behind it would have revealed it was none other than Bellatrix Lestrange, now completely catatonic. At first, it was believed that Molly Weasley had killed her outright, but it was later discovered she was barely clinging to life. As such, she was shepherded away here, with few knowing her fate. For the last two days, as most of the Wizarding world celebrated the demise of her master, she lay there in that hospital bed, comatose, the steady rising and falling of her chest the only sign of movement and life.

Until, hidden from the view of anyone else, her eyelids slowly opened, revealing a glassy gaze aimed straight up at the ceiling. The virulent, passionate fire that was once ablaze in those eyes had been all but snuffed out, replaced by something else. A chilling, patient gaze, of one watching and waiting for the right moment to make a move.

And then, Bellatrix's eyes slid back shut, and there was no way of knowing when they would snap open again...

**THE END?**

xxxxxx

And thus, after about a year and a half since starting it, this whole sordid affair now comes to a close. And it took two and a half years after wrapping up the original to even start this sequel. So, after taking four years to finally complete this sucker, what do I have to say for myself?

Well, like I said before, I had no intention of doing a simple rehash of the original. And since the original was little more than the plots of _Metroid Fusion _and _Order of the Phoenix _meshed together, I felt the need to go the extra mile. To take it to the next level, I first sought a way to give the follow-up a different, and even more epic, feel. I realized the easiest way to do that was, this time, tie the mythologies of the two franchises together. And that's where the plotline of the founders of Hogwarts teaming up with the Chozo came from.

But where that led to was the typical 'ancients seal away an apocalyptic evil' storyline, something we've seen dozens of times. So I had to go further. Looking back to what people liked about the first, one of the selling points was how Samus Aran and Harry Potter were dynamic characters in that story. The original had a theme of openness, playing upon how Samus is always viewed as a brooding loner, and how in his fifth book Harry was infamous for being a dick to even his friends.

I needed a different theme for the sequel. As I brainstormed a bit more, I dwelled on how in both franchises, the line between good and evil is pretty clear-cut, and the villains have absolutely no way to truly dissuade or tempt the heroes. Eventually, I settled on a theme of temptation. I wanted Samus and Harry to be offered things that could fulfill their wildest dreams if they only abandoned their chosen heroic paths. Then they struggle to resist, and come off as even bigger heroes as a result. Unfortunately, none of the canon villains in either franchise could fill that role, and that's where the need for Valkyrie came from.

I'll admit a lot of the time brainstorming was spent hammering out all the details of Valkyrie's character, and I'm sure it showed. I guess I now gotta answer for why she flirted so dangerously with Villain Sue territory. Well, the simple answer is this: for a new villain to temporarily replace Voldemort as the Big Bad of Harry's world _and_ be able to take on Samus Aran, that person had to be someone pretty damn special. That's how Phazon eventually worked its way into the plot, as a means of giving a witch the boost in power needed to challenge them all. The decision to make my new villain an evil counterpart of Lily Potter came much earlier. Since Lily herself is a bit of a Canon Sue, viewed as an apex of goodness and light in Harry's world, it just made sense to have our new villain be her mirror image.

Some would accuse me of putting too much of myself into Valkyrie, as all people who write Mary Sues do. Well, believe it or not, those who lob that criticism are absolutely right. In designing Valkyrie's character, I took every unsavory part about my own personality and experiences, and shoved them into the pretty package I had dreamed up. And as the story went on, the reader saw more and more of that packaging stripped away, revealing all the ugliness within.

What about how Valkyrie had such an impact on so many canon characters? Well, as far as Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy are concerned, there was good reason. I wanted to keep Draco as a reluctant foil for the Golden Trio, and be able to beat them at their own game. In essence, keep going with the side of Draco seen in _Half-Blood Prince_, since I was kinda disappointed by how he didn't have a bigger role in _Deathly Hallows_. And through his eyes, it was a perfect way to show Valkyrie and the Reformers and develop all their characters. As for Snape, I wanted to preserve the suspense that always hovered around him, about what side he would ultimately choose. Plus, Snape and Valkyrie made a great counterpart couple to the Potters. Of course, while James and Snape loathed each other, they wound up on the same side, in contrast to Lily and Valkyrie who were close friends but had radically different views of the world.

On top of the radical new villain, I just wanted to push the envelope further. As everything got pieced together in my head, loads of little plot bunnies, involving things I thought would be cool to see in a Harry Potter story, worked their way in. The worlds of wizards and Muggles finally colliding? Sure! Voldemort teaming up with Harry Potter? Why not? Getting Harry out of Great Britain and seeing the world, especially America? Bring it on! Bringing Moaning Myrtle back from the dead? Go for it! Playing with the side of Petunia Dursley revealed in _Deathly Hallows_? Sure thing! Dreaming up new members of the Granger family? About damn time!

The last thing I felt that needed to be improved was the Metroid half of the story. Again, the first time around, it felt like I novelized a second quest of _Metroid Fusion_. This time around, I wanted something completely different, so that's where the _Zelda_-style levels revolving around the Founders came in, not to mention the Reformers serving as minibosses and the devious creations of the Founders to fight in each one. I felt that that, combined with the team aspect, was enough to make it more than just another _Metroid_-ish novelization, and made up for how there were no new abilites outside of the beam-spell combos.

And so, there you have it. There's the whole sad story behind this sequel, which looks like people around the Internet as a whole regarded as a mixed bag. I gave it my best, but...eh, can't please everyone. Hopefully though, in a few years, I can make more people happy again with _Fusion of Destinies III: Rise of the Seven Stars_, which will finally take the struggle between good and evil into Samus's time. Not gonna reveal too much beyond the sequel hooks in this chapter, since it'll take me some time to hammer out the complete plot of this sequel as well. Plus, there's stuff I wanna work on before then. Already decided on what my next fic will be, but for the crossover I'll write after that, I've got some ideas. Take a gander at what I've thought of below and tell me what you think...

- Castlevania/Sonic crossover, drawing mostly from _Unleashed_ and _Order of Ecclesia_.

- Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover, set in between SuperS and Stars and drawing mostly from the X-Men comic storylines in the 1990s.

- South Park/Final Fantasy III fusion, as in the REAL _Final Fantasy III_ on the NES, and not that overrated drudgery that was actually _Final Fantasy VI_.

- Sly Cooper/Transformers crossover, using an original incarnation of the latter.

Well, enough yammering from me. Now that I'm done with this, I've got another week to wait until I can indulge my Metroid obsession all over again in the form of _Other M_. And hopefully, there'll be at least one _**POST-FUSION**_ sequel before I feel the time is right to wrap up the trilogy. In the meantime, I'll end it with a list of all the references to games, movies, television, book and Internet memes that littered this whole fic.

xxxxxx

The idea of there being 'temples' devoted to each of Hogwarts's four Founders no doubt made readers think of _The Legend of Zelda _more than anyhing else, but there were other influences:

- Four things that needed to be manipulated in Ravenclaw's sanctuary to collapse the central tower was a lot like the Eagle's Tower, the next-to-last dungeon in _Link's Awakening_.

- The masks from the four temple bosses in _Majora's Mask _adorned the wall in Valkyrie's private museum.

There were copious nods to the _Metal Gear_ series, besides the method of introducing the Reformers being very Foxhound-ish:

- Hermione's musing about such a tiny organism changing the world is taken from the demo exposition in _Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake_.

- Samus's final words being 'the best is yet to come' is a nod to the main theme of _Metal Gear Solid_.

- Wildflower jumping off of Azkaban, only to resurface standing on a jet was, naturally, a nod to Solidus Snake's antics in _Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty_.

- Valkyrie's air forces making use of Hinds loaded with enchantments is an homage to how the very best _Metal Gear_ games always have Hinds (the MSX originals, the PS1 and GBC sequels, and _Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater_).

- Why was J.B. Granger depicted with a mullet? Take a wild guess.

There were _Castlevania _references abound yet again:

- The lower levels of Slytherin's sanctuary having loads of huge gears was a huge nod to the clock tower levels seen in almost all _Castlevania _games.

- Moody was, naturally, trying to remember the name of the Belnades clan, hinting at how Harry and Samus might also be in the _Castlevania_ universe.

- The SA-X, of course, aped Dracula's throwing-the-empty-wine-glass schtick right before her fateful duel with Samus.

- Wildflower did not mimic any villains from the _Castlevania_ series (definitely _not_ Actrise), but she did mimic Dracula's classic attack pattern from _Order of Ecclesia _(fireballs/bats, then flaming meteors, then deadly rain) .

- Valkyrie herself was heavily influenced by not only _Castlevania's_ depiction of Dracula, but certain descriptions in _Bram Stoker's Dracula _(part of Konami's official timeline) , such as having both aspects of an adult and a child's mentality.

- Samus dealing damage through Wildflower's suit with her wisp whip was another nod to _Castlevania_.

- Snape and Valkyrie's combo attack with the tornado was inspired by the team attacks in _Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin_.

_Sonic the Hedgehog_ had a lot of subtle influences, like the chase fight with Helga Hufflepuff and mimicking how the Dreamcast games brilliantly told their stories from multiple viewpoints. But the biggest reference was the final battle against Valkyrie and Kor-Zor, directly inspired by the last fight in _Sonic Heroes_.

The idea of Ron and Hermione adrift in space, with their dog tags no doubt floating in their faces, was a nod to the similar scenario with Squall and Rinoa in _Final Fantasy VIII_.

There were several subtle nods to _Mega Man 9_, such as:

- The chapter name 'We're the Reformers' was taken from the track 'We're the Robots', which plays in the second part of Dr. Wily's fortress.

- Ped's lock of silvery hair mimics the plume on the front of Splash Woman's helmet.

- The way sparks shot from the tip of Samus's boot when magma fell in Gryffindor's sanctuary mimics how the same thing happens with Mega Man while standing too close to cascading magma in Magma Man's stage.

Anyone notice how almost all of the big villains do a _Street Fighter II _move?

- Valkyrie uses Ryu and Ken's Shoryuken on Voldemort in their duel.

- Snape does Guile's backflipping kick thing on Harry during their fight in Hufflepuff's sanctuary.

- Wildflower uses E. Honda's flying headbutt during her fight in Gryffindor's sanctuary.

- Faction uses Zangief's spinning piledriver on Samus in Hufflepuff's sanctuary.

- Tesla makes like Blanka and uses his rolling ball to pinball around the streets of Salem.

- Ped uses Chun-Li's spinning bird kick on a bunch of Aurors in Hogsmeade.

Ron had a _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV _moment in the Ravenclaw sanctuary, thrashing around one of the 'valkyrie' statues to damage others.

J.B. Granger growing a third arm out of his back was a nod to the ending of _Simpsons: Hit & Run_.

Harry has some _God of War _moments, such as taking out an Orangu-Snake with its own axe and ripping the wings off a 'valkyrie' statue.

The way Dudley took out his challenger was the exact method used to best Sandman in _Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!_

Besides Captain Falcon and Kirby actually being part of Samus's universe, other nods were made ot the latter, such as the password for Dumbledore's office being changed to 'Maxim Tomato'.

The bamboo smoking pipe in Valkyrie's manor was Goemon's weapon of choice in the _Ganbare Goemon _series.

The Razor Knight doing barrel rolls was a nod to _Star Fox_.

British troops naming one of their tanks the 'Metal Slughorn' was, of course, a brazen reference to the _Metal Slug _franchise.

Here's the one EVERYONE got: Draco's line at the end of Chapter 17 was ripped right out of _Halo 2._

Valkyrie asking Voldemort "Are you with us?" was taken from the commercial for _Sly 2: Band of Thieves_, perhaps my absolute favorite platformer for the PlayStation 2.

Here's an obscure one: the name of the Death Eater that Valkyrie posed as was a reference to a blatant Mega Man ripoff called _The Krion Conquest_. Francesca was the main character's name in the American version, while Doropoia was derived from her Japanese name.

The chapter title _Streets of Rage _was a nod to the beat0'em-up series from Sega of the same name.

There were a few nods to the _Dead or Alive_ series. Valkyrie's clothes were partly inspired by Hitomi's look. Dr. Kasumi Hinada was somewhat inspired by Kasumi, although they share nothing in common other than an Asian background, red hair, and their name.

Valkyrie bringing replicas of the four Reformers to life with magic egg things was a reference to _Bonk's Adventure_.

Y'know how loads of fans say _Harry Potter _is most like _Star Wars_? That's bullshit. _X-Men _is the franchise that has the most in common, I say, and loads of stuff in this fic reflected that:

- Valkyrie herself was originally meant to be a Doctor Doom-ish character, but I figured Voldemort already fit the mold of archetypal villain. So Valkyrie pretty much became equal parts Magneto, Mr. Sinister and Apocalypse. Tesla's quip about wanting to call her team the Four Horsemen was even a nod to the last one.

- Valkyrie's trick with lowering the air pressure around Voldemort during their duel was taken from _Uncanny X-Men #150_, where Storm does the same thing to Magneto. Hermione's line about a dream being good, but the dreamer being corrupted, was said to Magneto by Storm in that same issue.

- The idea of Voldemort being forced to side with the good guys came from how every 'part two' of anything X-Men related in non-comic media has Magneto switching sides. The second season of the 90s _X-Men _toon, _X-Men 2: Clone Wars _for Genesis, _X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse_, _X2: X-Men United_...you name it, Magneto does a Heel Face Turn.

- On top of that, Voldemort's whole dramatic entrance into the Ministry of Magic as it was being invaded was ripped right from the opening cinema to _X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse_.

- Fighting likenesses of the four Reformers during the final showdown with Valkyrie was also meant to parallel how Apocalypse brings out likenesses of his Four Horsemen in _X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse_.

- Tesla shouting "Welcome...to die!" was an obvious nod to the _X-Men_ arcade game.

- The idea of a villainous plot to mutate normal humans was partly inspired by the first _X-Men _movie.

- Petunia Dursley transforming back into Ped while doing a spinning kick in midair was taken right from Mystique's big fight scene in the first _X-Men_ movie.

- Tesla and Ped's special powers were, of course, inspired by Magneto and Toad.

Fleur Delacour saying "You have got balls. I like your balls," to Harry was ripped right from _Team America: World Police_.

The way Valkyrie mocked and laughed at everyone in Malfoy Manor when she first revealed herself was directly inspired by the Joker's entrance in _The Dark Knight_.

The adult Dachora getting Harry away from Narcissa's mud colossus came from a similar scene in _Up_.

A lot of last minute additions to made as nods to _Iron Man 2_, such as Faction thrashing around his makeshift whips just like Whiplash/Crimson Dynamo at the racetrack, Harry and Samus's argument which was interrupted by the arrival of a slew of Metroids, and even how Samus putting on her suit mimicked the 'suitcase armor' scene.

Wildflower, of course, used that famous line from _Scarface_ atop Azkaban, repeated much later by Arthur Weasley to great effect.

Valkyrie saying that "One shall stand, one shall fall," was obviously ripped from the animated _Transformers_ movie. Plus, the idea of making the Razor Knight a jet that transforms into a tank came from the sin of thinking that Michael Bay's _Transformers_ wasn't all bad. Funny how Megatron then became a triple-changer, able to become a tank or jet, in _Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen_. Lastly, the artistic design for the feet of most of the Transformers in the movies inspired the look for Susan Bones and Severus Snape's boots.

J.B. Granger, naturally, repeats Bruce Willis's infamous line from _Die Hard_ after shooting the Razor Knight down.

The whole thing with Valkyrie's message being broadcasted to her outpost in Norway, and the way her Infernians behaved, was inspired by how Shredder first appeared in the original _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles _movie.

Valkyrie announcing she was going 'southpaw' was, of course, a nod to the original _Rocky_.

Voldemort getting blasted through a headstone after getting slammed by a missile's impact was a lot like one bit of unpleasantness that befell the T-X in _Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines_.

Harry telling Bellatrix that he had a perfect six-to-nothing record against Voldemort mimics how Bart Simpson once told Sideshow Bob the same thing in _The Simpsons_.

Were those figures Harry saw while flying over Tokyo really the heroes from _Sailor Moon_?

The nods to the original _Dune_ were pretty damn obvious, such as Hermione's crack to Voldemort about being Bene Gesserit, J.B. having Ron recite the Bene Gesserit axiom about fear, and Valkyrie even calling Faction her own Mentat. But there were subtler influences; the idea of Samus's suit recycling water came right from the Fremen stillsuits.

The eagle on Ron's armor opening the way to Hufflepuff's lair parallels how a thrush reveals the path to Smaug in _The Hobbit._

Harry asking Samus whether she wants "meat, or potatoes" when they're about to throw down on a bunch of Metroids was ripped from the awesome new _Sherlock Holmes_ movie. Couldn't think of any lines from the actual books that haven't been aped dozens of times, so I got lazy and used the movie.

There were even nods to Internet memes this time around. The way Harry got all irate while playing _Super Mario 64 _was meant to parallel the Angry Video Game Nerd.

The Razor Knight's tank form being referred to as 'Thunderfoot' mode was a nod to the Youtube user of the same name and his awesome series _Why Do People Laugh At Creationists?_

While in Salem, Tesla nearly repeated verbatim one of the famous taunting lines from the infamous _The Juggernaut, Bitch!_ parody from My Way.

xxxxxx

And with that, the reading of this entire fic was completed successfully.

See you next mission,  
Grey-X


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